The Ada County Highway District (ACHD) is looking to expand, and possibly relocate maintenance operations to better serve Ada County.
On June 17th, ACHD will go before Meridian's Planning and Zoning Committee for an annexation and zoning request to allow for the operation of a brand-new maintenance complex located on Ustick Road in Meridian. The complex will allow the District to better serve the western portions of Ada County.
Located near Meridian's Wastewater Resource and Recovery Facility, the Meridian Comprehensive Plan designates the new location as Mixed Use Non-Residential which allows industrial zoning of the parcel.
If approved, the Ustick Maintenance Complex will eventually house a full maintenance crew. Projected to become partially operational in 2024, the Ustick Maintenance Complex will serve as a home base for employees and be fully operational by 2028. The District's maintenance operations include, grade crews, utility crews, broom crews, drainage crews, mechanics and fleet services.
The Ustick Maintenance Complex would become the District's 3rd maintenance complex with two others located on Cloverdale Road in Boise and Adams Street in Garden City. However, the Adams Maintenance Complex's time may be limited.
With approval from the District's Commission, the ACHD recently entered into a contract to acquire 16.12 acres located on Apple Street in Boise. The land will be purchased with the intent to relocate the Adams Maintenance operation to the new site in conjunction with land the District currently owns nearby.
"With Ada County's unprecedented growth, our maintenance and snow operations needs have also expanded beyond what our current maintenance complex can provide," said ACHD Deputy Director of Maintenance Jennifer Berenger. "This new site, combined with our current property in the area, provides us with enough room to comfortably relocate our existing operations and plan for future needs. We are thrilled that the location will allow ACHD to continue to meet the growing needs of Ada County and the six cities we serve."
ACHD owns an 11-acre lot less than 1/4 mile from the Apple Street property. With the Apple Street property in close proximity, the district moved forward with the contract to purchase in hopes of utilizing both parcels for maintenance operations. Though not seamlessly connected, the two properties provide the District with the required space and access points to run operations.
The maintenance complex in Garden City is home to over 170 pieces of equipment ranging from light pickups to skid steers, backhoes, rollers and pavers. Also located on the property is the District's supply of sand and salt for winter operations. The entire operation, and the 75 employees that run it are projected to relocate from the Garden City location upon full buildout in Boise.
"Though not a simple process, we expect the move to occur within the next four to seven years depending on economic and market conditions," said ACHD Director Bruce Wong. "While Garden City has served as a great home for our operations for so many years, the city's growth and up and coming development aren't as conducive to an industrial site as they once were."
While the existing site originally sat fairly secluded, the residential boom has placed more neighbors near the current site than ever before. The Apple Street site is zoned heavy industrial and ACHD would be joining other industrial operations in the area.
"We hope that our neighbors and City Leaders in Garden City will be patient with us as we plan and execute this exciting move," said ACHD Commission President Kent Goldthorpe. "The move can't happen overnight and will require a great deal of strategic and logistical planning. As with everything we do, we want to do it right. In the end however, relocating the maintenance complex will benefit all parties."
ACHD's Traffic Operations and Traffic Management Center will also relocate to a new operations complex on Franklin Road. The expansion and relocation of all of these services combined will leave only ACHD headquarters operational on Adams Street in Garden City. ACHD will evaluate what to do with any remaining unneeded property after all Maintenance operations are moved and operational.