RE: Public Park Land & Open Space Grows in the Eagle Foothills: On Tuesday afternoon the Eagle City Council acted on two separate land transfers to increase open space and park development in the City and region. The City in cooperation with landowner GWC Capital, LLC completed a land donation of 603 acres and a land purchase of a separate 84 acres within the Eagle Foothills. The actions by the City transfer nearly 700 acres of foothills land into permanent public ownership.
Land Donation: The City accepted a 603-acre land donation from GWC Capital, LLC located east of N. Willow Creek Road (Eagle Road). The donated land connects parcels owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the State of Idaho creating a tract of over 1,500 acres of public ownership in the area. The city continues to develop plans for the long-term use of the property including wildlife corridor preservation, sensitive and endangered species protection, open space, and a potential shooting sports park (approximately 80-acres). State and BLM Lands will continue to be managed under those agencies’ plans. The land donation is estimated at $5.3M. The City has spent the past year working with the public and professionals to analyze the noise, transportation, and environmental impacts of the transfer. Work on the shooting sports park can be viewed on the city’s website at: https://www.cityofeagle.org/1943/Eagle-Shooting-Sports-Park
Land Purchase: In a separate action, the City of Eagle purchased 84-acres of land from GWC Capital, LLC off State Highway 16 and Equest Lane for the development of a 94-acre Eagle Regional Sports Complex. The City structured a purchase and park impact fee reimbursement agreement with GWC Capital, LLC that includes a $2.5M cash payment and a park impact fee reimbursement agreement for up to $7.87M to be paid by builders within the Spring Valley development. The reimbursement agreement does not utilize general funds or taxpayer dollars. The 94-acre future Eagle Regional Sports Complex has been in preliminary feasibility and engineering studies for the past 2 years. The preliminary park study includes 8 baseball fields, 5 grass flex fields (soccer, lacrosse, football), tennis, and pickleball courts. The site is also planned to include playground, picnic, and tournament facilities. One of the goals of the regional park is to provide a permanent home for little league fields that were lost with the development of Duck Alley. Work on the Eagle Regional Sports Complex Park can be viewed on the city’s website at: https://www.cityofeagle.org/1944/Eagle-Regional-Sports-Park.
