Kuna updates comp plan, asks for comments

Kuna has released a draft copy of its comprehensive plan update, available for public comment through Jan. 25.

“There is a strong focus on economic development and a healthy community that includes open space, parks, pathways, recreation and entertainment opportunities,” said Wendy Howell, Kuna planning and zoning director. “There is more of an emphasis on true commercial and mixed-use development in hopes of making Kuna sustainable and a place to live, work and play, rather than traveling to other parts of the Treasure Valley.”

Comprehensive plans, typically shortened to “comp plans,” are required by the Idaho state Local Land Use Planning Act. They describe how a city plans to develop within its area of impact and guide developers and city staff to decide where to locate residential and multifamily housing, retail, commercial, industrial and public spaces. That’s as opposed to zoning, a more stringent requirement for development.

Kuna adopted its first comp plan in 1975, and has updated it six times since then. With Kuna’s population now over 20,000, its new comp plan – under development since May 2017 – has more nuance and more features typically associated with larger cities.

“What catches my attention the most is the availability of mixed-use areas,” said Mike Smith, CEO of SPI Transportation, a Kuna-based trucking company, who served as a business representative on the comp plan advisory committee, called Envision Kuna. “Mixed-use means you can have some light businesses close to residential areas. There are a lot of home-based businesses in Kuna that have outgrown their garage or bonus room situation and need to move up and out. These small companies employ folks in the community and need a place to operate close to home.”

Primary priorities include investment in the downtown core, development of mixed-use and new commercial areas, development of entryway corridors with a bike and pedestrian network, diversification of housing, and investment in parks, as well as preservation of active agricultural land.

In particular, Kuna is concerned about the diversity of its workforce, including veterans and special needs youth.

“Kuna is anticipated to lose 18 percent of its crop and animal production jobs by 2024 and is expected to grow 14 percent in the realm of government jobs, which includes health care,” the plan noted. “Roughly 6,044 employees commute out of Kuna each day, 1,573 individuals commute to Kuna from the surrounding area, and 477 individuals commute within Kuna.”

The city expects to increase jobs by 471.5 percent by 2040.

To help address this issue, the plan said the city is considering working with the College of Western Idaho or the University of Idaho to establish extension offices and training facilities in Kuna. And, following the lead of several other cities and counties, the city is considering offering incentives to businesses to locate in Kuna.

One project includes potentially creating an urban renewal or business improvement district to help fund maintenance and creation of commercial investments, the plan noted. Another is to designate industrial areas, particularly for agritourism, health care, technology, and manufacturing, and to develop a business incubator or maker space. The city is also considering initiating electronic land use entitlement and building permit systems, according to the plan.

Comp plans tend to be aspirational in nature and don’t necessarily have all the details spelled out. For example, Kuna’s new draft plan calls for an overpass across the at-grade freight train line that currently cuts the city in two and separates the southern part from emergency services when the more than 30 daily trains go through.

The first project in the priority list is to work with the Ada County Highway District (ACHD), the Idaho Transportation Department, and Union Pacific Railroad on an overpass feasibility study. The last time such a feasibility study was conducted, in 2014 by ACHD, estimates ranged from $11 million to $110 million. The plan also recommends a medical facility south of the railroad tracks for emergency care.