Hundreds of Planned Homes, Seven Intersections: Hayden Revises Traffic Study

HAYDEN, Idaho — Three developments proposing a combined 676 new residences in western Hayden are the focus of a revised traffic analysis scheduled for City Council consideration Tuesday, Oct. 13. The study would examine how development-related traffic impacts should be allocated across seven intersections.

The proposed study would examine how transportation impacts should be allocated among the developments and other traffic using seven intersections.

The three developments are concentrated in western Hayden, primarily along the Hayden Avenue corridor and surrounding streets.

City development records and previous public hearings identify the following residential proposals:

Together, the three proposals account for 676 residential units.

Battleground also received preliminary plat approval Dec. 10, 2024. These approvals represent stages in the city’s land-use review process and do not establish that all proposed homes have received final construction authorization.

A fourth development, Hazelnut Glen, proposes 126 residential lots north of Prairie Avenue, west of Carrington Street. Its traffic impact study was included in an earlier Iteris proposal but is no longer part of the revised analysis.

The developments are situated along a transportation network where previously completed traffic impact studies have identified intersections requiring mitigation.

Against that backdrop of planned residential growth and identified intersection impacts, the Hayden City Council will consider a $9,520 agreement with traffic engineering consultant Iteris Inc.

The proposal appears on the council’s consent calendar, which allows multiple items to be approved in a single vote without individual discussion unless an item is removed for separate consideration.

The agreement would authorize Iteris to calculate the proportionate share of transportation impacts associated with Battleground, Northwinds and Hayden Sky using previously completed traffic impact studies.

An earlier proposal, included in the agenda for a Sept. 1 special council meeting, covered four developments, including Hazelnut Glen, at a cost of $8,480.

The revised proposal, dated Oct. 1, covers three developments and increases the consultant fee to $9,520.

The $1,040 increase reflects four additional hours of engineering work assigned to the proportionate-share analysis. The original proposal estimated 38 hours of consultant labor, compared with 42 hours in the revised agreement.

According to City Engineer Dulci Kau’s Oct. 13 agenda memorandum, the expenditure was not anticipated in the city’s budget. Staff recommends funding the work through the General Fund, which has a sufficient remaining balance to cover the cost.

The city has an existing master agreement with Iteris to perform consulting services as needed.

A proportionate-share analysis calculates how traffic impacts may be attributed to individual developments and other vehicles using the transportation network.

According to the revised proposal, the three developments have traffic impacts requiring mitigation at seven intersections:

The Iteris proposal identifies Battleground as having mitigation impacts at all seven intersections, Northwinds at four and Hayden Sky at two.

These findings are drawn from previously completed traffic impact studies. The proposed assignment would use those studies to calculate proportionate shares rather than conduct new traffic impact studies for each development.

The analysis would distinguish among trips generated by individual projects, trips beginning or ending in Hayden, and trips passing through the city.

In addition to removing Hazelnut Glen, the revised proposal changes the traffic model and analysis years.

The August proposal called for using the city’s updated travel demand model, with analysis years of 2025 and 2035.

The October proposal instead calls for using the earlier model developed for Hayden’s 2040 Transportation Strategic Plan, with analysis years of 2018 and 2030.

Iteris explains that the earlier model was used in the three traffic impact studies included in the revised analysis.

The August proposal referenced an updated model incorporating a 1.7% population growth rate from the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The October scope also specifies calculations distinguishing traffic that begins or ends in Hayden from traffic passing through the city.

The original Iteris proposal identified Hazelnut Glen as one of four developments with completed traffic impact studies.

Its intersection mitigation table identified impacts at Prairie Avenue and Huetter Road, Prairie Avenue and Carrington Street, Prairie Avenue and Ramsey Road, and Honeysuckle Avenue and Atlas Road.

The revised proposal retains the other three developments but excludes Hazelnut Glen from the analysis and accompanying intersection table.

Neither the revised scope of work nor the accompanying city staff memorandum explains why Hazelnut Glen was removed.

The documents also do not establish whether its transportation impacts will be evaluated separately or addressed through another agreement.

If the council approves the revised scope of work, Iteris anticipates beginning work within one week of receiving the signed agreement.

The consultant estimates four weeks to complete a draft memorandum. The scope includes an Excel summary of proportionate-share calculations, a draft technical memorandum and a final memorandum incorporating city staff comments.

The proposal also includes up to two meetings with city staff.

The Oct. 13 agenda memorandum states that a proportionate-share analysis is required by Idaho law but does not identify a specific statutory provision.

The council is being asked to authorize the analysis, not approve specific transportation improvements or establish individual developer payment amounts.

The resulting calculations could provide additional information about how traffic impacts are allocated among the three developments and other traffic using the network.

The Hayden City Council meets Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 5 PM. The revised Iteris agreement appears on the consent calendar.