Council approves comp-plan amendment: residential mixed-use area reclassified as medium-density residential around New York Landing

The Nampa City Council approved a comprehensive plan map amendment that redesignates roughly 266.6 acres north of Alma Lane, south of Locust Lane, east of Southside Boulevard and west of Happy Valley Road from "residential mixed use" to "medium-density residential." Council adopted staff—indings that the change aligns the future land-use map with on-the-ground development and parcel access constraints.

Bailey Engineering representative Kelly Black explained the request was intended to align the future land-use map with existing and proposed residential development in the New York Landing subdivision and adjacent parcels. The applicant and staff said much of the area already is being developed under a medium-density residential zoning and that several small county parcels to the west have limited access and are not suitable for neighborhood commercial uses required under the "residential mixed use" designation.

Staff planner Doug Critchfield told council the primary difference between the two designations is the neighborhood-commercial requirement: both designations allow the same density range (roughly 2.5 to 8 dwelling units per acre), but the residential mixed-use land-use designation requires roughly 5% commercial land area for mixed-use development. Staff noted the New York Canal and the local lot pattern make commercial uses on the remaining parcels impractical, and the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the change to provide development continuity with the already-platted New York Landing subdivision.

Council adopted the amendment with the staff findings; the vote was unanimous. The change adjusts the future land-use map but does not itself rezone properties or grant annexation or development entitlements. Those steps will come later if property owners apply for annexation and zoning; any rezoning requests will return to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council for review.

Ending: Council members said the map change is meant to reflect current development patterns and to avoid forcing commercially infeasible requirements on small parcels; rezoning and annexation would still require separate applications and findings.