New growth boundaries around the cities of Cascade and Donnelly have been adopted by Valley County.
Earlier this month the county commissioners approved proposals by each city to adjust the boundaries to comply with a new state law.
In Cascade, the impact area was eliminated almost entirely, except for 148 acres owned by Little Enterprises, a company in which Gov. Brad Little is a partner. The undeveloped land includes about 2,000 feet of Idaho 55 frontage across from the Cascade Airport.
Little Enterprises asked to remain in the impact area despite plans by the Cascade City Council to abolish the impact area altogether.
The company told the county in an April 21 letter that the company does not currently plan to develop the land, but said that “could change in the next five years.”
The land could still be developed even if it were not included in the impact area, but excluding it could have made it more difficult for it to receive city water and sewer service.
The county commissioners favored granting the company’s request because Idaho law requires landowner consent before land can be added to city limits.
That law, in tandem with a law requiring impact areas to consist of land “very likely” to be annexed into the city within five years, made the property a good fit, the commissioners said.
Donnelly trims 300 acres from impact area
Meanwhile, the county approved the City of Donnelly’s proposal to keep the impact area mostly the same, but with a closer boundary to the east.
Overall, the impact area is reduced in size from 1,581 acres before to 1,280 acres under the boundaries adopted by the county.
Differences compared to McCall Impact Area
The county’s Impact area negotiations with Cascade and Donnelly were not as contentious or controversial as its ongoing negotiations with the City of McCall.
That is mostly because the county already administers impact area development applications in the two cities through county codes and the Valley County Planning and Zoning Commission.
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The function of the impact area in Cascade and Donnelly is only to assign zoning overlays that guide development proposals.
In McCall, however, the impact area is governed by a joint planning and zoning commission that includes city and county representatives. Zoning laws resembling those in place within the city are also adopted for the impact area.
What is the new state law?
The new law, known as SB-1403 when it was adopted in 2024 by the Idaho Legislature, requires all impact areas in the state to be reviewed for compliance with new criteria prescribed by the law.
Those criteria include anticipated growth, geographic factors, transportation infrastructure, and areas where water and sewer service are expected to be available within five years.
Impact areas also may not extend further than two miles beyond existing city limits.
Counties hold the authority to decide what the boundaries ultimately will be and must adopt updated boundaries by the end of this year, per the law.
