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BRIGHTON – Creating GREAT Places – 2929 W. Navigator Drive, Ste. 400, Meridian, ID 83642
www.brighton.co 208-378-4000
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REVISED: July 23, 2025
Community Development Department, Planning
City of Caldwell
RE: Ustick and Lake
Dear Planning Team:
Brighton is pleased to submit a Rezone, Special Use Permit, and Development Agreement for a new
residential project referred to as “Ustick and Lake”. The project is an affordable housing development at
the northwest corner of Lake Avenue and Ustick Road. The site is within walking distance of many services
such as shopping, restaurants, medical, bus stops, and religious services, making this a prime area for
affordable housing.
Comprehensive Plan and Zoning
The recently adopted comprehensive plan designates the area as Neighborhood 3 which allows for
residential uses at densities ranging from 4 to 25 (with density bonus) units per acre. The
comprehensive plan describes this designation as having “apartment buildings of a variety of scales and
missing middle housing types that provide a transition from neighborhood 2 place type to primarily non-
residential or mixed-use areas”. Perfectly situated near the Terrace Drive-In Theatre on the east,
Centennial Serve Church to the south, offices to the southwest, and residential to the north; this site is
well poised to serve as a transition between higher intensity office and entertainment uses and existing
residential homes. It is proposed to be rezoned to R-3 “High Density Residential”, which aligns with the
comprehensive plan and allows multifamily residential buildings under a special use permit.
Comprehensive Plan, Future Land Use
BRIGHTON – Creating GREAT Places – 2929 W. Navigator Drive, Ste. 400, Meridian, ID 83642
www.brighton.co 208-378-4000
2
Current Zoning Proposed Zoning
Building Details
We will construct 35 units with a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. We will provide ample
sidewalk connections to promote pedestrian mobility throughout the site and to nearby services.
The building on Ustick will be 3 stories. The “back” building will be a much smaller 2 story building to
transition to the existing residential homes to the north.
Both buildings will be similar styles and be constructed with a mix of quality materials and varying
colors.
Rendering – Ustick Road View
BRIGHTON – Creating GREAT Places – 2929 W. Navigator Drive, Ste. 400, Meridian, ID 83642
www.brighton.co 208-378-4000
3
Rendering – Aerial View
Affordability
Caldwell, along with the greater Treasure Valley, is in desperate need of affordable housing. According
to Idaho Housing and Finance there is a 12 to 18 month wait for housing choice vouchers, and Caldwell
Housing Authority waitlists are around 6 months. These waiting times illustrate the need for more
affordable housing to be constructed. The Caldwell Comprehensive Plan also highlights that 60% of
Caldwell’s population is at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI). Of the 35 total units, 31 will
be deed restricted to support residents earning at or below 80% AMI. The remainder of the units would
be market-rate to help support the project, which is typical (and required by the financing authority) for
these types of developments.
Density
The allowed density in the “Neighborhood 3” designation is up to 20 units per acre without a density
bonus, or up to 25 units per acre with a bonus. To achieve the target residential density while
delivering critically needed affordable housing in Caldwell, we propose leveraging the City’s Density
Bonus Program as outlined in the Comprehensive Plan and municipal code.
This program is designed to encourage the production of affordable housing by allowing increased
project density when key criteria are met, namely the inclusion of deed-restricted affordable units. The
proposed project has a density of 22.3 units per acre, consistent with the bonus program’s maximum
allowance of 25 units per acre.
While we only need to utilize half of the available density bonus to meet our development goals, we are
committed to reserving 31 of the 35 units (approximately 89%) for households earning at or below
80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). This exceeds the program’s threshold for the “full bonus,”
which only requires that 80% of units to be designated as affordable.
BRIGHTON – Creating GREAT Places – 2929 W. Navigator Drive, Ste. 400, Meridian, ID 83642
www.brighton.co 208-378-4000
4
Amenities
Amenities will include an outdoor tot lot, indoor club room, bike repair station, leasing office, and
mechanical room. Examples of amenities below are for reference only.
Example Tot Lot Example Bicycle Repair Station
Example Club Room
Site Access
Access to the site is provided via Ustick Road; no access is permitted to Muffin Lane. To improve fire
access, connectivity, and provide residents with more convenient access to services, we would like to
add a right-in right-out access onto Lake Avenue. This access would allow residents to effortlessly access
the Ustick/Lake roundabout which moves traffic in any direction.
The existing access at Ustick is also right-in, right-out only, but forces traffic to go back to Ustick and
Florida to then circle around toward Walmart and other services.
A traffic analysis is underway to determine whether access to Lake Avenue is feasible.
In either scenario, we can meet code requirements for parking, fire access, etc.
BRIGHTON – Creating GREAT Places – 2929 W. Navigator Drive, Ste. 400, Meridian, ID 83642
www.brighton.co 208-378-4000
5
Circulation Pattern
Layout with Ustick Road Access Possible Layout with Lake Avenue Access
*parking lot layout TBD if approval is granted