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Proposed new city would dwarf Mountain Home
A planned community currently under review by the county's planning and zoning commission would dwarf the population of Mountain Home during its 50-year development, according to local officials.
The Jan. 12 public hearing highlighted the details of the Mayfield Townsite project, which calls for building a self-sustaining community at the border of Elmore and Ada counties.
Spanning approximately 5,000 acres along Indian Creek near the Simco Road exit, the townsite would feature nearly 15,000 dwelling units following its scheduled 50-year development.
Putting that into perspective, the townsite is "two times the size of Mountain Home and similar in size to Eagle and Meridian," said County Growth and Development Director Alan Christy.
When complete, it would provide enough housing for 37,490 people, said Mark Pecchenino, whose firm is overseeing the townsite project. Situated around the existing Mayfield area off the Simco Road exit, the development includes building three town centers, or nodes, each featuring a mix of commercial, office and residential space.
The goal is to "develop a diverse, historically rich community that it once was," he said.
People filled about three quarters of the available seats at War Memorial Hall to hear the proposal with some planning to offer their opinions. Of the 22 people and groups planning to testify, two were signed up in support of the development while 10 others were against it.
The townsite is one of two planned communities currently under debate by the county planning and zoning commission. Earlier this month, the commission reviewed a smaller development known as Mayfield Springs that would add another 10,000 people to western Elmore County. Both projects aim to ease expected growth in southern Idaho over the next few decades.
Commissioners Betty Van Gheluwe and Debbie Lord recused themselves from last week's debate due to their indirect ties to this project.
According to Pecchenino, this stretch of land is best suited for planned community development since only 7 percent of the county's combined land is suitable for housing.
"The only prime developable land remaining in Elmore County is in the Mayfield area," Pecchenino contended.
Featuring mostly flat terrain, the territory represents "an ideal location" for this project with easy access to available ground water and interstate connections, he added. It's also situated just 1.5 miles from the Simco Road industrial area and 17 miles from the industrial park in eastern Ada County.
During his briefing before the planning and zoning commission, Pecchenino said this community would eventually add another 3,600 jobs as retail, office and commercial businesses move there. The combined growth is also expected to generate $34 million in property taxes for Elmore County over a 50-year period.
However, the community may yield a much larger boost to the state and county economies, according to Pecchenino. A Hollywood film group is looking at possibly basing a studio in this community as its regional headquarters for shooting pilots for TV programs and more. This alone has the potential of adding thousands of jobs to southern Idaho, he said.
Meanwhile, the periodic sale of homes in the townsite would generate $368 million in transfer tax revenue. This money would help build future improvements within the community, including aquatic centers.
The project also allocates five acres to build an elementary school in this community. The briefing didn't include details on whether future development would include building additional schools or if its older students would get bused to schools in Mountain Home.
Throughout his briefing, Pecchenino emphasized this townsite represents a long-term commitment stretching across five decades. Even if it gets a "green light" by county commissions this year, it would take another five years for the developer to iron out the remaining details with state and federal agencies before they could break ground on the first home, he said. In addition, market conditions and other economic factors would also influence the actual timeline.
Getting into the specifics of the proposed community, he highlighted plans to reduce the impact on local wildlife. This mitigation plan includes dedicating nearly 1,300 acres of land as developed and undeveloped open space. Meanwhile, a habitat restoration and open space enhancement plan would benefit both wildlife and residents by controlling noxious weeds and improving the condition of these lands, he said. Another $5 million from the townsite project would go to improve off-site habitat as well.
However, questions regarding wildlife mitigation and this community's impact on big game herds and migratory animals remained a point of contention at the Jan. 12 hearing.
"A project of this magnitude deserves it's just due" from a wildlife mitigation perspective, said Rick Ward from the state fish and game department. In his testimony, he said the developer's wildlife study is either incomplete or misses key points.
The study "assumes that displaced wildlife would move elsewhere," Ward said. "(However), we expect big game animals to be fully displaced by the time this city if fully built."
In addition, dedicating land along Indian Creek as open space would pose additional problems since it would attract wildlife and big game animals, said planning and zoning commission vice chairman K.C. Duerig. He asked if plans were in place to protect wildlife crossing roadways into these areas.
In response, Charlie Baun, lead ecologist with Environmental Conservation Services Inc., said the mitigation plan includes building overpasses and underpasses and using other options to allow wildlife to safely cross these traffic arteries.
Increased traffic in the Mayfield area became another main discussion point during last week's meeting. Pam Golden from the Idaho Transportation Department aired concerns with the developer's traffic study, which she called outdated and "not up to snuff."
The project includes no plans to run another road running parallel to the interstate, Golden said. This poses concerns with the transportation department since it could potentially strand thousands of motorists in the Mayfield area in the off-chance that section of the interstate is closed for an extended period.
In addition, the rural interchanges at Simco Road, Blacks Creek and Indian Creek also pose problems since they're "not fit" to accommodate the amount of traffic associated with a project of this size, Golden said.
Dave Szplett, a representative from Bailey Engineering, emphasized that a traffic study for a long-range project like this is "very difficult to project" since it looks out over a 50-year period. Most studies are limited to gauging traffic impact over a 20-year time frame, he said.
Helping to alleviate concerns, Szplett said that traffic concerns wouldn't become an issue until the projected reached its 25th year of development. By then, developers would widen Indian Creek Road and expand another planned road that would cross through the Mayfield area. Meanwhile, it would take up to 32 years for growth to necessitate the need for new ramps along the interstate.
However, Golden questioned the developer's timeline for making these needed highway improvements. She emphasized that "people won't wait for these improvements" and must happen before they become an issue.
Limited water resources in the Mayfield area gained a significant amount of discussion at the public hearing. Representatives speaking on behalf of the developer indicated that enough ground water currently exists in the area to get this project established.
A study conducted by SPF Water Engineering LLC indicates that this area has a sufficient supply of ground water for the first 8,000 dwelling units, said Scott King, an engineer with the Boise-based firm. In addition, ground water levels at the proposed townsite and surrounding areas are either stable or steadily increasing, he added.
King added that the developer started irrigating 200 acres of land it already owns in this region in 2007. Measurements at wells in the area showing little or no decline in available ground water.
However, Bart Eben doubted the credibility of these studies.
"I moved here 67 years ago and watched this desert dry up," said Eben, one of 10 people that planned to testify in opposition to the townsite plan. The springs that ran through the area years ago "are now bone dry."
Eben remained concerned with falling water levels in the aquifer that feeds water to Mountain Home, which continues to fall about 2 1/2 feet per year, he said.
"We are pushing this (townsite project) too far," he said.
During last week's hearing, officials backing the townsite project highlighted their participation in the Elmore-Ada Water Project Feasibility Study. The project includes running a pipeline from the Snake River to communities like Mountain Home and the Mayfield area. With a price tag expected to reach $400 million, questions remain if this project would run into delays or never come to fruition, Mountain Home officials previously told the Mountain Home News.
The public has the opportunity to comment on the townsite project during a hearing that starts at 7 p.m. Feb. 16 at War Memorial Hall in Mountain Home. People have the option of submitting written testimony if they can't make it to the hearing.