Kuna commission approves Blossom Meadows annexation, prelim plat and design review with playground condition

The Kuna Planning and Zoning Commission on April 8 approved applications to annex about 30.92 acres into the city, rezone the site to R6 (medium-density residential), and granted preliminary plat and design-review approval for the Blossom Meadows subdivision.

Applicant Jaden Schneider, representing the development team, said the site near Locust Grove and Meadowview Road would be subdivided into about 100 single-family lots averaging roughly 7,000 square feet, with larger lots around 8,000 square feet. The developer earlier proposed 77 lots and later revised to the current plan with city and neighborhood input. The proposed R6 zoning implements Kuna's medium-density residential standards, which staff said generally allow up to six dwelling units per acre.

Troy Buchanan, planning staff, told commissioners the subdivision meets Kuna's code, Idaho state statutes and the comprehensive plan and recommended approval subject to the staff report conditions. The developer said Kuna School District has reviewed the proposal and engaged with the team; district representative Tim Jensen said the district supports the application in part because the developer agreed to a voluntary mitigation program.

"We do present a couple different ways that developers can partner with the district," Tim Jensen said, explaining the district's mitigation approach. Jensen stated the mitigation in this case was a per-door fee and recited the amount in the hearing record as $3,286 per door; he also said the payments are structured to be collected as homes are built out and can be applied per 10-home increments rather than as a single lump sum.

Traffic and access were substantive points in deliberation. The developer said ACHD reviewed and approved the traffic impact study and that the plan includes a new connection (North Strobel Road) to the collector network and an emergency access with bollards. Several commissioners expressed concern about having roughly 100 homes served primarily by a single full-time access point, noting emergency egress and evacuation as the primary risk. The applicant and staff explained that ACHD and Kuna Fire have reviewed the access plan and that there is a paved, 20-foot-wide emergency access that can be opened by emergency services.

Open-space calculations were included in the staff report: Kuna code requires 7.5% open space (2.32 acres for this site); the developer proposed 11% (about 3.49 acres) of qualified open space in the plat.

Commissioners added a condition requiring playground/tot-lot equipment to be installed in Block 9, Lot 1 (the motion specified the lot by lot and block to avoid ambiguity). A motion to recommend annexation and to approve the preliminary plat and design review with the staff-recommended conditions and the added playground condition passed; the record shows voiced ayes and recorded nays but does not list a full roll-call tally.

Resident Bud Gibson spoke in public testimony, noting concerns about road alignment and access to irrigation and fencing adjacent to his retained parcel. The commission deliberated those concerns but approved the applications with the conditions described in the staff report.

The commission's recommendation will be forwarded to the Kuna City Council as required for annexation and rezone actions.

Transcript evidence for this article includes staff presentation, applicant presentation and public testimony by Tim Jensen and Bud Gibson, followed by commissioner deliberations and motions.