• Sunday, April 10, 2016 Enterprise Editor Virginia Hutchins [ 208-735-3242 • vhutchins@magicvalley.com ] • B1
THE BIG STORY
PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF TWIN FALLS; ILLUSTRATION BY MATTHEW GOOCH
Today’s stories outline many of the rapid changes taking place in northwest Twin Falls. Development is happening so quickly that this aerial photo taken in August 2012 shows fields in many places where buildings now stand.
HOT SPOT
Northwest Twin Falls Development Ignites Chain Reaction HEATHER KENNISON • hkennison@magicvalley.com
WIN FALLS • Hundreds of new homes are popping up in T former farm fields, and businesses are claiming visible spots along the main corridors in northwest Twin Falls. A hospital opening five years ago fueled this spurt of tremendous growth, but the seeds were already in the ground. And there’s a lot more to come. “Right now, the most growth in this community is in that northwest quadrant,” said Renee CarrawayJohnson, the city’s zoning and development manager. She believes St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center was a huge driver for much of the change that’s come in since 2011. But the hospital moved to Pole Line Road West in part because of how much was already planned for the area, said Debbie Kytle, administrator of physician services and population health for St. Luke’s East Region. Its proximity to Interstate 84 was also a factor.
STEPHEN REISS, TIMES-NEWS
Engineered Structures Inc. superintendent Dakota McMahon works at the construction site of St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center’s new outpatient surgery center March 24.
A: Hometowne Place Subdivision Owner and developer Gary Wolverton’s Hometowne Place subdivision has about 70 homes built and a few more lots ready for construction. “We are doing another phase currently of about 33 lots that they’re digging right
now,” Wolverton said in March. The subdivision is off Grandview Drive North — north of the new Rock Creek Elementary school. Its homes start at 1,200 square feet with a two-car garage, for $180,000.
“It’s a mid-level home,” said Trish Gomes, in sales and marketing for Wolverton Homes. A selling point for families is the subdivision’s proximity to the new school.
“It’s pretty easy to get here, and we needed an area to grow,” Kytle said. “We also wanted to make sure we’re considering not only Twin Falls, but the surrounding communities.” While fields still stretch on either side of Pole Line Road, commercial developments are rapidly cropping up — a hotel, a credit union, retailers and restaurants. Most recently, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen opened last month. “Some of these franchises are very patient,” Carraway-Johnson said. “They’ll wait until our growth catches up to where they want to be.” Deputy City Manager Mitch Humble said he’s seen a flood of residential permits for northwest Twin Falls — mostly in Settler’s Ridge, Northern Passage, Hometowne Place, Grandview Estates, Sunterra and Canyon CarrawayTrails subdivisions. Johnson “I believe it’s because that’s where lots are available,” Humble said. “That’s what it comes down to.” Last year was the city’s biggest year of single-family home development since 2008. The city in fiscal 2015 approved 230 building permits for new single-family homes. That’s slightly fewer than the city issued in 2008 — and significantly fewer than the heady days of a decade ago — but the economy took a dive and the number of permits bottomed out in 2011. “It took five years to get to the point where we’re over 200 permits,” Humble said. Longtime builder and developer Brad Wills agreed that things are just getting back to normal, and the biggest interest seems to be north of Pole Line Road West and east of Grandview Drive North. “It’s closer to all the services — that’s the main reason,” Wills said. The hospital, new churches and new schools matter to people when choosing where to live. But the area wasn’t always the first choice for new homes. Prior to the recession, the southern part of the city saw 40 percent of new home construction, Wills estimated. The new construction still doesn’t address the need for starter homes. Construction of inexpensive homes “kind of dried up” in the recession, he said, and hasn’t come back as strong. Brady Dickinson, director of operations for the Twin Falls School District, said that when the district was looking at where to build future schools, it consulted with the city about where the most platted subdivisions and Please see SPOT, B4
B2 • Sunday, April 10, 2016
B: Rock Creek Elementary Twin Falls School District reached substantial completion on its new Rock Creek Elementary School in late March. The $15.7 million school is on a 10-acre site at the intersection of Grandview Drive North and the new Federation Road. “It seemed to be the perfect place to put the school,” Operations Director Brady Dickinson said. The site selection committee chose the location to draw students from both Harrison and Perrine elementary schools, which were over capacity. “If we didn’t have this school coming in, we’d be seeing more challenges,” Dickinson said. The 36-classroom, two-story building would be ideal for up to 650 students, he said. The school district projects having 483 students enrolled there this fall, and 600 by 2021. The school was designed to blend in with surrounding housing areas, with a similar color scheme and a vinyl fence. A 13-acre site by the Sunway Soccer
DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS
The cafeteria is nearly finished March 18 at the new Rock Creek Elementary School.
Complex, south of Pole Line Road, is set aside for potential future growth. Dickinson said the school district had considered that as a site for this elementary school. “Because the infrastructure hasn’t been built that far, it would have been cost-prohibitive for us to build a school there,” he said. Instead, the district sold some of its land by the soccer complex in order to purchase the Rock Creek Elementary school site and other sites.
DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS
The 36-classroom, two-story Rock Creek Elementary School, photographed March 18, reached substantial completion in late March. Because the new elementary will serve students on both sides of Pole Line, the school will bus students across Pole Line. Assistant City Engineer Troy Vitek said the school district has completed a portion of Federation Road, but a 24-foot
wide expanse of it must be finished all the way between Grandview and Parkview drives before the school can open. Federation Road will be only half done until other nearby subdivisions complete their portions, Vitek said.
C: Grandview Estates E ast of Grandview Drive North and south of Federation Road is CBH Homes’ Grandview Estates subdivision. The developer broke ground in February, said Holly Haener, director of sales and marketing. Eighteen sites are released for sale, with four homes under contract being constructed. “We have seen success with our existing community, Northern Sky, and we’re closing it out, so the timing is perfect,” Haener said. Northern Sky, also south of Federation Road but closer to Washington
Houses are under construction March 18 in Grandview Estates in northwest Twin Falls.
DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS
Construction workers do exterior work on a new house in the Northern Passage subdivision March 24.
D: Northern Passage Construction on the Northern Passage subdivision started around 2005, and managing partner David Shotwell said it isn’t finished yet. Northern Passage surrounds the new Rock Creek Elementary School, extending east from Grandview Drive North. About 80 homes have been built, with construction of another phase underway, Shotwell said. “We’d expect maybe 10 more homes built out there by the end of the season,” he said. The development is expected to be finished by 2020 as developers keep an eye on growth in Twin Falls. Shotwell said the homes start at 1,800 square feet and $300,000.
DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS
DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS
About 80 homes have been built in the Northern Passage subdivision, with construction of another phase underway.
F: Latitude 42 Subdivision Just south of Pole Line Road West and to construct Cheney Drive West, west west of Twin Falls Reformed Church, a of Grandview Drive. The new section of new commercial development is about road will not directly connect to a road of to unfold. the same name on the other side of Grandview, due to the location Gerald Martens, a partner in of a trailer park that has not been the Latitude 42 project, said the 30-acre parcel will have primarily annexed into the city. medical and professional offices as Instead, the western turnoff of well as multifamily housing. Cheney Drive West from GrandA 30,000-square-foot extended view Drive will be 220 feet south nursing facility will take about from the eastern turnoff, Vitek said. three acres of the property, in the Martens Latitude 42 developers have southeast corner. Martens said also committed to build a portion plans were ready to be submitof Creekside Way south of Pole ted for permits, and construction should Line, which will eventually connect to an begin by May 1. existing segment of Creekside Way alongTodd Blass, another partner in the side Xavier Charter School. A portion of project, said he believes the nursing facil- that road north of the school will not be ity — the name could not yet be disclosed completed until another property there is — plans to open July 1. developed, he said. Assistant City Engineer Troy Vitek Blass said the new segments of Creeksaid the developers of Latitude 42 and side Way and Cheney Drive West should an adjacent subdivision are partnering be open this summer.
H: Field Stream Apartments The Housing Co. has opened more than 20 new income-based apartments in Twin Falls, but the project isn’t finished yet. The 60-unit Field Stream Apartments, at 1425 Field Stream Way, is scheduled to be complete by June. The Housing Co. is a nonprofit organization providing affordable housing in Idaho. “This is predominantly for households making 60 percent of the area median income or less,” Director Douglas Peterson said. Novogradac & Co. reported Twin Falls County’s median income for 2016 as $54,100 for a family of four. The development will include eight studio, 12 one-bedroom, 20 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom apartments, Peterson said. Rent is $325 to $740 a month depending on income and the number of bedrooms. In looking at Twin Falls, The Housing Co. saw a need for affordable housing for the service industry.
Street North, has 67 homes built with three remaining sites to be sold. It broke ground several years ago. Grandview Estates will have a similar variety of homes — ranging roughly from $189,000 to $278,000 for houses between 1,900 and 3,200 square feet. Grandview Estates will have about 133 total home sites with “larger twostory homes, for the most part,” Haener said. So far, CBH Homes has seen interest mostly from families. “The school being right there is obviously a great benefit to us,” she said.
DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS
Construction surrounds the Field Stream Apartments on March 18 in northwest Twin Falls.
Peterson said significant improvements have been made to the land, including finishing a road on the east side of the development and installing a sewage pump station. Wells Fargo is the tax credit partner for the project, as required by the Internal Revenue Service, Peterson said.
E: Canyon Trails Subdivision Since 2003, about 200 homes have been built in the Canyon Trails subdivision, which stretches along both sides of Parkview Drive from Pole Line Road West to Federation Road. Another 29 are under construction, to be complete by this fall, managing partner Gary Nelson said. “Most of our homes are pre-sold,” Nelson said. Canyon Trails still has another two phases totaling between 120 and 130 lots, but the construction schedule will depend on demand. “It’s all market-driven,” he said. The majority of homes are single-family, ranging from the mid
$200,000’s to low $300,000’s, he said. Some areas are exclusively townhouses, but Nelson said it’s a small niche market. The southern end of his development, fronting Pole Line, is zoned for commercial use. Grace Assisted Living and Westmark Credit Union are two commercial businesses Nelson has brought in within the past year. He has properties still available north of Pole Line Road and said he’s had inquiries from several medical-related businesses. Nelson is seeking interest from medical and professional offices, restaurants and hotels for his mixed-use development.
G: Canyons Retirement Community A planned development south of Pole Line Road West and north of Xavier Charter School will provide housing for seniors at various stages of independence. Canyons Retirement Community will offer 24 independent-living units, 20 memory-care units and 40 assistedliving units, said Richard Pogue, Canyons Retirement partner. “We hope to break ground in April and have the project ready for occupancy late in the year, hopefully by November,” Pogue said. Pocatello-based Tanabell Health Services will be the facility operator and manager. President Troy Bell said Twin Falls was selected because of its location and a high assisted-living occupancy rate. “It’s centrally located,” Bell said. “It will pull from various communities.” A 42,000-square-foot care facility will include both memory-care and assisted-living units, as well as a clubhouse with recreation and dining areas. The assisted-living units will provide registered nurses and certified nursing
assistants for 24-hour care. The memory-care units will serve people with mental decline issues, such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and offer a higher staffing ratio. The independent-living homes will be part of the second phase, Bell said; they’ll provide a space that is close to amenities while being lower maintenance. Homes will range from 700 to 1,200 square feet. Residents in the independent living homes will be able to participate in the clubhouse when they desire, and walking trails will be spread throughout the 6-acre property. “They will have whatever privacy they like,” he said. A home health care facility on site will provide services for the elderly throughout the Twin Falls area. “There’s a growing population of the aging, and there’s some fine facilities that exist there today, but we see an opportunity to grow with the market,” Pogue said. The development has been in the planning for three years.
Sunday, April 10, 2016 • B3
I: The Cottages
J: Wolverton Subdivisions
group of smaller luxury homes is under conA struction at Field Stream Way and North College Road West. Brad Wills, principal of builder and developer Wills Inc., said the 26-home subdivision is being marketed toward empty nesters and single people who desire less space and maintenance. “There’s a need for that for people that are downsizing or are professionals and don’t need a large home,” Wills said. The Fieldstone Cottage Homeowners Association will take care of the yards along the private drive. Homes will start at about $220,000 for a 1,400-square-foot house with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage with driveway. Four homes have been built since construction started in September. Wills Wills Inc. also developed the 56-home Fieldstone subdivision nearby starting in 2005. Separated from The Cottages by a fence, Fieldstone homes are larger. While the Fieldstone subdivision has shared common areas that are maintained, yard maintenance isn’t provided. “That part of the housing is almost built out,” Wills said. Wills redesigned his Fieldstone subdivision to allow for Cheney Drive West to be extended west from Grandview Drive North to the future Creekside Way extension. The road will also serve nearby developments. An L-shaped portion of the Fieldstone property just south of the future Cheney Drive West is kittycorner to a planned commercial development. The L-shaped land has been zoned to allow for residential and office buildings; Wills said that property is for sale.
L: Surgical Center
The Sunterra subdivision south of North College Road near Xavier Charter School has 150 undeveloped and 150 developed residential lots. The development started around 2006, then took a break for several years. “There’s probably about seven or eight phases left,” owner and developer Gary Wolverton said. He anticipates beginning another phase of 34 lots late this summer or early fall and finishing the subdivision within the next few years, depending on the market. South of Sunterra is Perrine Pointe — fields slated to become a mixed-use area with 12 acres of commercial and 250 residential lots. “It’s just sitting platted,”
Wolverton said. “We’re not probably gonna break ground on it this year.” But one commercial lot at the northwest corner of Falls Avenue and Grandview Drive North sold to Oasis Stop ‘N Go several years ago. Oasis Stop ‘N Go President Dan Willie said he has no immediate plans until the surrounding area is developed, or there is indication of upcoming growth. “Our intent was to put a convenience store there,” Willie said. South of Falls Avenue West, across from Perrine Pointe, is Meadows West — formerly Silverstone. That subdivision — just fields for now — has eight acres of commercial property and 280 residential lots.
K: Broadmoor Subdivision A new subdivision at Grandview Drive North and North College Road West broke ground in early March. Gerald Martens, developer of the northern part of the Broadmoor subdivision, said his portion has 150 lots for future homes. “We’re going to have lots available by the first of July,” Martens said. Expect about 20 available by July, and another 20 by October. Martens said workers were installing utilities in mid-March,
improving North College and building interior streets. There will be four new streets in phase one of the development. Assistant City Engineer Troy Vitek said North College between Wendell Street and Grandview is being widened and should be finished by fall. The entire Broadmoor subdivision encompasses 80 acres between Falls Avenue West and North College. Martens’ portion is 50 acres — the other part, owned by Joe Russell,
The 20,500-square-foot outpatient surgical center at St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center is on track to open in November. “We wanted an option for patients to have safe and effective care in a timely manner and in an outpatient setting,” said Dr. Lance Hubsmith, chief of the hospital’s anesthesiology department. The center will allow St. Luke’s to treat low-risk patients on a consistent schedule. Hubsmith said the hospital is already starting to outgrow its existing operating rooms. “It definitely is a needed expansion to keep up with the surgical needs of the outpatient community,” he said. The surgical center will have five operating rooms; an ambulance pickup area for patients who need to be transported to the main hospital; recovery areas for patients after surgery; and isolation rooms for children or others who need them. “I expect we’ll be hiring new surgeons as the community grows,” said Debbie Kytle, administrator of physician services and population health for St. Luke’s East Region. The hospital currently has 42 surgeons and will add more anesthesia providers and staff for the center, she said. As St. Luke’s becomes more of a regional health center, the board of directors evaluates community growth for its five- and 10-year plan. Kytle said the Twin Falls hospital was designed to meet demands for 10 years, but the community has grown faster than expected so more expansions are anticipated. Additional medical office space will be needed, as the current offices are almost full. The hospital is also looking at the need for behavioral health partnerships. St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center opened in May 2011 on a 41-acre parcel south of Pole Line Road. The 712,000-square-foot facility is a separate building from the outpatient surgical center. Dakota McMahon, superintendent for general contractor Engineered Structures Inc., said in late March that construction of the surgical center was slightly ahead of schedule. The company broke ground in October and was delayed earlier this year due to winter weather.
The outpatient surgery center under construction at St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center will allow the hospital to treat lowrisk patients on a consistent schedule.
Wellness businesses closed in summer 2015, less than a year after opening. But it didn’t take Jarvis long to fill the two 2,000-square-foot vacancies. Idaho Diagnostic Sleep Lab and CPAP Now, a business providing equipment for people with sleep apnea, moved from their shared office on Shoup Avenue West in January. “The landlord here is really proactive,” said Carla Miller, owner of CPAP Now — CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure. Both businesses moved in within a month of expressing interest, she said. CPAP Now had been in its Shoup location for 12 years, but Miller said the Cheney location was more visible and less expensive. In the second space vacated by Canyon Wellness, Wright Physical Therapy in March opened its second Twin Falls clinic. “We decided to wait for an opportunity to be by the hospital,” said Sonya Haines, marketing director and patient care coordinator. “This clinic specializes
See more photos of new northwest Twin Falls developments in a gallery at Magicvalley.com.
probably won’t start for about a year, Martens said. “It’s intended to be very similar to the North Point subdivision,” he said. North Point is Martens’ subdivision to the north, built out about eight years ago. The Broadmoor subdivision’s homes will range from 1,600 to 3,000 square feet and be in the $200,000 to $350,000 price range. Several homebuilders will have houses available this summer, he said.
STEPHEN REISS, TIMES-NEWS
Construction progresses March 24 on the front of the new outpatient surgery center at St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center.
M: Future Hotel STEPHEN REISS, TIMES-NEWS
N: Health and Wellness on Cheney Drive West After St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center opened in May 2011, it didn’t take developers long to jump on commercial property in the area. Developer Todd Blass completed the first of two buildings on Cheney Drive West near Parkview Drive in 2012. First Federal bank bought its portion of the building, as did Dick’s Pharmacy next door. Family and Adolescent Care of Twin Falls and a podiatrist leased the other two spaces; the latter moved out in January, and that space is now available. In late 2014, Blass constructed the building next door at 452 Cheney Drive W. Andrew Jarvis bought the building, which originally housed Canyon Wellness Clinic and Canyon Wellness Spa. The businesses’ Chicago-based owner told the Times-News in 2014 that if she could thrive in Chicago, Twin Falls would be a breeze. “I don’t think their interest was entirely for the Twin Falls area,” Jarvis said. Whatever the reason, both Canyon
Included in the residential part are 40 senior-living lots that will have smaller, cottage-like houses for seniors with an active lifestyle, Wolverton said. “That’ll probably start late this fall or early next spring,” he said. A homeowners association will care for the lawns on the properties. As of mid-March, Wolverton had development plans pending for several lots and anticipated acceptance by the city within a month. Construction on the other homes may start next spring, he said. The homes will be priced between $200,000 and $300,000. There are no plans for the commercial property at Meadows West yet, he said.
in hand therapy — for someone who has had surgery, arthritis, any complications in their hands.” Haines said the clinic was also moved in within a month, the fastest any of its five clinics has ever opened. Miracle-Ear and Willamette Dental occupy spaces in the same building. Just down the street, “for sale” signs advertise available commercial space south of Wal-Mart. Blass is an owner of two of those lots and said one qualifies for a drivethrough. He has received several calls but has nothing under contract yet. “I would suspect this spring and summer there’ll be more effort put to doing something on that,” he said.
A contract with a new hotel is pending for land south of Pole Line Road West, between Castles Corner and the Magic Valley Kidney Center. Todd Blass, project partner, said he expects the contract to close within the next month. While he could not yet release any details about the hotel, he said the owners plan to move forward on the project right away. Blass also owned the property where Castles Corner was built, on the southeast corner of Pole Line and Parkview Drive. The 24-hour convenience store opened in 2014.
Business reporter Heather Kennison, second from right, joined the Times-News in February after 3 ½ years as a journalist in Elko, Nev. For her, this project was an intense introduction to a broad swath of Twin Falls.
B4 • Sunday, April 10, 2016
Spot
Continued from B1
growth projections were for the next 10 years. “The northwest immediately jumped out as a place where there would be tremendous growth,” he said. Construction is active in the Grandview Estates, Northern Passage and Hometowne Place subdivisions nearby, which would have posed difficulties for the attendance zoning committee when determining where to place students. “If we didn’t have this school coming in, we’d be seeing more challenges,” Dickinson said. Students from Harrison and Perrine elementary schools will transfer into the newly completed Rock Creek Elementary. As of March, Perrine had more than 800 students, and Harrison more than 600, both over capacity. The new school, in turn, has become a marketing point for home builders luring buyers. In looking at when and where to build new homes and businesses, developers say it’s all based on the market. One property owner said he’d been sitting on his 40-acre parcel north of Pole Line Road until prices rose. Several others said their developments had been years in the making. “We’re enjoying the good times,” developer Gary Nelson said.
DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS
A construction worker helps with the finishing touches on the new Rock Creek Elementary School on March 18.
O: Cheney Connection to North College The College of Southern Idaho’s “Cheney Drive is a linchpin, if you extension of Cheney Drive began Jan. will, to whatever future development 4 and should be completed by July, if CSI does to the north side of North not sooner. College Road,” Maughan said. The $1.8 million project The college hopes the new extends Cheney Drive out twofour-lane road will divert more thirds of a mile from Washingtraffic away from North Colton Street North to connect lege and along Cheney instead, with North College Road, CSI to help reduce the number of spokesman Doug Maughan vehicles passing through the said. The project includes college’s campus. replacement of the bridge at Maughan Cheney is designed to go east Perrine Coulee. from Washington Street North, North College Road, which veering southeast where it will had been closed, re-opened in become North College Road, which is late March. no longer going to be a straight line.
“It’s going to be a nicer experience for drivers,” Maughan said. The health sciences building and Northview apartments are the only college buildings north of North College Road, he said. However, Maughan believes the community could anticipate even more expansion within the next five to 10 years, and possibly a new entrance to the college from Cheney Drive. The college’s master plan includes a future sustainability center, a recreation center and other facilities and parking planned south of Cheney Drive that may be needed by 2040.
Q: Recent Restaurants and Retail The north side of Pole Line Road near Washington Street has seen a slew of new businesses in the past couple of years. Culver’s, which opened east of Washington in May 2014, was one of the first, franchise owner Eugene Smith said. “We felt that the town was moving this direction.” Smith hoped to avoid Blue Lakes Boulevard, preferring a spot he believes has easier access. While he’s seen only a slight increase in traffic since opening, the parking lot behind the restaurant often overflows on weekends. “We were conservative on our projections for the first year, and it exceeded our projections and has continued to grow ever since,” Smith said. Culver’s has 55 part- and full-time employees, and Smith has watched his prediction of growth swiftly come true. Later in 2014, Marriott opened its 92-room Fairfield Inn and Suites nearby, followed by a Denny’s restaurant in the fall. Farther east, Dutch Bros. Coffee opened the following January. Cash&Carry Smart Foodservice, a wholesale food distributor and food service warehouse, also opened in 2015, near Denny’s. On the west side of Washington Street, south of Pole Line Road, WalMart’s Fueling Center and a Taco John’s restaurant opened in late 2015. And if the number of available
DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS
Signs advertise lots available along Pole Line Road on March 16. property signs is anything to go by, the area could see more activity soon. “I’ve noticed they’ve been advertising like crazy,” said Renee CarrawayJohnson, Twin Falls’ zoning and development manager. She added that many properties along Pole Line are already mapped and ready for more development at any time. Guy Arnell, a Realtor with MC Investments, is trying to sell a half-acre parcel just north of Denny’s, leftover from the restaurant’s initial property transaction.
The asking price is $15 a square foot for about 23,000 square feet. “It’s got all the utilities to it and would be a nice area for an office or a dental office,” Arnell said. David Shotwell, development manager of Westpark Properties — where Culver’s and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen are located — said he’s been working on the Westpark project since 1996, but things really got underway after the hospital came in. Shotwell’s information is posted on available parcels at Westpark Properties.
P: Sun West Subdivision Southeast of Pole Line Road and Washington Street North, a parcel of farmland could soon see commercial development. Linda Wills, a partner who owns part of the 67-acre Sun West subdivision, said the land once belonged to her father. It housed a dairy farm until the late 1950s, she said, and in 1971, the Lazy J Ranch manufactured home community there became the first commercial operation in the Pole Line Road area. The land outside the 35-acre trailer park continues to be leased to a farmer to grow crops such as corn and wheat. “We are hoping to work on developing the vacant land that’s being farmed,” Wills said. Planning started in 2013 when the property was rezoned commercial. This summer, Sun West will contribute to the College of Southern Idaho’s construction of Cheney Drive. Wills said it was less expensive to pay for their portion of the road now, and it will pave the way for future growth. “Hopefully, things will start happening in the next year,” she said. Wills said she imagines the future commercial development will include a mixture of retail, restaurants and hotels. “You just can’t make any money farming it in town nowadays,” she said. Residents at the Lazy J Ranch expressed concerns after the rezoning, though Wills said nothing will change there until the rest of the land is developed. A clause in the rezoning prohibited the trailer park from being commercially developed until 2018. The manufactured home community for seniors has slowly transitioned over the years to include more longterm parking for RVs. “People really kind of quit moving into Lazy J,” Wills said. The property has about 40 vacancies, Wills said, and 20 of the lots were turned to accommodate RVs — a popular option for those traveling for health care or temporary work. While the land will probably be developed into something else someday, she hopes it’s a way off. “We’ve been watching that property for 40-something years,” she said. “… It seems you can’t stop progress.”
R: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen opened its Twin Falls restaurant in March. The 2,600-squarefoot building between Culver’s and Denny’s fits right in with surrounding development along Pole Line Road. Popeyes has 60 seats indoors and a drivethrough window. Franchise owner Sandy Mann expected to start with a staff of 60 but have 25-30 employees after the initial excitement calmed down. This is one of six new restaurants his California-based franchise had planned for Idaho. About two years ago, the business decided to expand in the state. “We were looking for an opportunity for an underserved market,” Mann said. In Twin Falls, it was the area’s new development that drew Mann’s company to look at Pole Line Road. He saw neighboring restaurants and retailers as a bonus in a growing area. “This is where the traffic is happening,” he said.
DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen employees talk March 16, a few days before the restaurant’s opening.
The new Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in northwest Twin Falls has 60 seats indoors and a drive-through window.