McCall Idaho Headline News

Commercial development along Idaho 55 would be limited to a few designated locations under a draft proposal by the Valley County Scenic Byway Committee.

The proposal as it now reads would limit commercial development along the highway to the cities of Cascade, Donnelly and McCall, plus Lake Fork, Clear Creek and Smiths Ferry.

The intersections of Idaho 55 with Herrick Lane and with Davis Creek Road would be the only other places commercial development would be permitted.

The scenic byway committee will hold its next meeting at 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 16, at the Valley County Courthouse in Cascade. Once the committee has a final draft of the ordinance, it will go before the Valley County Planning and Zoning Commission and then the Valley County Board of Commissioners for public hearings. Parametrix Engineering, Planning and Environmental Sciences of Boise was hired by Valley County to come up with a scenic byway plan for Idaho 55 in the county.

The scenic byway committee consists of citizens from Valley County and Parametrix, planning manager Steve Siddoway said.

The idea of establishing commercial "nodes" along the highway is to prevent strip development, Siddoway said.

At Herrick Lane and Davis Creek Road, the nodes would not encompass the entire intersection but would be allowed only on the east side of Idaho 55.

The commercial nodes are areas 330 feet wide and 500 feet deep areas at the corner of an intersection where the committee would like the county to establish an ordinance that encourages commercial development.

At an intersection, the nodes would be 660 feet wide and 1,000 feet deep to encourage commercial development at the four corners.

The size of commercial nodes would not be dictated in the ordinance inside city limits, but city commercial zones would apply, Siddoway said.

Highway congestion could be relieved by having access to the commercial developments on the side roads, he said.

"They would be easier to develop as commercial but would still have a review process and design standards," Siddoway said.

The design standards have yet to be developed by the committee.

The committee is researching codes from other areas as examples for its commercial design guidelines, he said.

Existing businesses not in the identified areas would be grandfathered in but would not be allowed to expand their businesses or expand the intensity of the business, Siddoway said.

The committee is also refining proposed standards for landscaping and berms along the highway.