1. What exactly is The Cliffs?
2. How many residents are expected to reside at The Cliffs upon its completion?
3. Who is the developer?
4. Why place such a large development in such a pristine area?
5. Won’t the development destroy critical wildlife habitat?
6. Will the development impede wildlife access to the river?
7. Won’t your community only exacerbate traffic problems along Warm Springs Avenue to downtown?
8. How will wastewater be treated and disposed of?
9. What will be the source for domestic water?
10. Would you be willing to sell the property to the City for the right price?
11. If the public wants to find out more about The Cliffs, where should they go?

Q1. What exactly is The Cliffs?
A. As currently envisioned, The Cliffs will be a 707-acre conservation-based planned community of 1350 homes situated on a plateau about two miles east of Boise, above the Black Cliffs. The Cliffs will not be a business-as-usual, conventional tract development, but instead employ best practices for conservation and traditional neighborhood development.

More than half of the land will be set aside as permanent open space, the majority of which will be restored habitat for a variety of wildlife. In addition, the community will be largely self-contained with its own wastewater treatment system, domestic water supplied by United Water Idaho, an elementary school, and a new developer-funded fire station.

In addition, The Cliffs will be walkable, with approximately 50 percent of residents living within a quarter mile of a village center that will eventually include a restaurant, retail shops to supply daily needs and other services designed to reduce car trips.

The community will be both a place for people from all walks of life to call “home,” as well as a destination for future generations of Ada County residents to enjoy. There will be an abundance of hiking and biking trails, access to rock climbing, wildlife viewing, educational nature programs and other recreational opportunities for residents and non-residents alike. In short, The Cliffs will serve as a leading model for responsible, environmentally friendly planned communities in the Treasure Valley.

Q2. How many residents are expected to reside at The Cliffs upon its completion?
A. It’s estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 people will make The Cliffs their home at the completion of the project, which is estimated to be in the year 2015.

Q3. Who is the developer?
A. Skyline Development Company is the owner and developer of the Cliffs. This local company is an Idaho-grown family enterprise, owned and operated by two generations of the Ted Johnson Family—long-time Ada County residents.

With experience in the local development business dating back to 1967, the Johnsons have a deep understanding and appreciation of the challenges that growth presents to the Treasure Valley. The family has developed and designed more than 15 Treasure Valley neighborhoods totaling over 5,000 home sites, including The Hickories, Vienna Woods and RockHampton. About 15,000 people valley-wide live in Skyline neighborhoods.

With the Cliffs, Skyline is committing to be part of the solution in helping the valley meet its significant future demand for housing while doing so in an environmentally responsible manner. This commitment stems from a simple, underlying philosophy that guides Skyline Development Company: “Build great neighborhoods and great communities”.

Planning for The Cliffs started more than two and a half years ago when Skyline began carefully researching the best practices that would result in a sustainable conservation-based community. They visited planned communities throughout the nation and learned what worked and what didn’t. They sought the advice of leading experts in areas of wildlife and habitat management, geology, hydrology, wastewater engineering and community planning and design. Their investment in time, energy and money illustrates the commitment they’ve made to bring better development to the Treasure Valley and its residents.

Q4. Why place such a large development in such a pristine area?
A. The proposed development is located on unmanaged rangeland that has been degraded by wildfires and invasive plant species over the years. Skyline will restore and enhance the habitat in the planned wildlife buffers, increasing the carrying capacity for big game and other wildlife.

Today, as private property, the land cannot be legally accessed by the public. In developing The Cliffs, Skyline is committed to improving the property not only for residential purposes, but also for managed recreational opportunities such as wildlife viewing, hiking, mountain biking, and a variety of other activities including environmental education.

Q5. Won’t the development destroy critical wildlife habitat?
A. To the contrary: The habitat on the property will be improved as a result of the steps that will be taken by Skyline.

As part of its development plan, the company is nearing completion of an exhaustive analysis of existing conditions on the property. This analysis includes identifying potential impacts to wildlife from the planned community and preparing an enhancement plan that incorporates several conservation measures designed to reduce those potential impacts.

The site analysis has found the shrub steppe habitat currently on the property to be extremely degraded from past fires and grazing and of little nutritional value to big game. Under the development plan, native vegetation will be planted in the wildlife buffers to significantly improve the habitat, providing wintering deer and elk with thermal cover and forage on the property.

The habitat will be irrigated regularly during the growing season with the community's treated wastewater — the quality of which will exceed that of the Boise River. This will ensure the viability and success of the restored native plantings. In addition, Skyline will provide water sources for big game within the wildlife buffers of The Cliffs.

The Cliffs will also employ a wildlife manager to supervise the conservation areas throughout the community.

Q6. Will the development impede wildlife access to the river?
A. Tragically, many deer die crossing Warm Springs Avenue and Highway 21 each year trying to get to their only water source in the area — the Boise River. This is also a significant public safety issue and results in hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage annually.

The Cliffs’ development plan includes measures that are designed to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries by improving winter habitat for the deer and elk. This will be accomplished by providing food, thermal cover and a year-round water source for wildlife in select open spaces abutting the Boise River Wildlife Management Area. It is believed that providing more convenient winter survival needs for wildlife could, over time, reduce the need for the animals to cross Warm Springs and Highway 21, ultimately saving lives of deer and drivers.

Q7. Won’t your community only exacerbate traffic problems along Warm Springs Avenue to downtown?
A. The Highway 21 bridge conveniently links The Cliffs with all of Southeast Boise, Interstate 84, Micron Technology, Federal Way, the Boise Airport and major shopping areas. The Cliffs will be ideally located near the bridge, providing easy access to these areas, while minimizing additional auto trips on the busier Warm Springs Avenue. It should also be noted that Highway 21 is currently under-utilized and will be able to more than comfortably accommodate the projected car trips originating from The Cliffs.

Q8. How will wastewater be treated and disposed of?
A. The Cliffs will employ an onsite centralized wastewater treatment plant. At a minimum, wastewater will be treated to irrigation quality using state-of-the-art Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) technology. The water from the plant will exceed the quality of water in the Boise River.

The MBR wastewater treatment process does not require settling ponds and, as such, is virtually odorless. Likewise, it does not require an unsightly physical plant. In fact, the MBR equipment requires an area no bigger than the size of a large house. The wastewater treatment structure at The Cliffs will be designed to blend into the surrounding community.

The water will be re-used for irrigating open space on the property during the growing season of April through October, and as a water source for wildlife in the area throughout the year.

Q9. What will be the source for domestic water?
A. United Water of Idaho will provide domestic water for drinking and other household uses.

Q10. Would you be willing to sell the land to the City of Boise for the right price?
A. To be clear — the property is not for sale. Development and nature can co-exist, and The Cliffs will serve as a model for responsible, environmentally friendly planned communities in the Treasure Valley.

Q11. If the public wants to find out more about The Cliffs, where should they go?
A. The Cliffs is committed to an open dialogue with the community as part of our philosophy of responsible development and a collaborative process. As such, we encourage the general public to visit our website often to get the latest updates on our plans and to e-mail us with questions and comments.