The Kuna City Planning & Zoning Commission on Dec. 9 recommended approval of the Tess Manor preliminary plat (case 25-06-S) and approved the corresponding design review (case 25-26-DR) after a public hearing in which neighbors raised concerns about lot widths, traffic and construction impacts.

Toby Hunan, senior planner, said the application requests preliminary plat approval for roughly 7.8 acres in an R6 zone that would be subdivided into approximately 32 single-family lots and nine common lots. "Staff has reviewed the proposed preliminary plat and the design review with compliance with Kuna city code, state statutes and the Kuna comprehensive plan," Hunan said.

David Crawford of Centurion Engineers, representing the owner, told the commission the project was reworked after a neighborhood meeting to remove planned townhomes and to provide single-family lots, pedestrian connectivity and centralized open space along the Kuna Canal. "We've centralized our open space features," Crawford said, adding the developer will participate in required K Avenue improvements and that Public Works indicated capacity to serve 32 lots.

Residents from adjacent subdivisions including Sable Ridge and Sterling Ranch spoke at the hearing. Vern Field, Sable Ridge HOA president, said the neighborhood appreciates the removal of townhomes but requested dust mitigation, controls on construction traffic and that heavy equipment use be limited to K Street: "We ask that those contractors adhere to the speed limit," Field said. Several speakers expressed concern that many new lots are narrower than existing nearby lots and worried about potential effects on property values.

Crawford and staff noted several regulatory safeguards: developers must file an erosion-control/stormwater pollution prevention plan with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and are subject to Ada County Highway District inspections to limit dirt track-out on local roads. Crawford also said the development is planned as a single phase and that the owner declined to reduce the total number of lots further.

Commission discussion referenced agency inputs. Doug Hansen said ACHD's five-year plan lists construction for the Deer Flat/K Avenue intersection in 2029; ACHD's review and Public Works' capacity assessment were included in the packet. Commissioners acknowledged neighborhood concerns about lot size and traffic but noted staff and reviewing agencies found the project complies with applicable codes.

Speaker 4 moved to recommend approval of the preliminary plat with the staff conditions; the motion was seconded and the commission recorded a majority in favor. The record shows the commission also approved the design review for landscaping and exterior materials. As a recommendation from the planning commission, the preliminary plat will proceed per routine steps in the city's land-use process; the transcript records the commission's recommendation and agency comments but does not list a city council hearing date.