Planning commission recommends approval of 57-acre Lakeview subdivision with 150-foot habitat buffer

The Nampa Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend annexation and approval of the Lakeview preliminary plat, a proposed 57.16-acre subdivision at 12529 Midway Road that would add about 129 residential lots and multiple RS zoning districts.

The project, presented by Heath Clark, representing the applicant, proposes zoning stretches to RS 7, RS 8.5, RS 12 and RS 22, an average density of about 2.27 dwelling units per acre, and a large natural habitat lot along the southwest edge that Clark and staff said will measure more than 150 feet wide. “We have a project now that reduces the proposed lots from 155 to 129 new lots,” Clark said during the hearing.

Staff planner Christie Watkins told commissioners the proposal meets annexation and zoning criteria adopted in the city comprehensive plan and noted key infrastructure and safety findings. “A traffic impact study concluded that all the studied intersections meet the City of Nampa level of service standards,” Watkins said, while also identifying the Midway Road–Lake Lowell Avenue intersection as having a high crash rate for the 2017–2021 study period. The staff report said the city wastewater system can serve the development but that topography requires a privately owned pump station for some westerly lots; that pump station would be owned and maintained by the homeowners association.

The commission heard a range of public comment. Paul Cope, a nearby property owner, asked for protections against dust and noise from an adjacent gravel operation and suggested a privacy fence. “Maybe they need to have a, you know, a 6 to 10 foot privacy fence to protect us from, you know, dust and noise,” Cope said. Susan Weaver, who identified herself as representing the landowners, urged approval and described the family’s decision to transition the property from farming to residential use, saying repairs to on-farm infrastructure were cost prohibitive. “Given the growth around my clients, they believe that the best and most responsible next step is to transition the property to residential use,” Weaver said.

Neighbors raised concerns about loss of open space, traffic, impacts on wildlife at the nearby Deer Flat Refuge and the pace of development relative to city service costs. Sharon Higley pressed the commission to consider whether new growth is paying for itself, citing a recent workshop discussion she said showed that service costs can exceed revenues for new development.

Developer and staff changes after the prior submittal included reduced lot counts, larger lots at the western edge, the 150-foot natural habitat buffer and an open-space provision the applicant said pushes total development open space above the 15% minimum to roughly 22% (12.67 acres). Watkins outlined lot-size ranges the application proposes: lots from about 7,000 square feet up to roughly 28,653 square feet depending on zoning. The staff report also lists required frontage improvements on Midway Road and Iowa Avenue, right-of-way dedications, and conditions for utilities and irrigation connections.

After discussion and questions, Commissioner Garner moved to recommend approval of the annexation, zoning stretches and preliminary plat with the findings and conditions in the staff report; Commissioner Kehoe seconded. The commission voted in favor and closed the public hearing, forwarding a recommendation to the city council.

The commission’s recommendation is advisory; the annexation, zoning and plat will return to Nampa City Council for final action. The staff report and hearing record list multiple conditions of approval the developer must meet before final plat signature, including frontage improvements, right-of-way dedication, utility construction, landscape buffering, and coordination on habitat plantings with the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge as described by Clark.