Ada County hears hours of opposition to Shadow Valley plan community over water, traffic and wildfire risks

Ada County commissioners on Nov. 14 heard more than three hours of testimony on a proposal to establish the Shadow Valley planned community, a two‑step comprehensive-plan amendment and future implementation process that would eventually allow roughly 395 homes, mixed commercial uses and preserved open space around the existing Shaw Valley Golf Course.

Brent Danielson, county planning staff, said the proposal is the first step — a map and text amendment that would recognize the property as a planned community and adopt goals and policies for a future implementation plan. Danielson said staff recommends approval and that the applicant has submitted traffic, wildlife and water analyses and intends to provide an on‑site water and wastewater system, plus mitigation measures for wildfire and wildlife. "Staff is recommending approval of the project to the board," Danielson said.

Developer Larry Kine presented the project and repeatedly described water and sewer plans intended to protect the golf course and supply residents. He said the applicant is pursuing municipal water-right transfers and plans an on‑site wastewater treatment facility with membrane treatment that would return about 95% of effluent for golf-course irrigation. "We're in the process of ... get[ting] a municipal water right," Kine said, adding the wastewater reuse would reduce irrigation pumping needs and provide a backup supply for nearby neighbors.

Those technical proposals did not satisfy most speakers from Spring Creek Estates and other nearby neighborhoods. Dozens of residents warned the board that Spring Creek Way and the intersection with Highway 55 are narrow, steep and already congested during summer weekends, and that additional residential traffic would create a safety hazard. "This is our only way in. This is our only way out," a resident testified, summarizing a common theme in comments about evacuation and winter driving conditions.

Neighbors also raised groundwater and septic concerns. Several speakers said local private wells have shown declining levels and asked for formal, binding protections before any land-use change. One resident who said she holds water rights asked the county to confirm where irrigation flows and how new infrastructure might affect existing rights.

Boise Hunter Homes — a nearby developer and owner of the adjacent Dry Creek Ranch subdivision — did not oppose the project outright but asked the board to require Shadow Valley to reimburse a proportionate share of nearby transportation improvements that Boise Hunter Homes built in mitigation of its own approvals. "Boise Hunter Homes supports approval of Shadow Valley plan communities application. But only if a condition of approval is included that requires Shadow Valley planned community to reimburse Boise Hunter Homes for its proportionate share of the transportation improvements," attorney Josh Leonard told the board.

Kine told commissioners he has negotiated settlement agreements with some neighbors and is willing to work with neighborhood groups and other developers on traffic and water mitigations; he also said the plan preserves the golf course and places much of the property into dedicated open space.

After hearing public testimony and questions from commissioners, the board closed the hearing and moved to table action. Commissioners said they needed more time to review the large record, consult on legal and financial questions (including the suggested reimbursement to Boise Hunter Homes) and examine data about groundwater drawdown and off-site traffic mitigations. The board voted to table the matter to the open business meeting of Dec. 16, 2025.

What happens next: If commissioners affirm the planned‑community designation at the Dec. 16 meeting, the project would advance to a second, more detailed implementation-plan review with additional hearings, required agency scoping (ITD, ACHD, DEQ, Idaho Department of Water Resources, Central District Health, fire agencies) and public involvement sessions. The implementation step would include a zoning and development agreement with final engineering, funding plans for infrastructure and legally binding mitigation commitments.