[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6450007,"mediaKeyId","5888154-29638a17bdb60bebcb04af32e8f41c88","parentId",5888154,"title","Central Caldwell plan expands to 1,500 acres; consultant proposes Indian Creek promenade and parking strategy","audioSeconds",880,"startMs",2819000,"endMs",3699000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5888154-29638a17bdb60bebcb04af32e8f41c88&start=2819&end=3699","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5888154-29638a17bdb60bebcb04af32e8f41c88/thumbnail_2819000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6450007/Caldwell/Canyon-County/Idaho/Central-Caldwell-plan-expands-to-1500-acres-consultant-proposes-Indian-Creek-promenade-and-parking-strategy","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6450007-3686c6f3754711e8a8ef1a91391b2adb/orig.mp4?Expires=1775255484&Signature=ZK8z~S7Ab-2en3lUgeF04iRM8aNB7QfXtrEq3TvuUbWZ6MtHuPOGe75NmK03zzVMtw329kTODpUbyYMdhtcCr1mKCRJ0lMzU24J3Z3eaF4~pwrsnGogOGMftC58qVblFfgF3tGvft4d3u9sGU-q-6H3HQQHCkpTjktlWttP~v8OQsrcLb6QsxDD9HrJ4tzNBn-q3z1N~cL-V27IxDAK8yOMfxtHoFbojNYr5ODkxtILerKKcvTVTNhFOJi7g7ZLOfrrto-IXiRevl1zMoH2G7gf~E1wKJd~KAOiBX7bZbu2yjpTmAw12qb7QrCGcinngD3~xq9pSP0FFCAwoctTa0g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Caldwell","date","2025-10-06T22:43:21Z","article","Roger Brooks, consultant on the Central Caldwell master plan, updated the City Council on outreach, feasibility work and early design concepts and said the project area has been voluntarily expanded from roughly 905 acres to more than 1,500 acres to better connect downtown, the fairgrounds and other nearby assets.

“We really feel like it's really integrated in this process,” Brooks said of the expanded study area, adding that the team wants to connect downtown to the fairgrounds, Rotary Ponds and the Boise River corridor.

Brooks described a proposed “Indian Creek Promenade,” a roughly 12-foot pedestrian corridor that would run from the Canyon County Fair Event Center to the Rotary Ponds, and said the planning team has completed extensive outreach with city officials, Canyon County, Destination Caldwell, the College of Idaho, hotel developers, downtown business owners and other stakeholders. He said the team analyzed 30 comparable cities to test feasibility for retail, hotel and office demand.

“As far as timeline goes, we have been working this day and night, and in December we're going to start mapping out the whole thing,” Brooks said. He told council the firm and its planning partners have been coordinating feasibility work with urban renewal and the city’s economic development staff.

Brooks said the plan’s analysis shows demand that could accommodate approximately 60,000 square feet of additional retail and about 60,000 square feet of Class A office space in the downtown core — figures he framed as feasibility-based estimates rather than commitments — and that the team has identified opportunities to add roughly 700 downtown parking spaces through structured parking and shared parking strategies.

Brooks emphasized private-sector-led investment and public-private partnerships, including potential use of urban renewal tools to reduce development barriers. He said consultants have been coordinating closely with Architectural Nexus (ArcNexus) on feasibility, and that specifics about block-level redevelopment will be ready for a council retreat early next year.

Council members asked practical questions about repurposing older buildings and parking. Brooks said some neighborhoods in the study area — which the consultants call the Garden District, the Plaza District and the Stockyards District — will likely need different strategies; some corridors will benefit from public infrastructure upgrades such as sidewalks and pedestrian connections, while other areas will be targeted for private investment.

Brooks asked for a January retreat where consultants would present block-by-block development concepts and implementation options. He said the plan’s goal is to provide a clear, coordinated development blueprint so private investors can identify suitable parcels and the city can target infrastructure and policy interventions. No formal council action was taken at the workshop; council members expressed interest and appreciation for the outreach and asked consultants to continue work toward the planned presentations and public engagement phases.

Brooks said the team will continue outreach with the fairgrounds, the College of Idaho and other stakeholders and will finalize feasibility and mapping tasks over the coming months before presenting detailed recommendations to council.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025/10/6 - City Council Workshop","oneSentenceSummary","Consultant Roger Brooks told council the Central Caldwell master plan area has grown from about 905 acres to over 1,500 acres, described an Indian Creek promenade idea, and outlined outreach, feasibility work and a timeline that could lead to a January retreat to review block-by-block recommendations.","taxTitle","Caldwell, Canyon County, Idaho","taxId",4130,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6450011,"Caldwell holds workshop on 2025 sign code after businesses raise compliance, permitting and enforcement concerns",2584,282000,2866000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5888154-29638a17bdb60bebcb04af32e8f41c88&start=282&end=2866","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5888154-29638a17bdb60bebcb04af32e8f41c88/thumbnail_282000.jpg","/articles/6450011/Caldwell/Canyon-County/Idaho/Caldwell-holds-workshop-on-2025-sign-code-after-businesses-raise-compliance-permitting-and-enforcement-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6450011-9557cf43dad358173aaf24ddbe87408a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775255484&Signature=bUAcYJEayL97bchKcOwsT-ey33yN-3g3JW~LFNG0BpLhemcs2mT5ZFR3jDm-ALF1e7Hj850W1L12e6fYQEve-BT-21peT-0agC-fMQccwOvJG1CKkGLVcJ~6y7263gGDLtH0VSQ2ZFIwNQs2EINm77CPy6yMfVajKqit~OP7QPsvg~tLLSYiSN76IgK9dc5Le8oSivUSMZZowXa0fz6b6lb1XHkTXZtsTmPD8kj-7WGnh1fnTylqdLYii6if-XSt~zepZ9qLozRmXzHcjqzEQXs5wj8NkwqQDpi7FWp5s7Xb6h0GQiEZI5tc--eBp2ae~deQX4qwlAHXB-MB4D3Ayg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Robin Collins, Community Development Director for the City of Caldwell, briefed the City Council at a workshop on the 2025 sign code amendments and the concerns raised by sign companies and local business owners.

“The purpose of the sign code is really mainly to remove visual clutter, means to maintain aesthetics, maintain your property values,” Collins told the council, summarizing the code’s aims and the public outreach that preceded adoption. She said legal counsel had reviewed the code and found it content neutral.

Council and staff said no decisions were made at the workshop. Instead, council members indicated they want staff to meet with sign industry representatives and other stakeholders to review ambiguous provisions and consider potential amendments before returning to council for further action.

Sign-industry speakers at the workshop said parts of the new code are unclear, costly to comply with, or inconsistently enforced. Aaron Vance of Superior Signs urged clearer definitions for “pole,” “monument” and “freestanding” signs and asked that pole signs be limited to freeway-oriented zones. “Pole sign needs to be its own definition and only limited to a zone in the freeway area,” Vance said. He and other sign contractors said the code’s size limits and percentage rules for electronic message centers (EMCs) can make practical signage nearly invisible at driving speeds.

Candace Horn, director of government relations for Yesco (Young Electric Sign Company), said she surveyed roughly 40 local businesses and found little awareness of the code changes. “Not one of them knew anything about the sign code changing,” Horn said, and she urged a simpler, faster permitting process so businesses are not delayed in opening.

Craig Lookingbill of Lytle Signs described permitting that he said is burdensome: for a recent Starbucks job he said the city required nine separate permits and “27 separate fees” for different signs and electrical work. He recommended consolidating sign review steps to reduce time and cost for small businesses.

City staff explained aspects of the code that prompted industry concerns. Collins said legal nonconforming pole signs may remain in place provided they are not damaged beyond one-half of replacement value, are not structurally altered or relocated, and are not abandoned by more than the code’s vacancy period. She said the current vacancy threshold is six months (staff noted they would be open to discussing extending it to 12 months to match other nonconforming rules). Collins also summarized dimensional rules discussed in the code process (for example, she said the smallest sign allowance in some residential classifications is 24 square feet and in nonresidential districts 60 square feet) and explained that sign visibility studies informed size limits.

On enforcement, Collins told council the city has two full-time code compliance officers and one part-time officer to handle weeds, trash and land-use violations — including illegal signs — and that sign permits are reviewed when applications are submitted.

Council members asked specific compliance questions during the workshop. Councilor Stottick asked about a long-standing complaint that the Indian Creek Steakhouse sign was out of compliance; staff said that case predated current staff and enforcement steps had been started in the past but were not fully resolved. Councilors also pressed who would “police” illegal installations; staff reiterated the current enforcement staffing levels and enforcement process.

The presenters and sign contractors offered several technical and process recommendations: clearer definitions to distinguish pole/pylon/monument signs and freeway-oriented signage, streamlined permit checklists that focus on sign-relevant items, incentives or alternatives to costly monument requirements in some cases, and tighter but more precise EMC illumination and brightness limits. One presenter recommended reducing EMC brightness from the currently cited levels; staff said they were open to considering reduced illumination to support dark-sky goals.

Mayor and council members responded that the ordinance is appropriate to scrutinize and that staff should organize follow-up meetings. The mayor said staff will set up additional meetings with sign companies and interested parties to work through the concerns and, if needed, prepare proposed code amendments and a future public hearing. No formal changes to the code were adopted at the workshop.","City staff reviewed the 2025 sign code amendments and heard industry complaints about permit costs, unclear definitions and enforcement; council directed staff to set up follow-up meetings with sign companies and stakeholders to consider code revisions.","actionData","errors"]

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Central Caldwell plan expands to 1,500 acres; consultant proposes Indian Creek promenade and parking strategy

Caldwell holds workshop on 2025 sign code after businesses raise compliance, permitting and enforcement concerns