[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6500690,"mediaKeyId","5565968-a4571667c7c7e2c6b3a3cd31c63c08e1","parentId",5565968,"title","Boise council delays vote on comprehensive-plan amendment to align area-of-impact with Ada County","audioSeconds",2077,"startMs",1537000,"endMs",3614000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5565968-a4571667c7c7e2c6b3a3cd31c63c08e1&start=1537&end=3614","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5565968-a4571667c7c7e2c6b3a3cd31c63c08e1/thumbnail_1537000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6500690/Idaho/Boise-council-delays-vote-on-comprehensive-plan-amendment-to-align-area-of-impact-with-Ada-County","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6500690-76cfb01daab076f1c40806c414013764/orig.mp4?Expires=1771040759&Signature=AWmlR-tVqqGoQzlC4kV3Poncs~lc8wpWTZhMGA~MmgbtMpckZN8v88LFo9yIAOagS82q0brC2eRS9rkeSj33-DLM7BbxnJAcBM6RQZaGNYIJbEibWYab-b~SH1onfVvJOr5UtS9fltYnBC4s7BEvMIikcDa-oWqFPe9Ti5nYI~ddh1Vw0yudivsJc2m5Deid3DApySSXtGwkYgXlBMHqEhrPJxrAg~m0NHgMQk--hqAwQfTU2db6XYpTG0aN1lxwu7z6EOQHJooujEkbbF19h9cONSbS5xn2tLOa6XrFYwhuKvKbwB1qOLogCyZGRAi12UsSAitmJnh332eCjsT0kA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Boise","date","2025-08-11T17:49:00Z","article","The Boise City Council on Tuesday voted to delay action on CPA 25-3, a city-initiated amendment to Blueprint Boise and the city’s future land-use map that would remove 128 parcels from the city’s area of impact and add a compact land-use designation to 20 parcels, a change proposed to align Boise with Ada County’s request and new state guidance under the Local Land Use Planning Act.

Planning staff presented the amendment as an administrative cleanup prompted by 2024 changes to the state’s Local Land Use Planning Act, which direct cities and counties to reconcile area-of-impact boundaries and adopt a two-mile distance standard from city limits to area-of-impact boundaries by the end of 2025. Deanna Dupree, planning staff, said Ada County provided a list of parcels located more than two miles from Boise’s city limits and asked Boise to remove those parcels from the city’s area of impact. “We are proposing to align perfectly with that request from the county,” Dupree said.

The amendment is concentrated in the city’s far southwest area, west of Cloverdale near Boise Ranch Golf Course, and includes an administrative cleanup for Antler Ridge subdivision to assign a ‘compact’ designation where a land swap left that parcel unassigned.

A small but vocal contingent of council members and residents urged more time for study. Council members pressed staff for details about next steps, the role of pending annexations and whether the city can propose future expansions to its area of impact. Councilmember Willis and others said the legal deadline is approaching but not dispositive of broader strategy. “If we do not put a place into our area of impact, a particular developer is not necessarily required to come to the city first,” Councilmember Halliburton said, explaining a rationale for careful consideration of the city’s long-term growth strategy.

Carlos Vidales, a resident who identified an address within the affected area, testified in opposition during public comment. Vidales raised concerns about sewer availability and the city’s moratorium on new sewer service, arguing that state law requires sewer provision in areas of impact and that removal of parcels without sewer capacity would distort development opportunities. “If you are not going to provide sewer, essentially, you should give them all up,” Vidales said. Council members sought clarification from staff about the legal requirements cited by the resident and noted they would need more time to reconcile infrastructure, annexation status and county coordination.

After public testimony and extended council discussion about pending development proposals near the Micron campus and opportunities for future annexation, Councilmember Willits moved to delay CPA 25-3 to a date certain. The motion to delay (date certain: August 26) passed by a recorded vote; council stated the short postponement would allow staff to provide further analysis on development implications, infrastructure capacity, pending annexations and coordination with Ada County.

Staff said the formal process following council action would include a resolution amending the future land use map and transmittal of council’s action to Ada County, which retains authority to change the area-of-impact boundary. Dupree emphasized that Ada County must complete its formal amendment process and public hearings; the city’s action is the first step in alignment and does not itself change county jurisdiction.

Councilmembers asked staff to return with additional information including: potential impacts on planned developments west of town (near Interstate 84), interactions with pending annexations, infrastructure capacity (particularly sewer and emergency response coverage), and maps showing 6-minute emergency responder coverage overlapping the area of impact.

The delay leaves CPA 25-3 pending; staff will prepare follow-up materials and a briefing for the August 26 time certain so the council can render a final decision before the statutory timeline for county-city area-of-impact reconciliation.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Boise City Council - Evening Session","oneSentenceSummary","The Boise City Council voted to delay action on CPA 25-3, a proposed amendment to Blueprint Boise that would remove 128 parcels from the city’s area of impact to comply with Ada County’s request and state guidance, and asked staff for additional analysis on infrastructure, annexation status and potential development implications.","taxTitle","Boise City, Boise, Ada County, Idaho","taxId",8706,"location","Idaho","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6500693,"Boise council upholds planning commission approval for River House’s plan to restore Reserve Street Armory",7589,3446000,11035000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5565968-a4571667c7c7e2c6b3a3cd31c63c08e1&start=3446&end=11035","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5565968-a4571667c7c7e2c6b3a3cd31c63c08e1/thumbnail_3446000.jpg","/articles/6500693/Idaho/Boise-council-upholds-planning-commission-approval-for-River-Houses-plan-to-restore-Reserve-Street-Armory","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6500693-013bb5922b6c928648f6422b7f709ed2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771040760&Signature=R-7PFo0WVjFbeYvALjxdpUDlKqTBlHGuVbwaLMd85ImuG-3J0CAmmUjgFHFZmz2toFOmrUWvNibM~VRsxh7I1F7jdjo53k184gBChEwO9nDvKAF9TwsxJqkjjiPTxJwI2fU66VbUmgKUNM8eyDtLCzmrN~hgfbobK5kXFoxt8xufED3sni9S1bLo3pkeeJM3yZL6SYWwf7WKk6rf0lKwA~RTKJ2-hZT8DiA9QjxIcAPF9BIP3HyHI3SiviVL-5R1gAXX6nNViTOEt0kBw3Flx7stqSzdL97WnIbCmfki6P0r~t1aXPhdJBTsGQxcGuolG~diXKsyN5PcSA252lN~gQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Boise City Council on Tuesday denied an appeal of CUP 25-11 and upheld the Planning and Zoning Commission’s approval of a conditional use permit that would allow River House to adapt the historic Reserve Street Armory into a two-story religious facility with a publicly accessible cafe and outdoor green space.

The council’s decision affirms the commission’s finding that the application met the criteria required by Boise’s development code and that no procedural or legal error had been demonstrated in the appeal record.

The armory at 801 East Reserve Street has sat largely vacant for decades, and River House’s proposal calls for a rehabilitation of the listed historic structure, restoration of the exterior, sidewalk and streetscape improvements, a grassy public-facing amenity with seating, and interior renovations that would include worship space, classrooms and a lobby coffee service open to the public.

Associate planner Doug Exton told the council the planning team found the proposal met the five required findings for a conditional use permit and that the commission’s deliberations, including added conditions, were adequately documented. “The planning team recommends council deny the appeal,” Exton said during his presentation.

Appellant Javier Muriel told the council he filed the appeal to defend the city’s zoning policies and to preserve the intended purpose of the site’s Neighborhood Activity Center (NAC) designation under Blueprint Boise and the East End Neighborhood Plan. Muriel argued the proposal is a single-use religious facility with amenities that, in his view, do not function as genuinely public, street-facing commercial uses. “It is not enough to simply label something a cafe or a public use. The use must be real, visible, and integrated into the neighborhood,” Muriel said.

The applicant’s counsel, Elizabeth Pecoritz of Givens, Powderly, and Counsel (land-use counsel), said River House’s plan is an adaptive reuse that meets multiple comprehensive-plan goals, preserves a historic building, and will reactivate a long-dormant site. “This project does stand on its own on its own basis as it is presented and as it was approved by the planning and zoning commission,” Pecoritz said.

River House representatives described the cafe and outdoor space as community-facing elements. Lead pastor Jordan Verner said the lobby coffee model is intended to create an accessible, welcoming third place for nearby youth and other neighbors: “I have had conversations with people within city leadership that it's just a big need. The depression rates, the suicide rates — kids are looking for a place. We want this to be a space that becomes kind of a community reputation. This is welcoming. This is open.”

Multiple neighbors testified both for and against the project. Supporters said the church will invest in a building that has been blighted for decades, improve sidewalks and trees, add public seating and programming, and provide rooms that can be used by community groups. Gary Rogers, a commercial real-estate professional, said the armory has been a difficult financial proposition for private developers and described River House as a feasible steward who will preserve the building. “There is a reason that each of the previous attempts to develop or revitalize this property have not panned out,” Rogers said.

Opponents focused on the NAC designation and the degree to which River House’s plan provides visible, public-facing retail or civic functions. Neighbor Eric Papy said his primary concern was traffic and pedestrian safety near the site, given nearby bike park and school access points. “We are putting a lot more vehicles on the road,” Papy said.

Council members discussed the limited legal scope for imposing conditions on religious uses and the specific language of the city’s MX-1 zoning form standards, which allow a two-story building to contain a single use. Several council members said they were persuaded that the planning commission had applied the code correctly and that the project’s public-facing elements — the cafe, outdoor seating and the applicant’s stated willingness to make interior rooms available for community groups — supported the NAC intent in practice.

Councilmember Stead moved to deny the appeal and uphold the commission. After discussion the motion passed and the council affirmed the Planning and Zoning Commission’s decision to approve the conditional use permit. Councilmembers recorded their support in the roll call and the mayor declared the motion carried.

Next steps: the approval is tied to several site-specific conditions, including streetscape and frontage improvements and coordination with the Ada County Highway District on access and traffic matters. The project will return for design-review approvals that will specify building details, signage and final landscaping. The applicant and staff also discussed following up on traffic-calming conversations with ACHD to address pedestrian and cyclist safety concerns near the site.

The council’s decision preserves the planning commission’s approval and moves the River House rehabilitation project forward to the design-review stage, while leaving open follow-up on traffic safety and final design details.

","The City Council denied an appeal of a conditional use permit for a proposed River House religious institution at the historic Reserve Street Armory, finding no legal error in the planning and zoning commission’s decision and citing the project’s adaptive reuse, public-facing amenities and compliance with the zoning code.","actionData","errors"]

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Boise council delays vote on comprehensive-plan amendment to align area-of-impact with Ada County

Boise council upholds planning commission approval for River House’s plan to restore Reserve Street Armory