KUNA, Idaho — Kuna was once a railroad stop with coach transport to Boise, but no more. Between 2000 and 2010, Kuna has nearly tripled in population and is now just a short drive from the City of Trees.
"Several people that come in and say they haven't been here since they were a kid, and they can't recognize it; there's a sadness and happiness to that," says Jace Hellman, interim director of Kuna's Planning and Zoning Department.
Those feelings are all part of the growing pains the entire Treasure Valley is feeling, and Kuna is no different. Hellman says the once sleepy town in south Ada County has awakened.
"This is Kuna, not the big city, but we're a part of the entire area."
Hellman believes in the long run, the downtown core should be the heartbeat of the community, and they're trying to get developers to buy-in.
Even though the pandemic slowed things down earlier this year, Hellman says it didn't slow down their overall plans to move forward.
"You would think that with some economic downturn that there would be some slowing in the building, and it's done the opposite of that."
Town leaders are aware growth comes with a price tag, something they know new homeowners are also aware of.
"Really try to shift that tax base and put a lot more property tax strain onto those commercial users rather than the residential user right now we do have a property tax problem, and we're trying to swing that balance and make it a little more even."
So next time you head south into Kuna, you may be surprised as to what you see.
