The Hayden City Council hosted a special meeting Wednesday, inviting neighbors of the Stone Creek planned development to hear details from the project’s approval and to ask questions of the mayor and staff.

A standing-room-only crowd filled the council chamber at the Hayden City Hall. Many people were trying to understand the development’s changes or revisions, and some were hoping to prevent the development from proceeding.

“I think it’s important for those of you who haven't been to a previous council meeting where we have talked about this, to understand where we’re at and why we’re here,” said City Attorney Fonda Jovick.

The Stone Creek neighborhood has already gone through the legal process for council approval, and will proceed to the next steps. The notice-to-proceed to break ground on the infrastructure for the project should be approved, as soon as the council receives reports from the fire department and the Department of Environmental Quality.

“Until we hear from them, the project will not move forward,” said Mayor Scott Forssell.

Those departments could set additional standards or parameters in their reports, which could delay or change the project, but the city will not take further action until they receive the reports.

The meeting was hosted to address ongoing questions many neighbors have brought forward in city council meetings after the public comment period had been closed on the project.

The questions and answers will be posted online at CityofHaydenid.us or can be seen on the City of Hayden’s YouTube channel.

Stone Creek Development will likely be developed with up to 72 homes with 5 acres of park space.

People who attended the informational meeting had a few key concerns, which Forssell answered in detail where possible. City council members only attended for informational purposes and did not participate in the meeting.

“We have children, we have pets,” said Ray Drexler, Homeowner's association president at neighboring development Rocking R. “We’re all upset about this.”

Many residents were concerned about liability for any damage to their homes or roads during construction. Any liability issues are a civil matter and the city has no insight on that topic.

Others sought to understand the wetlands protections, or planned management of water runoff. The Army Corps of Engineers determined that the wetlands within the development would not need to be protected and that the development could proceed as planned.

Concerns of increased traffic on the existing roads came up several times. The city has no legal right to limit access to public roads, so construction vehicles cannot be prevented from using the city streets around the development.

Some changes to the initial proposal included adding a public road as opposed to a fire access road, per recommendations by city planners. The new road shifted the design so park space changed from flat green spaces to pitched hillsides that will have hiking trails. A few residents asked about the new park, like if it would be ADA accessible.

“Minimum approval requirements were met by this property,” said Mike Vielli, another resident. “Unfortunately, it’s the minimal requirement that was met. The previous council let it go through”

The city cannot prevent an applicant from developing a property if the request meets the city code requirements, Jovick said.