NAMPA, Idaho — The Kido family has announced major developments for their 260-acre property on the shore of Lake Lowell. The land, which extends to the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, is set to become a hub for community events while preserving significant open spaces.
Charlie Kido, the owner of Deer Flat Ranch, revealed the family’s ambitious plans to host year-round activities. “We’re constructing a Japanese garden for springtime cherry blossoms, expanding a lavender garden for summertime festivals, and opening a pumpkin patch and corn maze come fall harvest,” Kido said.
The Japanese garden holds particular significance for the Kidos. "So my grandpa was a Japanese American in the Portland area," Kido shared. "And during Japanese internment during World War II, basically, our family was brought to Nyssa to work in the fields. It was a farm labor camp down there. Essentially, the Japanese farmers in the valley all kind of stem from that initial Japanese internment period."
Charlie Kido intends to dedicate a substantial portion of the land to the garden as a tribute to the Japanese farmers who settled in the Treasure Valley after the internment.
Most of the 260 acres will stay zoned as agricultural, even after being annexed into the city of Nampa. However, the Kidos have partnered with developers to build 189 homes, a decision that has sparked some community concern. "There was a lot of... anti-development sentiment that came out of that meeting," Kido said. "We learned from it and I really believe in this project."
The Kidos are also eyeing other ventures such as a winery with a restaurant and tasting room, as well as other commercial buildings, all positioned away from the lake to maintain open spaces. “Keeping it central like this kind of consolidates it for us but allows us to keep large swatches of open space open,” Kido explained.
Preserving agricultural zones has always been a priority for the Kidos — not only to facilitate community events but also to be good neighbors to the surrounding wildlife refuge. "Yeah, Deer Flat, the wildlife refuge is our largest neighbor. I mean, it's like 10,000 acres of protected wildlife space. But essentially, we're trying to maintain all the boundary approaching the refuge will remain ag," Kido said.
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