Council approves Schuyler Ranch preliminary plat; school district requests follow-up meeting on capacity

The council approved a preliminary plat for Schuyler Ranch, an 8.52-acre subdivision proposing 32 single-family lots near the intersection of Bridal Road and School Avenue.

Troy Beheunen, Kuna Development Services, told the council the application conforms substantially with the development agreement the council approved in June 2022; prior conditions required sewer capacity before final approval. Developer representatives said sewer capacity is now available. Elizabeth Kekaritz of Givens Pursley presented the plat and said most lots exceed the R-6 minimum and that 23 lots meet R-4 dimensional standards, providing larger perimeter lots adjacent to existing development. The developer also offered to add a pathway along the west side of the canal in response to a neighbor request.

During the public hearing, Tim Jensen of the Kuna School District said the district was in a staffing transition and had not been able to review the proposal in advance. He told the council that Silver Trail Elementary is at about 95% capacity, Kuna Middle School about 90% and the high school is over capacity. Jensen said the district wanted the opportunity to meet with the developer before the council took final action. Council members and the developer agreed to arrange a meeting; the city attorney advised against conditioning approval on a developer-district agreement.

Council members discussed whether to continue the matter for a short, date-certain period but ultimately accepted the developer's offer to meet and voted to approve the preliminary plat with the recommended staff conditions. An applicant representative said construction would likely start the following year.

The motion to approve Case No. 2404S passed by voice vote; council members noted the project is relatively small compared with other recent developments and that sewer availability resolved the primary outstanding condition in the development agreement.