The Valley County Planning & Zoning Commission voted Jan. 8 to grant a one‑year extension for the Garnet Valley planned unit development, conditioned on the applicant obtaining a plan approved by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality for required water and sewer upgrades within 12 months.

The extension applies to approvals that originally became effective Jan. 17, 2024, for a mixed‑use project on roughly 39 acres that includes multifamily units, single‑family homes and designated workforce housing. Staff noted the original approvals require off‑site infrastructure improvements and sequencing so that no building permits are issued until water and sewer improvements are complete and sanitary restrictions are lifted.

During a lengthy hearing, neighbors and residents urged the commission to deny further extensions until Timberline Development (the current property owner) demonstrates compliance. Graham Hetland, a nearby resident, said the project’s "scale, density and configuration" are inappropriate for the rural setting and that existing roads and services cannot safely absorb traffic from hundreds of new units. Other residents described recurring boil‑water advisories and cited previously filed DEQ enforcement and rate‑review dockets.

The applicant’s representative, Joe Popner of KAM Engineering, said prospective buyer 3 Pillar Communities intends to secure funds, obtain multiple contractor bids and take contractual control of improvements so that water and sewer work will be completed as part of property acquisition and phased approval. He told the commission that lift‑station pump upgrades, larger backup generator capacity and Northlake Recreation Sewer & Water District agreements are prerequisites to receiving additional service connections.

Commissioners framed their decision narrowly around the extension request rather than a rehearing of the original approvals. Several members said denying the extension could leave the problems unaddressed; others said the commission needed stronger assurance of progress. The commission’s compromise requires Timberline (and any successor) to present to the commission within one year a DEQ‑approved plan that demonstrates how the sewer and water improvements will be completed; the applicant must also deliver a status update at that one‑year benchmark. If the DEQ plan is approved, the commission said it will consider a second one‑year extension.

The commission recorded a motion to approve the conditional one‑year extension and passed it during the meeting. Staff advised there is a 10‑day appeal period to the Board of County Commissioners.

The commission’s action does not authorize construction or issuance of building permits. Staff and multiple agencies — including Central District Health, Donnelly Fire District and DEQ — remain the agencies that will verify compliance before any construction permits are issued.