The Planned Future of Harris Ranch

Decades ago, Dallas Harris and his family began planning the future of their large plot of land in the Barber Valley. In the previous century, the land was home to the town of Barber, logging operations that were an economic engine for the region, and then, ranchland for the Harris family, who had several hundred head of cattle among other ranching endeavors. Nearly fifty years ago, the Harris’ first dreamt of the land’s next act – a vibrant community hosting hundreds of families in this idyllic valley surrounded by natural landscapes.

The long journey to today’s Harris Ranch had humble beginnings and took shape over many decades of planning, research into smart growth principles, and how the land could be put to best use while maintaining a respect for and stewardship over the natural ecosystems of the Barber Valley. Buoyed by the success of the early developments in Harris Ranch, these long-laid plans finally came to life in the Harris Ranch Specific Plan (SP-01), which was adopted by the City of Boise in 2007 after many years of neighborhood charrettes, discussions, and public hearings. SP-01 lays out the plans, standards, and definitions for architecture, landscaping, land use, roads, and more. This plan ensured residents of Harris Ranch would enjoy a community with high standards for quality, livability, walkability, safety, and connection.

Many of the components in SP-01 are complete – hundreds of single-family homes of varying sizes enjoy premium community amenities like swimming pools, mail pavilions, extra-wide sidewalks, micropaths, permanent oversized flower planters, attractive community landscaping, and many others. Also complete are the sediment basin, deflection berm, and storm water drainage facilities, crucial safety infrastructure that protect homes from flooding after heavy rainfall and runoff. All these projects were made possible by the Harris Ranch CID that not only allows residents a high-quality lifestyle, but provides the cohesive, refined sense of place that makes Harris Ranch so sought after in Boise’s real estate market.

With a solid base of infrastructure and homes, the community is looking forward to the next phases of development, which bring further life and opportunity to the residents of Harris Ranch.

Among the most highly anticipated upcoming projects is the Village Center. Located on three large plots of land in the center of the community, the Village Center will function as the “main street” of Harris Ranch, hosting restaurants, cafés, retail, entertainment venues, an amphitheater, kids play areas, and programming to engage and entertain residents. The Village Center will also include the “Village Green/Plaza” that will be a gathering place for residents.

Residents are also aware of another large, City-owned, amenity-rich public park that is in the plans in the coming years. The City of Boise already has designed and owns the land for Alta Harris Park, directly adjacent to the neighborhood between the Boise River and Eckert Drive. The park will feature soccer fields, bocce courts, pickle ball courts, a children’s play area with water features, scenic overlooks, trout stream, and more. The Harris Ranch CID made acquisition by the City of this large park possible. So long as the CID is allowed to function, the development of Alta Harris Park can be moved up significantly as it can provide a source of bridge or seed funds that can be added to the park impact fees collected by the City of Boise as Harris Ranch grows.

In the last two decades, Harris Ranch has transformed from a cattle ranch to a flourishing community. The journey is far from over, and current residents have much to look forward to as the neighborhood marches toward a full realization of a plan a lifetime in the making.

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