Concerts in Canyon County’s wine district? Businesses said yes, residents no. Who won
A California developer wanted to bring a 5,000-seat concert venue to Canyon County’s treasured Sunnyslope region. But area residents opposed the venue, citing traffic and safety concerns on Idaho 55 and an unfair change in their rural and quiet way of life.
Two Canyon County Commissioners sided with the residents Wednesday, deciding that 5,000-plus more cars on the highway during rush hour would ‘bring undue interference” to an already congested road.
“Great idea, but a little bit too soon before the infrastructure is there to support the venue,” said Commissioner Brad Holton during the second day of public testimony on the proposal.
Sunnyslope is a region of farmland southwest of Caldwell that is home to most of the state’s vineyards and half of its wineries. It is made up of orchards and other farm ground on sloping land with views of the Snake River below and to the west.
The project developers, EW Real Estate, based in Los Gatos, proposed the venue on 40 acres of Symms Fruit Ranch. Called Sunnyslope Ranch, the venue would also include a u-pick orchard and cider production and tasting site.
The project was promoted as an agritourism, which is defined in Idaho law as “any activity carried out on a farm or ranch that allows members of the general public, for recreational, entertainment or educational purposes, to view or enjoy” agriculture related activities. Borton-Lakey Law, a firm representing EW Real Estate, said Sunnyslope Ranch would support agriculture related activities in the area.
But public testimony was mostly against the project. With most speakers limited to 3 minutes each, the hearing nonetheless, took a day and a half to complete. A handful of people testified in favor of the project, including winery and business owners in the area.
Residents, business owners clash over venue support
James Nederend and his wife, Sydney, own Koenig Winery. He spoke in favor of the project, saying agritourism options are one of the only ways farmers in Sunnyslope will be able to continue to farm.
“We have families to feed, bills to pay, college tuition to save for, just like everyone else,” Nederend said. “Agritourism is how we will keep this land from being developed for houses. It is how we keep the essential character of this area. Young farmers need to see their viable options.”
He said those options are u-pick orchards, flower farms, wineries, farm-to-table restaurants, cider breweries and farm stands.
“The biggest threat to the tens of thousands of acres of farmland in Canyon County is not a concert venue on a 40-acre orchard in Sunnyslope on a highway,” Nederend said. “It’s houses.”
Irma Noe, a fourth-generation Idahoan who lives less than a mile from the proposed venue, said she heard testimony on how the venue would help business owners but not how it would benefit residents.
“It’s not benefitting us,” she said. “It’s going to ruin our homes. It’s going to impact everything.”
Sunnyslope already is growing too fast, she said.
‘Traffic flow far exceeds my comfortable level’
Idaho 55 is a two-lane highway that gets congested during rush hour from workers driving from Nampa, Caldwell and Boise to their rural houses in Sunnyslope or Marsing.
The Idaho Transportation Department plans to widen Idaho 55 from Middleton Road in Nampa to Farmway Road, about five miles. But the widening will end about six miles before the proposed venue site.
Eldon Betz worried that the concert venue would “end agriculture in the Sunnyslope area.”
“It won’t take long before farmers will become affected by the noise and the dangerous increase in traffic,” Betz said.
He said the concert venue would be better placed in areas with more commercial businesses like hotels, restaurants and grocery stores.
“I think it’s a wonderful concept, but it’s in a bad location,” he said.
The commissioners agreed.
Commissioner Leslie Van Beek recused herself from the hearing and vote because of a conflict of interest, leaving Holton and Commissioner Zach Brooks to make the final decision.
“I think that 5,000 in that traffic flow far exceeds my comfortable level,” Holton said. “I see the need for what you’re wanting to do. I think the threshold of the 5,000 attendees feels way over balance.”
The commissioners were also concerned with emergency services. In a letter to the commissioners, the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office said it was concerned that any traffic accidents near the venue would be difficult to get to.
“(The sheriff’s office’s) closing sentence says that they ‘cannot support the amount of traffic based on the current roadway design of the two lanes’,” Holton said. “That they use the words ‘cannot’ strikes the fear of God into me when I’m the guy who makes the decision that has the potential of ... somebody being stupid and having the accident, and they’re going to literally bleed out because we can’t get emergency services to them.”
The commissioners at first suggested that EW Real Estate make the venue smaller to reduce the added traffic concern, but ultimately decided to deny the application.
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