Land belonging to a company in which Gov. Brad Little is a partner could soon make up the entire impact area for the City of Cascade.
The city announced plans earlier this year to abolish the impact area altogether, citing an abundance of land within city limits that should be developed before the city seeks expansion.
But an April 21 letter from Little Enterprises asks Valley County, which has final say over the impact area boundaries, to keep 148 acres owned by the company within the impact area.
The 148 acres include more than 2,000 feet of Idaho 55 frontage across from the Cascade Airport. The land is currently undeveloped.
Little Enterprises, which is owned by Brad Little, his wife Teresa, and their two sons, Adam and David, does not currently have plans to develop the land, according to the letter, which was signed by David Little.
“That could change in the next five years,” the letter said, apparently referencing a new state law that requires land in impact areas to be “very likely” to annexed into the city within five years. “I feel any future development within this area would likely be best served if the land was incorporated into the city.”
If the land is not included in the impact area, it could be more difficult for it to be annexed into the city. However, developments outside city limits may still be approved for city water and sewer service.
Joan Varsek, a spokesperson for Brad Little, did not respond to Valley Lookout’s request for comment in time for this story’s deadline.
Decision tabled
Valley County Commissioners did not make a decision on the request during Monday’s meeting, but are expected to do so at next Monday’s meeting.
“I think taking our time now, making sure that everything is included that we want and that we think this through, is a proper thing to do,” said Sherry Maupin, who chairs the board of county commissioners.
However, Maupin indicated she is in favor of granting the request because it suggests Little Enterprises is in favor of annexing the land into the city. State law requires landowner consent before land can be annexed into city limits.
“Anytime someone is contiguous and wants to be in the impact area, I think that’s what we need to listen to,” Maupin said.
The Cascade Impact Area was established in the late 1970s and most recently adjusted in 2010. As currently drawn, it extends north beyond Warm Lake Road, south past Gold Dust Road, east to Thunder City Road, and west to West Mountain Road.
Donnelly proposal
The county commissioners also heard the City of Donnelly’s proposal for new impact area boundaries at Monday’s public hearing, though a decision was tabled to next Monday’s meeting.
The city’s proposal would remove much of Boulder Creek from the northern part of the impact area by moving the eastern boundary to the west. The other boundaries would remain the same. Overall, the impact area would go from 1,581 acres currently to 1,280 acres, under the proposal.
While Maupin appeared to generally agree with the proposal, she also noted it is “questionable” whether all the land included is likely to be annexed into the city. She again cited the requirement for property owners to consent to annexation.
Without donors like you, this story would not exist.
Make a donation of any size here
“Is that really a true southern boundary where you think there are individuals who want to annex?” Maupin said.
“It’s anybody’s guess,” said Mark Butler, a planning consultant hired by the city. “It could happen.”
Butler noted that state law requires land in impact areas to be “very likely” to annex into the city within five years, but does not mandate that it must be annexed.
What could change?
For Cascade and Donnelly, any areas removed from the impact area would no longer be subject to city zoning overlays that suggest what types of development might be suitable for the land.
However, development proposals in both impact areas are already subject to Valley County’s zoning laws and are reviewed by the Valley County Planning and Zoning Commission. That will continue no matter what the new boundaries are.
Donnelly’s proposed boundaries would mark the first changes to its impact area since it was established in 1998. The proposal is based on the criteria in the new state law, Butler said.
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, under the law.
The updated law added the “very likely to annex within five years” requirement to replace previous language that allowed impact areas to include any land that could be “reasonably be expected to be annexed into the city in the future.”
The state law requires all counties to review and update city impact areas by the end of this year. The City of McCall is set to present its proposal for an expanded impact area to the county commissioners on Monday at 3 p.m.
