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Consultant says Central Caldwell master plan expanded to 1,500+ acres, proposes Indian Creek promenade and parking structures
Summary
Consultant Roger Brooks told council the Central Caldwell master plan area has been voluntarily expanded to more than 1,500 acres, described outreach and feasibility work, and pitched an Indian Creek Promenade, three distinct downtown districts and shared parking or parking structures; he proposed a January council retreat to review block‑by‑block plans.
A planning consultant updating the Caldwell City Council said the Central Caldwell master plan has grown in scope and will include a multi-block, long‑range blueprint intended to guide private investment and public improvements.
Roger Brooks told the council his team voluntarily expanded the project from about 905 acres to more than 1,500 acres to better connect downtown to nearby assets including the Boise River and Rotary Ponds. “We have voluntarily increased it to over 1,500 acres because we thought it was really integrated in this process,” Brooks said, and added that the team has conducted extensive outreach with Canyon County, College of Idaho, downtown businesses, the fairgrounds and other stakeholders.
Brooks described several core initiatives: a proposed 12‑foot Indian Creek Promenade linking the Canyon County Fair Event Center to the Rotary Ponds, three functional districts for downtown (which the team calls the Garden, Plaza and Stockyards districts), and a recruitment‑ready master plan showing block‑by‑block options to guide developers. He said feasibility analysis and coordination with Architectural Nexus and urban‑renewal staff are ongoing and that the team expects to “put pen to paper” in the coming weeks and to present a detailed block‑by‑block plan in January at a council retreat.
On parking and downtown access, Brooks argued for shared parking strategies and public‑private partnerships, saying the plan includes roughly 700 additional downtown parking spaces in preliminary concepts. He also cautioned about the relative cost of parking solutions: “If you wanna develop an asphalt parking space, it's about $6,000. If you wanna build a parking garage space, it's about $35,000,” he said.
During Q&A, council members asked about the Garden District’s older buildings, pedestrian connections on Main Street, and the tax burden split between residential and commercial property owners. Brooks said residential property currently carries a large share of the tax load and that more retail and class‑A office space could rebalance contributions through increased commercial activity. He suggested using the master plan to reduce retail “leakage” to neighboring communities and to attract private capital.
Brooks requested further engagement and proposed a January review where council would examine the plan block by block; council accepted the update and no formal action was taken during the workshop.
