City Council Regular Meeting

CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Amended approval on 11/18/25 to correct 5’ setback on page 3 to 50’. Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM PUBLIC NOTICE: THIS MEETING IS BEING RECORDED AND PLACED IN AN ONLINE FORMAT, PERSONS MAY EITHER VIEW OR LISTEN TO VIDEO/AUDIO OF THIS MEETING UNTIL SUCH TIME THE RECORDING IS DESTROYED UNDER THE CITY’S RETENTION POLICY.  CALL TO ORDER – Welcome/Pledge of Allegiance Mayor Chadwick called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.  INVOCATION – Bishop Scott Snelders, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Bishop Snelders offered the invocation.  ROLL CALL ELECTED OFFICIALS: Mayor Trevor Chadwick, Council President David Hershey, Council Members Kevan Wheelock and Kevin Nielsen. Council Member Salmonsen was absent from the meeting. STAFF: City Attorney Chris Yorgason (remote); City Clerk Shelly Tilton; City Planning Administrator Shawn Nickel; Assistant City Planner and Sports & Recreation Director Ryan Field; City Engineer Ryan Morgan; Public Information Officer Dana Partridge, Chief Deputy Sheriff Zach Hessing; Star Police Chief Tim Haynes and Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal Victor Islas.  INFORMATION A. Star Road Report Mayor Chadwick mentioned the road report that is available in the meeting packet.  PRESENTATIONS  Introduction of new Police Chief Chief Deputy Zach Hessing provided the August 2025 Police Report. Having been promoted to Chief Deputy to the Ada County Sheriff this is Chief Hessing’s last report to the City Council. He reviewed offenses, police activity including citizens calls for service and proactive policing calls, and call types including crash response and traffic stops which have both increased. Chief Deputy Hessing reviewed Code 3 call response times. Council Member Nielsen asked what the best part of being police Chief for the City of Star was; Chief Hessing said it feels like home because the people, mayor, council members and city staff are so welcoming. Mayor Chadwick pointed out Sheriff Clifford and several members of the Sheriff’s department attending the meeting. He discussed proactive policing and the importance of supporting the police department. Chief Tim Haynes was introduced as the new Police Chief for the City of Star and Mayor Chadwick administered the Oath of Office. Chief Haynes and Sheriff Clifford spoke.  Ada County Highway District Capital Improvement Plan Justin Lucas with the Ada County Highway District provided an update on the district’s Impact Fees and Capital Improvement Plan. He provided a project overview stating that impact fees are connected Page 1 of 8  CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Amended approval on 11/18/25 to correct 5’ setback on page 3 to 50’. Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM to growth from development. Since 2012 ACHD has used a single service area to collect impact fees, collecting all funds in a pool to be used anywhere in the county. The district has analyzed multiservice options and is recommending spitting into two service areas; Justin provided a proposed map of those areas. He reviewed proposed fees for each of the service areas, which he said are substantially increased due to inflation and pressures ACHD is facing. It is anticipated that the project will be completed by December with the new fee being collected a few months later. CIP roadway projects include several projects in the City of Star.  CONSENT AGENDA (ACTION ITEM) *All matters listed within the Consent Agenda have been distributed to each member of the Star City Council for reading and study, they are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one motion of the Consent Agenda or placed on the Regular Agenda by request. A. Approval of Claims B. Approval of Minutes: August 19, 2025 C. Approval of Minutes: September 2, 2025 D. Resolution 2025-06 Star Area of City Impact  Council Member Hershey made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda consisting of 5A Approval of Claims, 5B Approval of Minutes for August 19, 2025, 5C Approval of Minutes for September 2, 2025, 5D Resolution 2025-06 Star Area of City Impact. Council Member Wheelock seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Hershey – aye; Wheelock – aye; Nielsen - aye. The motion carried.  PUBLIC HEARING A. City of Star Annexation (AZ-25-05) This hearing was postponed indefinitely. B. Longbow Subdivision Rezone (RZ-25-03), Preliminary Plat (PP-25-03), Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment (CPA-25-02) and Private Road (PR-25-03) Mayor Chadwick opened the public hearing at 7:32 p.m. Council Members have had no ex-parte communication. City Planner Shawn Nickel presented the application for Rezone, Development Agreement Modification, Preliminary Plat, Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment and Private Road with private gate; there is not a Conditional Use Permit. The property is located at the southeast corner of W. Broken Arrow Road and N. Pollard Lane. The rezone is from Residential R-1 to R-2 on 10.04 acres. The Comp Plan Map Amendment is to change the Land Use Designation from Low Density Residential to Estate Rural Residential with a Preliminary Plat for 14 single family residential lots, 5 common and open space lots, 1 private street lot and 1 30-year deed restricted common lot. The residential density is 1.33 dwelling units per acre. The application was reviewed for compliance with the Unified Development Code and City Comprehensive Plan. Items for special consideration include Magnolia Subdivision HOA approval, deed restricted Lot 15, Comp Plan Map Amendment/Rezone for 10 acres only, residential building elevations, private street and gate and pathway along the ditch. Late exhibits included a letter from a neighbor, draft agreement between applicant and neighbors and city engineer review letter. Staff recommends approval Page 2 of 8  CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Amended approval on 11/18/25 to correct 5’ setback on page 3 to 50’. Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM with conditions including modification of existing Development Agreement for the Josh Kinney Annexation. Shawn provided a vicinity map, preliminary plat and plat showing the deed restricted lot that will remain zoned as R-1. An additional requirement includes future residential lots being limited to a minimum of 1-acre unless approved by council and the Magnolia Subdivision HOA. Brent Orton with Orton Engineering presented for the applicant. He reviewed the project and zoning request; there is a portion of the property that will remain under Josh Kinney’s ownership with a self imposed 30-year moratorium on that lot unless he and the neighbors agree to something different. ACHD would prefer the road to be private due to the size of the development. Brent discussed lot size and open space, he stated that the sidewalks are detached, there is a community picnic area and paved pathway. There is a request to have a gravel pathway allowance along the Foothill Ditch. Mayor Chadwick said it may be allowed to be crushed granite rather than gravel to allow wheelchair use. Brent discussed benefits of zoning including allowing or R-2 zoning, bringing larger lots to the market, preserving family friendly feel of Star and diverse housing mix. The neighbors were involved with the previous development agreement. The developer has agreed to stub sewer and water to the 4 lots in Magnolia Subdivision, re-pave Magnolia’s private road, match adjacent 1 acre lot sizes, provide 50-foot setback on adjacent 1 acre lots, stub gas & internet as available and place a 30-year moratorium on Lot 15. An agreement has been executed by all neighbors. Elevations were reviewed. Brent stated the applicant agrees with all conditions of approval. Lots per acre were discussed and it was clarified that all sidewalks would be detached. Base flood elevations for some lots and driveways will be reviewed; staff recommended making the street higher as a way to lessen the driveway grade. Crushed granite surface for pathways was discussed. A condition of no sheds in the no build area could be added to the CC&Rs. Council Member Wheelock asked how raising the road elevation affects the Magnolia subdivision; Magnolia is higher so the elevation would be below Magnolia. City Engineer Ryan Morgan discussed flood plain impacts; Mayor Chadwich explained that the city requires 2 feet rather than the federally required 18 inches. Tony ONeil is a homeowner in the Magnolia subdivision. He said that Paul has accommodated neighboring homeowners well. He discussed traffic and congestion issues as well as emergency access concerns. He would like ACHD to see Broken Arrow and Pollard at certain times of the day, with added schools and development changes to the road aren’t coming soon enough, he would like to have a case study for emergency services being able to get through. Mayor Chadwick said that ACHD does study the roads but doesn’t have the necessary funding; the city is having conversations trying to get ITD to widen that road when Highway 16 is widened and access at Floating Feather is removed. Michael Prenn lives in the Magnolia subdivision. He likes this proposal better than the last one. He doesn’t benefit from gas being stubbed in, he has a heat pump with water that empties into his yard near Lot 9 of this project. He would like the developer to be encouraged to build a retaining wall to match the existing embankment and install the fence on top of it that would make it more stable and appealing. He would like to have the two small lots combined into one. He is willing to move the pond if needed. Overall, he likes the project. Lori Billand is dismayed at overzealous developers squeezing houses into small areas and not taking those around them into consideration. She said that Star doesn’t approve gates, so she assumes that won’t be approved. She isn’t sure why building would be occurring in a flood area. She discussed Page 3 of 8  CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Amended approval on 11/18/25 to correct 5’ setback on page 3 to 50’. Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM concerns about houses up on the hill looming over other houses. She appreciates granite rather than gravel for the pathway as gravel is difficult to ride a bike on; she requested the pathway to be multi-use rather than regular use. Lori feels 15 houses are too many, she suggested removing 5 homes and allowing one-story homes only on the east lots. Brent Orton discussed pathway material; the pathway goes to the end of the last lot in the neighborhood, and it can be connected to in the future. He said councils balance property rights using city code and state stature, decisions aren’t a free for all or arbitrary. The houses in Magnolia will be able to look down on the homes in this neighborhood but this neighborhood being lower will not be able to look into the properties in Magnolia. A retaining wall was discussed; they could work on a solution that resolves the problem. Mayor Chadwick closed the hearing at 8:22 p.m. Council Member Nielsen sees compliance with development code and consistency with comp plan. Council Member Hershey feels the issues discussed are mitigatable, the houses are beautiful and Lot 15 and setbacks are helpful. He said the path must be at least granite. Shawn stated conditions that include crushed granite or paved pathway and no sheds of any size in the no build area. Homes per acre on Lot 15 after the 30-year moratorium was discussed.  Council Member Nielsen made a motion to approve the Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to Estate Rural Residential, the Rezone to R-2 (Low Density Residential) with a Development Agreement, the Private Road request, and the Preliminary Plat for the Longbow Subdivision, subject to all conditions of approval contained in the staff report and testimony on the record, and with the following additional conditions and clarifications: Sidewalk Standards, all internal sidewalks within the subdivision shall be 5-foot detached sidewalks on both sides of the private roadway, separated from the curb by a minimum 8-foot landscaped planter strip, unless otherwise approved by the City Engineer for topographic or utility conflicts. Public frontage sidewalks along W. Broken Arrow and Pollard Lane shall be detached and constructed with curb, gutter, and sidewalk per City and ACHD standards, including the required right-of-way or sidewalk easement dedication. Second, Foothill Ditch Pathway, the southern open-space pathway along the Foothill Ditch shall be constructed of crushed granite. The design shall maintain a natural and rural appearance while meeting accessibility and maintenance standards. Third, Grading and Floodplain Compliance, Prior to Final Plat approval, the applicant shall submit a grading and drainage plan reviewed and approved by the City Engineer that: demonstrates compliance with FEMA and City floodplain regulations, including CLOMR/LOMR or no- rise certifications as applicable for all work within Zone A. Establishes minimal driveway grades to reduce elevation differentials between the private street and building pads, ensuring safe, accessible approaches consistent with city design standards and the Final Plat shall include floodplain notes and no-build area delineations consistent with FEMA and city requirements. Fourth, Development Agreement Requirements, the Development Agreement shall incorporate all standard and project- specific conditions, including: Private Street Standards: 36-foot-wide street in a common lot; detached sidewalks on both sides or specific council waiver with findings, I am not making one at this time; gated Page 4 of 8  CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Amended approval on 11/18/25 to correct 5’ setback on page 3 to 50’. Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM entry to meet Star Fire standards. Maintenance and Reserve Funding: the HOA shall complete and adopt a reserve study and funding plan for private street maintenance as required by our Unified Development Code, to be recorded in the CC&Rs. Lot 15 shall be clearly identified as a deed-restricted, no-build parcel, excluded from the CPA and Rezone area as proposed. HOA Enforcement of No-Build Area: the CC&Rs shall include enforceable provisions granting the HOA authority and responsibility to preserve and enforce the designated no-build areas, including the right to deny or restrict any structure, grading, or alteration inconsistent with the approved plat and floodplain limitations. The Development Agreement shall require the HOA to maintain and protect the no-build area in perpetuity, with language subject to approval by the City Attorney prior to recordation. Dark Sky and Lighting: all exterior lighting shall meet dark-sky standards; fixture cut sheets shall be submitted at Final Plat. The applicant shall comply with all conditions from ACHD, including frontage improvements on Pollard Lane (curb, gutter, detached sidewalk, and sidewalk easement) and Broken Arrow (half- street improvements). All other agency, department, and staff report conditions are hereby incorporated by reference. Based on the record and subject to these conditions, the City Council finds that the proposed Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment, Rezone, Private Road, and Preliminary Plat are consistent with the City of Star Comprehensive Plan; the project complies with the Unified Development Code, including applicable private street, floodplain, and open-space standards; and the Development Agreement and associated conditions protect the public health, safety, and welfare by ensuring responsible floodplain management, safe access, and long-term maintenance. Therefore, I move to approve Item 7B as conditioned. Mayor Chadwick verified the sidewalk on Broken Arrow would be at least 7 feet. Ryan Field stated that it should be included in the conditions of approval as 7 feet. Council Member Hershey seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Hershey – aye; Wheelock – aye; Nielsen – aye. The motion carried.  Reconsideration of Milestone South Subdivision Mayor Chadwick opened the public hearing at 8:35 p.m. Council Members have had no ex-parte communication. City Planner Shawn Nickel explained that reconsideration was requested by Council Member Nielsen regarding Findings of Fact Condition of Approval #3 that states the applicant shall design the subdivision and construct the new houses in a manner that prevents any side windows from aligning with those windows of the neighboring house. All requirements of the Unified Development Code for reconsiderations have been met. Council Member Nielsen explained that he made the motion that included this condition and after discussion with city staff and requested reconsideration of the condition as he is not wanting to create a situation that puts the enforcement of the condition on the city. Council Member Hershey wasn’t surprised about seeing the reconsideration, it would be difficult to enforce. The public hearing closed at 8:38 p.m. Page 5 of 8  CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Amended approval on 11/18/25 to correct 5’ setback on page 3 to 50’. Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM  Council Member Wheelock made a motion to approve the reconsideration to remove condition #3. Council Member Hershey seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Hershey – aye; Wheelock – aye; Nielsen - aye. The motion carried.  Wildbranch Commercial Park Subdivision Preliminary Plat (PP-25-04) and Final Plat (FP-25-10) Mayor Chadwick opened the public hearing at 8:40 p.m. Council Members have had no ex-parte communication. City Planner Shawn Nickel explained that the applicant is requesting approval of a Preliminary Plat and Final Plat for 4 commercial lots. The property is 11.38 acres located at 342 S. Calhoun Place. All applications requirements including site posting have been met. The application is compliant with Unified Development Code and the City Comprehensive Plan. There are no items for special consideration or late exhibits. Staff recommends approval with conditions. David Bailey with Bailey Engineering representing Baron Properties. David said they are looking for commercial tenants and discussed plans to move the irrigation. They have no issues with the conditions of approval. Access, including bicycle and pedestrian access, was discussed. Mayor Chadwick asked about a development agreement; Shawn said there was a development agreement approved from 2022. Matthew Riggs said interest in the sites has been minimal due to the construction. This is for years in the future when there is interest at which point they will come back for specific approvals. The public hearing closed at 8:46 p.m. Council Member Hershey thinks this is what was asked for back in 2017 with commercial in the front and appartements behind.  Council Member Hershey made a motion to approve the Preliminary and Final Plat for Wildbranch Commercial Park Subdivision as it fits the Comprehensive Plan, it fits the plan we had and we have a Development Agreement in place to prevent things like storage units and other things. Council Member Wheelock seconded the motion. Council Member Nielsen mentioned that staff recommended the Final Plat be held, he recommends amending the motion to allow completion of the required flood plain engineering prior to the Final Plat. Council Member Hershey amended the motion as stated Council Member Wheelock seconded the amended motion. Shawn stated the application is for a Preliminary and Final Plat. Council Member Nielsen stated he was following staff’s recommendation. Shawn thought staff had recommended approval for both, so that had been a mistake. City Engineer Ryan Morgan stated that flood plain drawings can be worked out during construction drawings, he has no problem with the council recommending approval. The original motion and second stands. ROLL CALL VOTE: Hershey – aye; Wheelock – aye; Nielsen - aye. The motion carried.  Starpointe Subdivision Phase 2 Development Agreement Modification (DA-21-09 MOD) Mayor Chadwick opened the public hearing at 8:49 p.m. Council Members have had no ex-parte communication. Page 6 of 8  CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Amended approval on 11/18/25 to correct 5’ setback on page 3 to 50’. Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM City Planner Shawn Nickel reviewed the Development Agreement modification to modify the Preliminary Plat within the agreement. The property is located at 6777 and 6825 N. Star Road. The original Preliminary Plat was approved for 12 residential lots; the proposal reduces the total to 6 residential lots. The application has been reviewed for compliance with the Unified Development Code and City Comprehensive Plan. Items for special consideration include an amended Preliminary Plat, amended setbacks, revise sidewalk to one side of private street and amend proportionate shares. There were no late exhibits. Staff recommends approval with Modified Development Agreement. Review of this project with the South of the River Plan was discussed. Nicolette Wolmack with Kimley-Horn Engineering spoke on behalf of the applicant. She stated the Development Agreement modification reduces the number of lots; she provided a vicinity map and discussed the South of the River Sub-Area Plan. The application was previously approved as residential. Nicolette said the property size remains the same and she reviewed total units, density and setbacks. Typical elevations were provided. There is on street parking proposed on the private street that the fire district has approved. The width of the private road would remain 28 feet. Charles Lox spoke against the application. He said that no one in Starpointe Subdivision knows this is going in, he realizes it was previously approved, but it wasn’t shared with the homeowners. He said these are smaller cheap homes on the corner of a busy road, they may be rentals. He wonders how they will afford the HOA dues, and he feels it should be required to remain two properties as advertised. Mayor Chadwick said it is currently approved for 12 units, that can’t be taken back; if this modification is denied they have a legal right to the 12 units, the request is to reduce the request to 6 units. They can’t be forced to drop it down to 2 units. It may be advertised as 2 units but that is done privately. Council Member Nielsen is surprised that people who purchased million-dollar homes not having any idea about what was going in around them, decision made are public record. He is disheartened to hear how Charles is speaking about people purchasing smaller homes. He hopes there will be good cooperation between the neighbors. If concerns are created due to the advertising, he suggested taking it up with those doing the advertising. Nicolette Wolmack said she understands how marketing can be different with the approval processes and timing, she sympathizes with the surprise, but they are going through the legal channels. She said the square footage of the lots are similar to those in Starpointe. Randy Barlow is the developer. He said the town home model for luxury town homes they had intended were found to have no interest, so they decided to go with the home models being presented. The lots are similar to Starpointe and will be part of the Starpointe HOA with access to the amenities. They do have a builder for the project that is building in the $800.000 price point. Council Member Wheelock said he is always going to push for 36-foot roads. He is grateful that this is a better choice than the original 12 lot project; he appreciates the larger lots than had been previously approved. The public hearing closed at 9:11 p.m. Council Member Hershey feels this is better than the previous proposal. The roads are thin but were previously approved that way. Council Member Neilson said the council worked hard to come up with something workable with the 12 units, this is an improvement. Page 7 of 8  CITY OF STAR, IDAHO CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall - 10769 W State Street, Star, Idaho Amended approval on 11/18/25 to correct 5’ setback on page 3 to 50’. Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM Council Member Wheelock asked Fire Marshall Victor Islas about getting trucks in, Victor discussed vehicle modeling that shows they can fit in and out even with parking on one side of the street.  Council Member Hershey made a motion to approve the Development Agreement Modification for Starpointe Subdivision Phase 2 as presented. Council Member Nielsen seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Hershey – aye; Wheelock – aye; Nielsen - aye. The motion carried. 8. ACTION ITEMS A. Freedom Hall Event Center Star 25-01 Request for Qualifications Mayor Chadwick discussed the criteria and ranking process for reviewing the qualifications for General Contractor/Construction Manager for the Freedom Hall Event Center. Of the 11 submissions Beniton, HC Company and ACM were the three with the highest ranking. Council Member Hershey believes the reviewers have come up with the best responders. Council Member Neilsen feels that Criteria #9 over weights the other scores and would create a process that would be challenging.  Council Member Hershey made a motion to move forward and have the mayor enter into discussions to negotiate a contract with Beniton and accept the scores as presented. Council Member Neilsen seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Hershey – aye; Wheelock – aye; Salmonsen – aye; Nielsen - aye. The motion carried. B. City of Star Committee Handbook Clerk Shelly Tilton presented the Committee Handbook that was worked on by several city staff members. The handbook is expected to be a general guide and processes for members serving on city committees. Many of Council Member Salmonsen’s suggestions have been incorporated into the handbook. Council Member Nielsen had several suggestions that included quorum alignment to further define what makes a quorum, sub-committees and ad-hoc working groups, meeting logistics with regard to meeting notice and agendas adding procedures for late or urgent items, conduct and ethics to include ex- parte and recusal steps, records management and training for new committee members. These recommendations will be reviewed for inclusion in the handbook.  Council Member Hershey made a motion to approve handbook as it stands today, incorporating the considerations that were presented. Council Member Wheelock seconded the motion. ROLL CALL VOTE: Hershey – aye; Wheelock – aye; Salmonsen – aye; Nielsen - aye. The motion carried. 8. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Chadwick adjourned the meeting at 9:30 p.m. ___/s/___________________________ ATTEST: ___/s/_________________________ Mayor Trevor A. Chadwick Shelly Tilton, City Clerk Page 8 of 8