Idaho’s largest school district and a housing developer are at odds over land in Meridian near the site of a proposed new high school.
Owyhee High School would be the sixth in the West Ada District. Funding for the facility has already been worked out. The roughly $60 million in construction costs would come from a $95 million bond local voters approved in March. Owyhee High could accommodate 1,800 students when it tentatively opens in fall of 2020.
The high school is slated to go on Ustick in Meridian near McDermott Road – which could eventually become State Highway 16. That’s close to a tract of open land owned by Boise Hunter Homes. The developer worries a proposed expansion of the highway paired with the new school could box in its property and stunt future housing growth.
According to the Idaho Press, Boise Hunter Homes is concerned at the prospect of being landlocked. A lawyer for the developer says they don’t object to the school.
The new Owyhee High was approved by the Ada County Highway District earlier this week. Meridian’s Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to vote on the school district’s application for a conditional use permit today.
In its sign off on the new school, ACHD recommended the developer and Owyhee High come up with their own solution.
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