5,000 unit subdivision proposed near Mayfield

The site development company WRG Design, Inc., met with the Elmore Board of County Commissioners this week to discuss the possibility of developing a huge planned community near Mayfield.

The proposed community would boast close to 5,000 units, and would be completely self-sustaining.

Representatives from WRG Design were on-hand at the commissioner's weekly meeting Monday to "meet and greet" board members.

Bonnie Sharp, of the Elmore County Growth and Development Department was also present to listen to the proposal of what Commissioner Larry Rose called, "Another Elmore County."

Former Boise City Council Member Jerome Mapp asked the commissioners what they required from the developers in order to get the process started.

"We are just curious what you need from us at this time," he said.

Mapp, who currently serves on the Capitol City Development Corporation and owns his own consulting business (called Planning and Facility Management), was informed that anyone is welcome to fill out the proper applications, but that the county currently does not have an ordinance regarding planned communities.

"We have only dealt with subdivisions before," Sharp said. "So not only do we not know exactly how to proceed with this, we don't even really know what a planned community is."

According to the developers, a planned community is a very large development that polices itself and provides all basic neccesities for its occupants.

Besides police and fire services, Rose asked about voting outlets and water supply in the Mayfield area.

"The first thing you have to find out is if there is enough water out there to support such a development," he said. "I would suggest contacting the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) before going any further."

Rose also mentioned that several other organizations, including Central District Health (CDH) and the Mountain Home Highway District, would need to be contacted.

"You may feel free to submit an application to the county but understand that until you clear things with these organizations, it will be incomplete," he said.

Sharp then raised several question regarding the actual location of the development.

The planned community, or communities, will apparently consist of roughly 1,800 acres, 1,200 of which will be located in Elmore County.

According to the developers, Ada County has some requirements that have forced them to move most of their community across the county line and into Elmore County.

Ada County's current planned community ordinance requires developers, like those currently developing similar communities near the Blacks Creek area, to offer many more amenities than a typical subdivision.

Sharp also asked about the proposed development at the Mayfield Springs subdivision and if WRG Design planned to connect to it.

Mapp replied by saying that they have no intention of connecting to Mayfield Springs, a proposed 12,000-acre subdivision located primarily in Ada County. "Our development will be located about three and one half miles from Mayfield Springs," he said.

Several of the developers then asked how long the process to approve the community might take and if there was any way they could speed it up.

Commissioner Connie Cruser replied by saying that would be nearly impossible considering that Elmore County currently has no planned communities.

"Since we have only dealt with the development of subdivisions, this process to approve a planned community will be a learning experience for all of us," she said.

"And that is the reason it might take even longer than normal to get everything approved."

Sharp informed the developers that some development has begun in the Mayfield area, notably several subdivisions off of Desert Winds Road, but that no application for the Mayfield Springs subdivision has yet been filed.

According to Sharp, the only things those developers plan on locating in Elmore County are two holes of a golf course and a waste water treatment plant.

"They have applied for a conditional use permit for the treatment plant, but nothing for the development of residential lots," she said. "We have talked with them a couple times but nothing has been submitted."

"But the main problem I see with your development is that we don't even have an ordinance for what you are planning yet," Sharp continued.

"The only thing we're sure of is that we don't want these projects continuing for several years. If an ordinance is drafted and your application is approved, you will be given a time limit in which to complete your development. Everything must be completed by that time."

Mapp then asked about the recently proposed War Eagle Speedway near Simco Road and was curious to know where things stood with that development.

Sharp replied that it was about as far along as the one they were meeting about.

"Everything is in preliminary stages at this point," she said. "What we need from you is a very generalized concept plan and some examples of this type of development elsewhere."

WRG Design recently helped to develop the Spring Valley Ranch Development in Eagle and has offices located throughout the entire northwest, including Boise and Portland.

More information about their current projects and company history can be obtained by visiting their website at www.wrgdesign.com.