Planning commission recommends approval of Gallica Heights rezone and preliminary plat after revisions; neighbors sharply dispute traffic and density impacts

The Kuna City Planning and Zoning Commission voted Tuesday to recommend approval of the rezone and preliminary plat applications for the Gallica Heights subdivision after the applicant substantially revised the project following a council remand.

Troy Beheunin, senior planner in Kuna’s Development Services Department, told the commission the currently proposed project covers roughly 132.5 acres at the southeast corner of Columbia Road and Black Cat Road. Under the updated plan the applicant seeks C‑1 commercial zoning on the corner (about 2.08 acres), R‑4 zoning on approximately 62.58 acres and R‑6 zoning on approximately 70.06 acres, and a preliminary plat to create 514 residential lots, 103 common lots, 20 common driveways, one commercial lot and a four‑acre lot reserved for a charter school. Staff reported the proposal yields a gross density of about 3.89 dwelling units per acre and a net density around 5.01 dwelling units per acre and includes a centrally located charter school adjoining a public park.

Beheunin and the applicant recounted a long review history: an earlier planned unit development that included higher‑density zones, townhomes and a development agreement was denied by the commission and affirmed by council; council later remanded the project back to the commission to address specific items. The applicant removed the PUD, the development agreement and higher‑density zoning requests, eliminated attached housing/townhomes and reduced the total number of units by roughly 101. The revised plan also adds pathways, interior pedestrian connectivity and a publicly accessible park area adjacent to the proposed charter school.

Elizabeth Kekritz, attorney for the applicant, said the property was annexed previously in parts and “has been slated for development now for going on close to 20 years” and that the revised plan was intended to address council’s concerns. She noted the development received a parks recommendation and explained the traffic‑mitigation approach: the developer’s traffic impact study was accepted by the Ada County Highway District (ACHD), the developer will construct frontage and collector improvements and ACHD’s capital improvement plan includes additional corridor projects.

Applicant materials and testimony included impact‑fee numbers: the development will provide $1,790,000 to ACHD for identified improvements and each lot will pay an ACHD impact fee of $3,493; staff also cited total impact fees of about $4,198,000 for park, police and fire impact fees that apply to the project (figures shown in applicant materials and discussed in the hearing).

Several residents testified in opposition, summarizing the Preserve Kuna’s Heritage Coalition and adjacent homeowners’ concerns: the R‑6 designation and a proposed collector roadway (Shayla Road) behind existing one‑acre lots would, they said, bring heavy traffic, safety hazards at a nearby blind crest on Columbia Road, permanent noise and headlight intrusion, and substantial property‑value losses. Rose (Ursula) Sellers, speaking for the coalition, asked the commission to limit zoning to R‑4 or lower and to require an independent, comprehensive traffic study that includes the proposed Shayla extension behind existing homes.

Supporters and potential operators of the charter school addressed enrollment and services. Keith Donahue of Bloom told the commission his organization helps start charter schools and said Gem Prep (a prospective partner) would treat the city as part of its enrollment zone; Brian Fletcher of Gem Prep said a fully built Kuna campus would be about 50,000 square feet and serve roughly 574 K‑12 students when fully built. The applicant and the developer, Tim Eck, argued the project will provide walkable school and park sites and said donated school/park parcels in multiple preliminary plats being processed could relieve district overcrowding if built.

Jamie Markosian, the applicant’s traffic engineer with Kittelson and Associates, summarized the traffic analysis accepted by ACHD and said the updated plan reduced daily trips (the revised plan was estimated around 5,000 vehicle trips per day, down from about 8,000 under the earlier, denser proposal) and produced lower AM/PM peak trip counts. He said site access spacing meets ACHD standards and that required off‑site mitigations will be coordinated through ACHD.

Commission deliberations acknowledged strong neighbor concerns but noted the proposal had been revised to respond to council direction and that ACHD‑required mitigations and future traffic studies will be required at later phases. The commission moved to recommend approval of the rezone and plat (case numbers stated on the record) and to recommend approval of the design review; both motions passed by voice vote with no recorded roll‑call opposition at the hearing.

Next steps: the commission’s recommendations will be forwarded to the Kuna City Council for final action; council will review the record and any conditions imposed by the commission prior to taking a decision.