An environmental study has been completed for a proposal that could build more than 600 homes in McCall, paving the way for formal plans to be submitted for review by the developer.
The study is a “comprehensive analysis” of how Pine Creek Ranch, a subdivision proposed on 158 acres in southeast McCall, could affect water, wildlife, plants, public services, traffic, and utility infrastructure.
The study does not draw specific conclusions about the proposal, but rather creates a “baseline of information” to inform the review process of the application.
Formal plans for Pine Creek Ranch could not be submitted until after the study was completed due to an “area of critical concern” designation the City of McCall applied to the 158 acres shortly after plans were aired in 2021 by developer Craig Groves of Donnelly. The designation was added to city code in 2006 but had never been used until it was applied to Groves’ land.
A team of engineers, planners, and environmental consultants drafted the study, which took three years to complete, totals more than 750 pages of analysis, and cost more than $180,000, Groves told BoiseDev.
A public comment period on the study is open until Jan. 10. A copy of the study and the comment portal can be found here.
The proposal
Pine Creek Ranch would be built on two parcels spanning 158 acres in southeastern McCall near the intersection of Samson Trail and Deinhard Lane.
Conceptual plans call for 615 homes, including 324 single-family homes, 181 townhomes, and 110 multi-family units.
A network of roads to the homes would be connected to existing neighborhood roads in the Woodlands and Fox Ridge subdivisions.
Next steps
Groves plans to submit plans for Pine Creek Ranch to the McCall Area Planning and Zoning Commission early next year.
Once a preliminary application is filed, he will be required by city code to hold a neighborhood meeting.
“We still have some work to do on the actual product design, and we hope to be able to bring the community together to discuss that,” Groves said.
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Public hearings before the P&Z and the McCall City Council would be required before plans for Pine Creek Ranch could be approved.
If approved, Groves expects construction to be completed in 10 to 15 phases, each of which would require city design review.
Housing
A mix of for-sale units and rental units would be included in Pine Creek Ranch. Estimated sale prices could start at $500,000 and rental prices could start at $2,000 per month, Groves told BoiseDev.
Groves expects the housing to mostly be two-bedroom, two-bathroom units and three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom units, with some flexibility to build attached accessory dwelling units for affordable housing.
Groves is also exploring partnerships and programs that could enable some homes to be priced for people making 80% to 100% of the area median income, which for 2024 is about $70,000 to $90,000, according to a recent housing study.
Utility service
Pine Creek Ranch would be served by the city’s water system and central sewer service provided by the Payette Lakes Recreational Water and Sewer District.
However, that would require annexing a 90-acre parcel into both the sewer district and the city. Groves has not yet filed applications for those annexations.
Both annexations would require Groves to fund infrastructure improvements, including upgrading sewer pumping stations and more than 5,000 feet of existing sewer lines. There is no current estimated cost for that work, Groves said.
Traffic study
The environmental study mostly provides an inventory of plants, wildlife, soils, and water on the 158 acres, but includes an analysis of traffic that would be generated by Pine Creek Ranch.
Overall, the study predicts that residents of the 615 homes would generate about 5,084 daily car trips.
The traffic would mostly affect Stockton Drive, Sheila Lane, Woodlands Drive, and Fox Ridge Lane, which are existing roads that would link Pine Creek Ranch to South Samson Trail and Spring Mountain Boulevard.
“All of these roads will see an increase in volume, but not to the point where it creates congestion or causes a safety problem,” according to the study.
Most of the traffic is predicted to use Stockton Drive, Fox Ridge Lane, and Woodlands Drive, which are each predicted to see more than 1,000 daily vehicle trips at buildout.
Stockton Drive, which is currently a gravel road, would need to be paved and widened to accommodate the 2,034 daily trips it is projected to see from Pine Creek Ranch residents.
Deinhard Lane extension
Traffic on those existing neighborhood roads could be reduced by an extension of Deinhard Lane to the east of its current end at Samson Trail, the study said.
The Deinhard extension was initially proposed as the primary access to Pine Creek Ranch, but was removed after talks to dedicate land for the road stalled between the city and the McCall-Donnelly School District.
Emergency access
Despite the increased traffic, Pine Creek Ranch would improve emergency access to the Fox Ridge and Woodlands subdivisions, which do not currently meet fire code because there is only one road in and out.
“Pine Creek Ranch has been designed to connect to these subdivisions and would offer enhanced emergency vehicular access and evacuation routes to the existing residents of these subdivisions,” the study said.
The study noted that Pine Creek Ranch would be susceptible to “high danger” from wildfires and recommends developing an evacuation plan with McCall Fire and EMS.
Firewise standards should also be required for all homes in Pine Creek Ranch, the study said.
Other developments by Groves
Groves is also the developer behind two other large-scale development proposals in Valley County that could build more than 1,000 homes near Donnelly.
MacGregor Townsite calls for 341 single family lots on 159 acres about two miles south of Donnelly on land bordering Loomis Lane and Old State Road. Those plans were approved in July by Valley County Commissioners.
Meanwhile, Mountain Meadows Ranch calls for a grocery store and more than 700 homes to be built on 272 acres just west of Donnelly.
Preliminary plans for the first phase of that proposal were approved earlier this year by the Donnelly City Council. Phase one calls for 12 acres of commercial development fronting West Roseberry Road and up to 240 homes, apartments, and townhomes. However, final plans must still be approved before construction can begin.
