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Council approves 89-acre Base Layer annexation, requires future council review for select uses
Summary
After discussion about permitted uses and planning commission recommendations, the council annexed roughly 88–89 acres for industrial/employment uses and required that certain special uses be subject to council-level review.
Caldwell City Council on May 19 approved annexation AN24-05, a roughly 88–89-acre property west of Interstate 84 and north of Highway 2026, submitted by Base Layer Caldwell LLC, and attached a condition requiring council-level special-use-permit (SUP) review for several uses the Planning & Zoning Commission had recommended removing.
Joseph Dodson, the city's principal planner, told the council the annexation is part of a longer process tied to the Urban Renewal District and that the applicant and staff negotiated a development agreement covering uses, utilities and future access. Dodson said no development plan was proposed at this time and that utilities are available or will be made available if development moves forward.
Applicant Shane Jimenez said the property had been a derelict mink farm and that the owners invested with urban renewal partners in access and roadway improvements, including a signalized approach and deceleration/acceleration lanes. Jimenez asked the council to retain flexibility in the development agreement, arguing future proposals should be judged when complete plans are in hand.
Planning & Zoning had recommended removal of several residential-type uses from the development agreement, including multifamily and assisted-living uses, citing concerns about locating those uses next to industrial zoning. Economic development and the Urban Renewal Agency submitted letters of support for a flexible mix of uses given the area's role in the urban renewal plan.
Councilor Williams moved to approve the annexation with an explicit condition that the uses removed by Planning & Zoning (including multifamily and assisted-living) would require a council-level SUP if proposed; Councilor Olgood seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Why it matters: The annexation brings a large swath of outlying land into Caldwell under an M-1 (industrial/employment) zoning designation and preserves city oversight for certain uses by routing them to the council for future SUP review. That approach balances developer flexibility with an additional layer of public review for uses the planning commission flagged as potentially incompatible.
Next steps: Staff will update the development agreement to reflect the council's SUP requirement and prepare the ordinance language for signature and publication.
Direct quotes (attributed): "It was a very collaborative approach," Shane Jimenez said, describing work with city staff and the Urban Renewal Agency. "We would just say, make the right decision at the right time when you have all the inputs that you need to make those decisions," he added referring to future use proposals.
