Planning commission recommends pre‑annexation and BC rezoning for commercial site at Highway 20/26 and North Franklin Boulevard

The City of Nampa Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval Feb. 10 for a pre‑annexation and rezoning to BC (Community Business) for a 1.84‑acre site at the northwest corner of Highway 20/26 and North Franklin Boulevard, where the applicant proposes a roughly 22,000‑square‑foot screen‑printing and promotional materials facility serving agricultural customers.

Jeff Hatch of Hatch Design Architecture presented the proposal on behalf of Moxie Investments. Principal Planner Doug Critchfield told the commission the BC zoning allows printing and publishing as a permitted use, that the project includes a caretaker unit inside the proposed building and that, if approved by the City Council, pre‑annexation would allow the city to provide supportive documentation to Canyon County and to enter a development agreement containing conditions spelled out in the staff report.

Critchfield said the lot is about 1.84 acres; the applicant indicated the building footprint would be about 22,000 square feet and would include caretaker quarters. The applicant and staff noted the caretaker unit’s exact size is not yet determined and will be influenced by septic and Southwest District Health requirements. On that point, Hatch said the owners intend to live on site: “the owners and operators of the facility wanna live there,” and that if they later vacate it could be used as employee housing.

Commissioners and staff discussed the agribusiness designation in the Highway 20/26 area plan. Commissioner Morgan asked whether the proposed printing operation would continue to fit the agribusiness category at annexation; Critchfield said staff reviewed the operation and that the applicant’s business model—serving agricultural customers—was the basis for fitting the use within the agribusiness overlay. Staff also noted traffic‑study thresholds (a study is required for projects generating more than 100 vehicle trips in any peak hour) and that access and utility timing will be coordinated with Highway District 4, ITD and city departments.

After closing the public hearing, Commissioner Garner moved to recommend approval of pre‑annexation, rezoning to BC and the development agreement for Moxie Investments with the proposed conditions and findings; Commissioner Turner seconded. The motion carried.

The recommendation moves the proposal to the City Council for final action and to subsequent engineering and permitting steps should annexation and rezoning be approved.