Huge planned community south of Boise leaps forward with construction nearing

After years of back-and-forth, a previous denial by Kuna City Council and opposition from the city of Boise, a 2,775-home master-planned community may finally be on its way.

The proposed development, called Spring Rock, was greenlit by the Ada County Commission on Wednesday. It would be located just east of Kuna and south of Boise between Falcon Crest Golf Club and Ten Mile Creek Road.

The commission’s unanimous decision significantly moved the project forward, but the commissioners still need to sign off on a development agreement and a preliminary map before construction begins.

“The proposed community will include approximately 2,775 homes and 362,000 square feet of office and commercial space on 762 acres at full build-out, which is anticipated to take around 20 years,” said Brent Moore, senior community and regional planner for Ada County Development Services.

According to a county report, the development would include a mixture of housing, office, commercial, retail and recreational uses. It would offer housing to own and to rent in a range of types and sizes, including options for affordable housing.

“This will be a quality development, one of which I’ll be very proud of and very focused on as (we) build it for the future, not only about it being sustainable but about meeting the housing affordability needs for our workforce housing today,” said David Yorgason, one of the Spring Rock developers.

Yorgason has a long history in real estate and as a land developer in the Boise area. He worked on the Highlands Cove and Eagle Quarry developments.

Not all the homes will qualify as workforce housing, Yorgason said, but a big chunk of them will, though he did not say how many.

The development team would work with the local housing authority and builders to offer workforce housing units for rent and to buy, according to a September 2022 comprehensive plan for Spring Rock.

“One of our key goals is supporting affordable housing,” Yorgason said. “We know there’s a real need in the community still, and so we’re striving to achieve that as well.”

Workforce housing is priced for people who earn 80% to 120% of the median income. A document from the developers says their housing would be priced at the 120% level. In Boise, 120% of the median income for a two-person household is $82,638, according to the city of Boise. Rents are set individually to no more than 30% of these incomes, meaning a two-person household at 120% would pay $2,479.

A household making 120% of the area median income could buy a $372,200 home, according to the development’s comprehensive plan, which uses 2022 numbers.

Yorgason said that unlike other planned communities in the Treasure Valley like Avimor or Dry Creek Ranch, the Spring Rock development would be fairly close to employment centers.

“This is about 15 minutes from Micron,” Yorgason said. “It’s less than 15 minutes from the airport. We’re just a mile or so away from the Meta facility that’s under construction to our south.”

It would also abut another planned community that has already been approved and is under construction called Valor. Moore, the county planner, said Valor will include about 2,300 homes when finished.

Plans for Spring Rock call for two elementary schools for the Kuna and West Ada school districts, a community center, a pond and 30-acre park.

According to Yorgason, the developers will build out the northwest area first and gradually move southeast.

Fail once, try again

The project has faced a bumpy road.

In 2020, the developers asked Kuna to annex the land into the city, but officials said no, saying the development would strain city resources, according to prior Idaho Statesman reporting. The Ada County Highway District also said it couldn’t afford the roadwork.

The developers, Yorgason and real estate agents Patt Dunslager and Chris Findlay, all of Spring Rock Development LLC, tried again in 2022, seeking approval through Ada County. This time, they were successful, with relatively few people speaking in opposition.

The proposed area has few immediate neighbors who might object to the development. It is mostly farmland, grassland and shrubs and is in “marginal to poor condition,” according to a report from Environmental Conservation Services Inc.

The county received one public comment in opposition to the latest plans along with opposition from the city of Boise, according to Moore. Even though the development is not within the city’s area of impact, Boise expressed concern over the development straining the region’s public services, transportation, water availability and farmland.

The project received approval from ACHD, the Idaho Transportation Department, Kuna Fire, Ada County Sheriff and Ada County Paramedics. The city of

Kuna had no objection to the application this time around. The developers worked with the city to remove it from their area of impact, which is the unincorporated area around a city that it plans eventually to annex.

ACHD dropped its opposition, too, after Spring Rock agreed to pay for improvements such as extending Maple Grove Road through the property.

Yorgason said the developers are paying more than $10 million for street and road improvements.

Rod Beck, chair of the Ada County Commission, voiced frustration with the city of Boise’s opposition.

“It seems to be universal that if it’s outside the city limits, they oppose a planned community,” Beck said.

The city of Boise has two potential future planned communities, Murio Farms and Locale, within its borders north of Spring Rock. Locale has been approved and is already under development, according to Moore.

Addressing water, emergency services, transportation

According to Moore, Veolia will provide drinkable water to the community from nine existing wells north of the site. In a letter to the county, Veolia indicated it has the capacity to support the development’s maximum water use.

“Veolia was confident they could service this,” Moore said.

Yorgason said they were not planning to drill any new wells and that they would keep water on-site, re-use it for pressurized irrigation and, if there is any excess, use it to recharge aquifers.

The project would have its own sewage treatment plant, which has been approved by the Department of Environmental Quality. Yorgason said they plan to start construction on it next summer.

Spring Rock Development would also build and pay for a building for the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, the Ada County Paramedics and the Kuna Fire District.

“We really are trying to look forward and … be a partner in working with (Kuna Fire District) and bring in the service to the area,” Yorgason said. “There’s a real need. Response times are slow in this area.”

To help offset law enforcement costs for the initial stages of development, Moore also said the developers will make $50,000 contributions to the Sheriff’s Office in 2024 and 2025.

“Kuna Fire, Ada County Sheriff and Ada County Paramedics were all supportive of the project moving forward with the mitigation measures proposed by the applicant,” Moore said.

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