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Kuna council approves Test Manor preliminary plat, sets dust and access conditions
Summary
The Kuna City Council approved the Test Manor preliminary plat (case 25-06-S) for 32 single-family lots on about 7.8 acres, requiring a dust mitigation plan and that construction access be via K Avenue; the Kuna School District said it is negotiating a partnership but has no signed agreement.
The Kuna City Council voted to approve the Test Manor preliminary plat (case 25-06-S) for approximately 7.8 acres inside Kuna city limits, allowing 32 single-family lots and nine common lots to move forward under R6 zoning. Council members attached conditions including a dust mitigation plan and that construction access be taken from K Avenue rather than routing construction traffic through existing neighborhood streets.
Planning staff introduced the application and recommended approval subject to standard conditions. Senior planner Troy Beheunin told the council the proposal complies with Kuna City Code, the Kuna comprehensive plan and applicable Idaho statutes. Applicant David Crawford of Centurion Engineers described the project as an infill subdivision with public streets, water, sewer and pressure irrigation connections and “significant open space” and said every proposed lot exceeds the R6 minimum lot size. “We respectfully request approval of Test Subdivision,” Crawford said during the presentation.
The developer committed to frontage and stub-street improvements, a trust fund toward a future K Avenue widening, and impact fees the applicant estimated at $5,308 per home — collectively about $200,000 — that will go toward public street improvements administered by Ada County Highway District (ACHD). Crawford also said his team has coordinated with the school district and will work on mitigation the district requests, though the parties had not finalized an MOU.
Neighbors who testified urged stricter conditions or delay. Marlene Henry said residents expected larger one-story houses under neighborhood covenants and worried smaller, narrower lots would lead to two-story homes that block sunlight and privacy. “All the houses that were being built were going to have to be 1,600 square feet,” Henry said, saying the proposed lot widths and home sizes raised compatibility concerns.
Kuna School District representative Tim Jensen told the council the district is working with the developer on potential projects such as perimeter fencing and other safety improvements but that “no official agreement has been reached.” The council voted to reopen the record so staff could read the district’s letter into the hearing record; the letter reiterated the district’s interest in partnerships with developers but said negotiations were ongoing.
Council members debated traffic impacts and the timing of ACHD improvements. Staff and the applicant noted the city’s code does not require a traffic impact study for developments under the 50-lot threshold; several council members asked ACHD for additional traffic counts for the wider area and discussed a programmed ACHD project (K and Deer Flat) currently shown in ACHD’s five-year plan with land acquisition in 2028 and construction in 2029.
After deliberation, the council approved the preliminary plat motion with conditions requiring (at minimum) a dust mitigation plan and construction access off K Avenue; the motion carried.
What’s next: the developer will proceed to prepare construction documents and coordinate final engineering and required permits. The Kuna School District and developer indicated they will continue negotiating mitigation measures; no signed MOU was presented to the council at the hearing.
