A years-old plan to double the size of a storage unit facility on Elo Road south of McCall remains in limbo following the most recent public hearing on Monday.
The proposal by C.W. Hurless of Eagle would expand the existing Stor-It Self Storage location at 379 Elo Rd. from about 400 units currently to about 900 units, or by 148,000 square feet.
On Monday, the proposal returned to Valley County Commissioners, who tabled a decision to a future meeting, but did not set a firm date to revisit the application.
“I need time to process this,” commissioner Sherry Maupin said. “This one’s a really difficult application, and it’s because we are in such a transition right now.”
County: impact area review muddies waters
Maupin and Chairman Elt Hasbrouck both said a decision on the expansion is complicated by an in-progress review of the boundaries for the McCall Impact Area, which contains the 10-acre parcel that 11 new storage buildings would be built on.
Land in the impact area is under the county’s jurisdiction, but is subject to rules that closely resemble city zoning laws instead of rules in place for other county land.
However, earlier this year the Idaho Legislature updated state law governing impact areas, which county officials have warned is likely to shrink the McCall Impact Area.
That pending change, which must be finalized by Dec. 31, 2025, has left the county skeptical of the McCall Area Planning and Zoning Commission’s recommendation to deny the Stor-It expansion.
“I think in two or three months, the applicant could come back and do it under the planning and zoning of the county, and this would probably get approved,” Hasbrouck said. “We don’t have near the restrictions that McCall planning and zoning has.”
Instead of traditional zoning, Valley County employs a multiple-use concept that evaluates the compatibility of development applications with surrounding properties on a case-by-case basis.
P&Z: expansion not “harmonious” with nearby homes
The Stor-It expansion application has twice been recommended for denial by the McCall P&Z, and most recently in July.
Both recommendations have centered on the expansion not being “harmonious” with surrounding properties, which is a requirement for the conditional use permit needed to build the storage units on land zoned for residential use.
“With a lot of public input, folks have found this is not a compatible use with the surrounding residential zone,” McCall City and Sustainability Planner Meredith Todd told the county commissioners.
Todd’s staff report also raised questions about other elements of the project, including how high groundwater levels in the area may affect footings for the storage buildings and Stor-It’s ability to secure permits for a septic system to serve the expansion.
Neighbors: ‘great project, wrong place’
Neighbors have consistently turned out to oppose the expansion since it was first proposed in 2021. Many of those neighbors were again among 13 people who spoke against the project at Monday’s public hearing.
“This project is a great project, but as we’ve said this whole three or four-year process, it’s in the wrong place,” said Ric Rine, a South Samson Trail resident.
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Neighborhood compatibility, residential zoning on the parcel, and traffic have been the main objections raised by Rine and other neighbors.
Carl Ruhkala told the county commissioners that the 11 new storage buildings, which would be up to 22 feet tall, would ruin the view from his home on Elo Road.
“From our house, we’re gonna be looking at a sea of roofs,” Ruhkala said.
Valley County resident Floyd Loomis compared development along Idaho 55 in the Lake Fork area to Chinden Boulevard in Garden City and said the Stor-It expansion would make it worse.
Several speakers implored the county to follow the recommendation from the McCall P&Z and noted that the body includes three impact area representatives appointed by the county.
“You don’t need to look any further than that staff report that summarizes your planning and zoning commission’s findings,” Kim Apperson said. “You appointed three of those seven commissioners. This is not McCall city versus the county.”
Idaho 55 turn lane
A traffic study for the expansion recommends widening Idaho 55 to add a northbound turn lane onto Elo Road.
The expanded storage complex would generate an estimated 216 to 262 vehicle trips per day, depending on the day and the time of year, according to the study.
Also included in the expansion proposal is a satellite fire station for McCall Fire and EMS and about 2,000 feet of pedestrian and bicyclist pathway along Elo Road and South Samson Trail.
The fire station would be leased for $1 per year to McCall Fire and could eventually be staffed. It would replace storage units the agency currently leases from Stor-It.
The process
The 10-acre parcel on which the expansion is proposed is east of the existing Stor-It location, which predates city zoning laws and operates as a non-conforming use.
The parcel is zoned for one home per five acres, but storage units are allowed in the zone with a conditional-use permit.
The P&Z previously recommended denying Stor-It’s conditional use permit application in January 2023, but the county returned the proposal to the commission for additional groundwater and traffic analysis.
That analysis was completed, but in July the McCall P&Z found the application still fails the 12-point evaluation for a conditional use permit. All 12 criteria must be met for a permit to be approved.
