BOISE, Idaho — A massive 762-acre development could be coming to a chunk of land near Kuna, but some nearby city leaders say it's unfair to taxpayers. The development is called '"Spring Rock." Ada County Commissioners just moved it along in the process. But it’s not approved, yet.
Spring Rock would stretch from Falcon Crest Golf Course all the way to South Cole Road. Spring Rock developers plan to put up almost 2,800 homes to buy or rent. They're also looking at more than 350,000 square feet of commercial space and a couple schools on land they say they'll donate to the Kuna and West Ada school districts. They want to be completely done building by 2040.
Last Wednesday, April 12, Ada County Commissioners sent the project to the next phase of the approval process. In that next phase, the developers will have to provide more details, like funding and design. They'll also have to address the concerns of neighbors, which include traffic and groundwater, since many people in that area say they've already had wells dry up.
"These are the issues that will at some point in time have to be answered, and that's why they need to know that, and we appreciate you asking questions," Ada County Commissioner Tom Dayley said at the meeting.
It's not just the neighbors with concerns. The original plan was for Spring Rock to go inside the Kuna city limits. I talked to the Mayor of Kuna, Joe Stear, a couple weeks ago. He cast the deciding vote against the development in 2020, saying the city was not ready, and that it would stretch services too much. The new plan has Spring Rock outside any city limits, so Mayor Stear does not have to make the call.
The nearby city of Boise does not want this project moving forward, even if it's out in the county. More than a month ago, Boise Planning and Development Services Director Tim Keane said it would vastly increase sprawl, forcing current taxpayers to pay for the roads, water, and sewer to connect to it and the services like police and fire to respond to it.
"There are no services and little infrastructure out there, which means we, the City of Boise, the fire department and others, and the community will have to extend our reach out into the desert,” Keane said. “That is exactly the pattern that resulted in all the problems and other cities. We just can't do that."
Those are more concerns for the developers to address in the next phase. It will head back to Ada County Planning and Zoning once those details are added. Then, P&Z will make another recommendation to the full Ada County Commission.
Watch more 'Growing Idaho':
See the latest growth and development news in our YouTube playlist: