Nampa Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Summary - July 30, 2025
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Nampa Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Summary - July 30, 2025
The Nampa Planning and Zoning Commission met on July 30, 2025, to consider three conditional use permit applications. All items were approved unanimously with conditions. The meeting included discussions on outdoor storage at a Lowe's store, a home-based firearm records retention business, and a commercial daycare in a multi-family residential zone.
Conditional Use Permit for Lowe's Outdoor Storage and Display
- Applicant: Brandon McDougaled (Kimley Horn Associates) and KK Yao (Lowe's) sought a conditional use permit to allow outdoor storage and seasonal sales (nursery, bulky retail, trailers, etc.) at 1400 Caldwell Boulevard. The request stemmed from a code enforcement complaint regarding non-enclosed storage in the parking lot, which had increased since the store opened in 2003 and especially after COVID-19.
- Discussion: Commissioners questioned the need for additional storage (efficiency vs. demand). KK Yao cited customer demand and seasonal turnover. Staff planner Christy Watkins noted that the current parking layout (552 spaces, including 4 ADA) was designed for general retail; using a 50% bulky/50% general retail split would show overparking. The Fire Department raised concerns about vertical clearance for ladder trucks near the building. A late comment from an adjacent property owner cited CCRs against exterior display, but staff clarified that the city does not enforce CCRs. The applicant agreed to all conditions, including providing at least 11 ADA spaces (two van-accessible) and ensuring fire access.
- Outcome: Motion to approve carried unanimously. The conditional use permit becomes effective 15 days after written decision unless appealed.
Conditional Use Permit for Firearm Service (Home Occupation)
- Applicant: David James, requesting to retain his Federal Firearms License (FFL) and store business records at his residence at 719 South Diamond Street (RS-6 zoning). He is retiring from firearm sales but must keep records. No sales or changes to the exterior are proposed.
- Discussion: Commissioners clarified that a business is required to hold an FFL; Mr. James confirmed that he and his wife are the responsible parties, and the home occupation permit would cover this. Staff noted the use complies with home occupation standards and no adverse impacts are expected.
- Outcome: Unanimous approval with conditions (compliance with codes, home occupation permit required). Effective 15 days after written decision.
Conditional Use Permit for Commercial Daycare
- Applicant: Randy Hopkins (property owner) and Crystal McFarlane (operator of Brightstone daycare) for a commercial daycare at 504 East Florida Avenue (RML zone). The building has historically been a daycare, but the permit does not transfer with ownership. The new operator will serve approximately 35 children after school starts.
- Discussion: Staff confirmed the use is unchanged from prior operation. A building permit application is required to show compliance with current building code. No public opposition.
- Outcome: Unanimous approval with conditions. Effective 15 days after written decision.
Key Outcomes
- Lowe's Conditional Use Permit: Approved unanimously.
- Firearm Service Conditional Use Permit: Approved unanimously.
- Commercial Daycare Conditional Use Permit: Approved unanimously.
- All permits become effective 15 calendar days from the date of the written decision unless appealed. No action may be taken until the appeal period concludes.
Meeting Transcript
Or two acre parcel addressed as 1400 Caldwell Boulevard for Lowe's NAMPA. Is the applicant here? Wouldn't come on up. Good evening, um, commissioners. Brandon McDougaled with Kimley Horn Associates addresses 1100 West Idaho Street in Boise, Idaho. Um thank you for your time this evening. Let me make sure that this works. Ah, great. Um here as part of the applicant team, we have myself and then we also have KK Yao with Lowe's. So if you have any specific questions uh for Lowe's, um we've got a representative here. Uh just uh narrow in on the site that we're gonna be talking about today. So uh there's an existing Lowe's that's uh adjacent or to the intersection of Carcher and Cleveland Boulevard. And uh just uh uh a higher um elevation of uh the the plan uh including the Lowe's parcel here. Uh so why we're before you tonight is uh we're here tonight in response to code enforcement complaint Lowe's received regarding their outdoor storage and display, which has been occurring in various levels uh since the the store was opened in in 20 actually it was 2003. Um and that's uh we're we're asking for a conditional use permit for uh nursery and storage not entirely enclosed within a building and inventory not stored behind a building or a fenced area. I've got a couple of slides here that just show what that has looked like over the years and have highlighted in red those areas that have uh been storage or uh seasonal sales areas. So this is a slide for 2016, another slide for 2019, 2021 uh have quite a bit more storage and can talk through that a little bit and uh 2024. So wanted to just talk through maybe some of the observations, and we can slide um back and forth between uh the various slides if you have any questions there. But um you know we think it's important to highlight some of the general observations. Um it's obvious that the outdoor storage and sale has increased over the years and especially after COVID, um, and there's a lot of reasons behind that. Um some of that is just large part due to the shipping or saving volatility that uh what that they experienced and wide range of customer and industry demands, um, and just honestly some general housekeeping that uh uh needed to be corrected. Um so outdoor storage display has increased on site as you saw over the years. Um maybe if I just go back to one slide. Um if you just note the parking um that is being used for for the lows, uh, and we can go through each of the various slides there, but you can see that um there's plenty of parking for for the customers. Mr. Chair, excuse me. Um on this slide right here is what what time of the year was this? Good question. Um yeah, so it's uh it's green trees, and so you say in the summer time frame. Yeah, it's probably the height of what you would have. Outdoor seasonal sales, yeah. Yep, exactly. Great question. Um, and as indicated previously, the seasonal sales have taken place for um since the inception of that store. Uh so you might ask just what does the outstorage and seasonal sales make up. So um there's cell trailers and and shed displays that you normally see in a home improvement um area for sale, metal fencing, overflow inventory, shelving, seasonal merchandise displays, overflow of gardens and materials, and uh bulk lumber. Um seasonal sales is uh uh is pretty important to Lowe's. Um it's um I think I'm sure that y'all have uh been um a customer to a home improvement store and and have utilized uh maybe some of that outdoor storage and looked at um outdoor seasonal sales. Um so it's it's pretty important uh for the for Lowe's business to keep moving forward um we've worked with city staff to um one identify areas that that uh lowe's can um uh comply with from uh outdoor storage and sales area, and and we've color coded it based on a variety of different uses. So as you can see here on the screen in yellow, we've got outdoor storage retail, and that usually consists of lawn mowers and grills, and maybe in the winter months you might see some snowblowers and whatnot out there. Um in the red, or excuse me, in the orange is outdoor storage, bulky retail. So you you've got a lot of um, it could be bad topsoil, it could be mulch, it could be a variety of those type of things, um, including sheds. Um if you look at the blue outline of some of those colors, especially on the orange areas, that's that is truly seasonal. So that's generally through spring uh and fall that you see that that storage out there. Um to the left, um, southwest corner of the site there are some trailer sales areas, and then the the red is um just general storage of of bulky material. And as you can see from the parking calculation, and I think what is also reflected in the staff report that uh there's adequate parking for customers uh in addition to the storage that's identified on here. Um I know that um that uh Lowe's has complied and and started to uh really enforce this moving forward, and and that would be the point going forward is have this uh to where they know this is the areas that they can have outdoor storage and and sales. So um request your approval of the conditional use permit, and uh KK and and myself are here to stand for any questions that you may have. Mr. Chairman?
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