County to vote on Middleton impact area

Article published Aug 6, 2006
Sandra Forester @ Idaho Stateman

County to vote on Middleton area of impact
City says it needs to have a say in development, but some landowners would rather become part of Caldwell or Star

Middleton has plans to double the size of its future city limits to accommodate new homes and businesses over the next 10 years.

It is one of Treasure Valley's fastest growing cities, with a population jump of 51.7 percent in about five years.

Canyon County will soon vote on the city's request to greatly increase its area of impact. At stake is whether Middleton can adequately plan for the water and sewer needs that growth will inevitably bring. If Middleton's request is denied, it would have to live with whatever development the county, Caldwell and Star approve in the area.
The city expects to serve an additional 7,000-plus homes in the next few years. Subdivisions with city services are being built beyond 2005 area of impact boundaries, and rural developments are sprouting nearby, Mayor Frank McKeever said. Along with the housing boom, business development is on an upswing, Middleton officials and business owners say.

But some landowners in the proposed area of impact say they don't want more government oversight of their property; others say they shop and do business in Caldwell or Star and feel more connected to those cities, so they would rather be in the Caldwell or Star area of impact.
"They need to plan, but they have a lot of vacant land to take care of before they get to our farm," said farmer Morris Vavold, who grows alfalfa and raises cattle on 230 acres near Purple Sage and Willis roads.

Vavold and other farmers also oppose the expanded area of impact, saying plans for sewer and water will hasten the pace of development and could force farmers out of business as homes press in on them.

"Pretty soon you give up and you have to subdivide," he said. "We can't compete with $50,000-an-acre ground."
Star and Caldwell on either side of Middleton both have designs on land in the proposed impact area, but have opposite stances on Middleton's request.

Caldwell has been annexing land in the area and has requests from other property owners to be annexed. Caldwell officials see opportunities for commercial and residential growth east of Interstate 84 and north of the city.
Star, however, would have to install costly lift stations to serve homes and businesses west of the Ada County line with sewer, while most of the land drains by gravity into Middleton. And Star would have to negotiate with a different highway district and school district.

McKeever and other officials said they are feeling pressure from developers' designs on thousands of surrounding acres and want to manage the growth the larger area of impact would give them.

"It just lets us have more control over that area. The county has to notify us of what is happening" with land-use requests, said McKeever. "Our recommendations are taken more seriously."
Canyon County commissioners will consider on Aug. 17 approving the Middleton area of impact request that county planning commissioners rejected in March. The August hearing will be the last chance for residents and officials to make comments. If the request is approved, Middleton's future boundaries would expand from 10,560 to 19,740 acres.

If the county does approve the expanded area of impact, the city of Middleton would still need to hold a public hearing and adopt an ordinance extending the boundaries. No date has been set, McKeever said.