Council approves plat for 264 apartments, the most homes in a Caldwell subdivision filing in three years

What was approved

The Caldwell City Council approved the final plat for Adam's Ridge Apartments on Oct. 19. That clears the way for 264 apartments in 13 buildings on a single lot of about 12.6 acres. The item was on the council's consent agenda.

A final plat is the official map that turns a project's earlier, preliminary layout into recorded lots. City staff check it against that earlier approval rather than revisit whether the project should be built. Here, staff found the plat complies with city code and matches the preliminary plat the council signed Aug. 3, 2018.

The apartments work out to about 21 homes an acre. Plans call for a clubhouse, a swimming pool, a dog park and a basketball court. The property owner is Corban At Adams Ridge LLC, and the staff report describes the site as a commercial subdivision with one apartment lot, in a community commercial zone.

The last piece of Adam's Ridge

The apartments are one part of a larger development. The 2018 preliminary plat laid out 448 single-family lots, one apartment lot, 32 common lots and 15 acres of open space. Tables in the staff report show those houses split across eight earlier final plat phases, with no single-family lots left to plat once the apartments are recorded.

The amenities changed along the way. The original plan for this lot included a tot lot. It has been swapped for the clubhouse, pool, dog park and basketball court, which staff wrote "meet and exceed the expectations" set by the 2018 approval.

The approval comes with conditions. Among them:

• Old rules still apply. Every condition attached to the 2018 preliminary plat carries over.
• Infrastructure first. Water, sewer, irrigation, storm drains, all-weather roads and street signs must be built and approved before the City Engineer signs the plat.
• Fire access. The Fire Marshal must approve how many fire hydrants go in and where.
• A deadline. The plat must be recorded within 24 months of the signed decision, and landscaping must follow the approved plan.

How it compares

Among Caldwell subdivision filings in the past three years that list a home count, none comes close to this one. The typical filing in that group lists about 54 homes; this one has 264.

At 264 apartments, this is the most homes in any Caldwell subdivision filing in the past three years that lists a count.

Requests like this rarely fail in Caldwell. Of the 10 other subdivision filings in the city over the past three years, two have been approved and eight are still pending. City records show no Caldwell subdivision filing denied or withdrawn in the past five years.

What's being built nearby is mostly commercial and industrial. About a third of a mile away, a Circle K proposal¹ would put a gas station and store on about 9 acres, with lots for a bank, restaurant and daycare; its hearing is set for Nov. 10. About half a mile away, a three-lot commercial subdivision² was approved Nov. 4, 2024, and a distribution center on about 116 acres³ was approved Dec. 10, 2024. About three-quarters of a mile away, Tractor Supply's distribution center⁴ in Nampa covers 864,712 square feet.

City records show no other filings by the owner.

What isn't known yet

The size of the overall development isn't clear. A city record for the wider Adam's Ridge project lists 830 homes and 551 lots, with 389 homes permitted. The staff report's tables show 448 single-family lots plus the 264 apartments. The filing doesn't explain the difference.

The only document on file is a 41-page staff report dated Oct. 13. Its cover sheet is labeled for a preliminary plat and checks the preliminary plat box, even though the council acted on a final plat. The same sheet lists the 12.6 acres as proposed commercial acreage, and leaves blank the estimated population increase and the timeline for full build-out.

Several agencies stayed silent. The Vallivue School District sent no response, and the cover sheet's school section describes the project as a "nonresidential use" despite the 264 apartments. The fire and police departments sent no comments either.

No traffic study was required, and the report lists no traffic improvements. It also says the land already has a development agreement in place but doesn't describe what that agreement requires.