Hayden Canyon's next step approved
City Council approved phase 1E of the Hayden Canyon subdivision in a 3-1 vote Tuesday night. The decision marks the developments progress into stage two of 10. Photo courtesy the city of Hayden.
HAYDEN — City Council members revisited the contentious 610-acre, 1,500-unit Hayden Canyon subdivision Tuesday night, approving designs for the next construction phase in a 3-1 vote.
The road to authorizing Hayden's most extensive land development project is arduous, dating back to the first project proposal in 2005. Phase 1E, discussed Tuesday, will consist of 162 residential lots sitting on 49.52 acres around East Lancaster Road and Government Way.
Tuesday's conversation featured several moments of hesitancy — primarily from Councilman Matt Roetter, the lone dissenting vote. Referencing a response from Idaho Fish and Game Panhandle Regional Supervisor Chip Corsi that described the development as "high density," Roetter said he could not support a project of this size.
"We're looking at the largest development Hayden has ever had, and we're looking at the impact that has on our services, and yet we can't pay for growth," Roetter said.
After a 2006 petition to amend the comprehensive plan and annex the 610-acre property into the city failed, Senior Planner Donna Phillips said developers revised the proposal through several collaborative reviews.
In 2008, Hayden Canyon LLC reapplied, only to wait another three years before the council granted a preliminary planned unit development permit.
The city finalized amendments to the Hayden Canyon PUD permit in 2019, and construction began after that, Phillips said.
Included in Phase 1E are 12 acres of open space, leaving the remaining 37 acres for an array of cottages, townhouses, large and medium residential dwellings, Phillips said.
Project documents say the sanitary sewer lift station, a requirement included as part of the PUD, will be part of Phase 1E and designs are pending agency approval. Other infrastructure conditions are also in progress, the documents state.
City code requires developers to reappear before the board for approval of each construction phase, Phillips said. According to city documents, the Hayden Canyon subdivision includes 10 stages.
Because the project was previously approved, meets city requirements, and is already underway, City Councilman Dick Panabaker said denying the phase now would be both unfounded and irresponsible.
"They have obeyed the rules, complied with the laws, and they have gone through this process a long time," Panabaker said. "To put a monkey wrench into this simply because we're having a problem with growth or whatever is not an adequate reason.
"I'm also concerned about lawsuits. You throw a monkey wrench into something like this for no good reason halfway through the process, and you're going to be in court."
City legal counsel Caitlin King noted that the council could not amend the PUD on Tuesday night. Instead, she said, the meeting was to ensure the development was in conformance with limitations previously set by the city.
"Probably, if that were to be proposed today, just brand-new and straight out, there'd be an overwhelming, big uproar," Panabaker said. "Growth, traffic and all that stuff wasn't a problem when this was proposed 20 years ago."
Councilwoman Jeri DeLange echoed Panabaker's comments, recognizing that although resident concerns on Hayden's growth are valid, the development should aid housing shortages.
"I know a lot of people are unhappy about the growth that's occurring and density. We have a difficult decision to make, but in this case, this has been planned for quite some time," DeLange said. "I believe that it would be good for Hayden, and because of that, I support approving it."