Garden City planning commission recommends approval for Stateside 134-townhome plat amid legal dispute and sidewalk, access debate

The Garden City Planning & Zoning Commission voted 3-0 on July 8 to recommend City Council approve SUBFY2025-0002, the Stateside Subdivision (a combined preliminary and final plat for 134 townhomes on about 10.28 acres at 6515 West State Street), while directing staff to apply the minimum sidewalk standards required by code and asking that parking-area access rules be interpreted as not applying to single-family garages.

The commission’s recommendation followed a lengthy hearing that focused on three technical questions: whether the internal circulation should be classified as private streets or common drives (which affects sidewalk and design standards); whether code language that prohibits backing into a street (the “forward motion” requirement) applies to driveway/garage arrangements; and how perimeter landscaping should be applied where the subdivision opens onto the adjacent golf course. The hearing drew more than 100 people to the chamber and more than 200 written comments were entered into the record.

Why it matters: The commission’s recommendation advances the project to City Council but does not decide the final plat; council approval is required. The application also intersects with a pending Ada County court case about whether recorded Plantation master covenants and restrictions (CC&Rs) apply to the golf course parcel — a legal question opponents say could change what uses are allowed.

Developer, staff and neighbors

John Wardle, representing Brighton Development Company, told the commission the plan replaces higher-density multifamily potential in the River Club Specific Area Plan (SAP) with 134 for-sale, three-story townhomes with two-car garages. Wardle said the proposal yields roughly 13 dwelling units per acre, provides about 352 parking spaces (268 enclosed plus about 84 guest stalls), and includes roughly 4,500 linear feet of 5-foot sidewalks and 1,600 linear feet of 10-foot pathways (about 1.15 miles total).

City planner Hannah Viel (staff) said the application was processed as a standard subdivision under Garden City Code Title 8, Chapter 8A and that staff had not issued a formal recommendation because of interpretive questions about roadway classification and sidewalk standards. "Staff has not…