STAR, ID — The Treasure Valley continues to grow. Some communities, like the City of Star, seem to be feeling that growth more than others. While larger cities like Boise seem to be losing residents, small cities like the City of Star seem to be gaining them.
"Growth has been a lot higher than we historically have seen in Star," said Mayor Trevor Chadwick, for the City of Star.
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New homes and new roads are what you can see at a glance when you are driving through the City of Star. Which comes as no surprise with Star ranked as the second fastest-growing city in Idaho. The City added over 1,600 new residents between 2020 and 2021. A 13% increase brought the total population to almost 15,000, and according to Mayor Chadwick, they don't see that growth slowing down.
"So, we probably have about 500 houses developing this year and 27 commercial facilities waiting to be built," said Mayor Chadwick.
Local realtors say they see an interest in the City of Star more than ever before.
"I see a big push out to the west towards Star." said Greg Langhaim, a broker at Go Idaho with EXP Realty.
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"We felt that Star was the better location," said Londa Steeter, a new Star Resident. "We actually like it,"
To keep up with growth, Mayor Chadwick says they are looking to expand their police department to a minimum of 1 officer per 1,000 residents, with new developments ultimately assisting with those fees.
"So, each new house that is built pays roughly 22 hundred dollars," said Mayor Chadwick. "That goes to both police and fire."
This funding will help with the additional officers needed and additional firefighters needed to staff new stations. The Mayor hopes Star becomes a city residents could work, live and play in.
