Nampa council authorizes mayor to apply for state grant to pursue local historic district

The Nampa City Council voted to authorize the mayor to sign a FY25 Idaho State Historic Preservation Office certified local government (CLG) grant application to support work on an Old Nampa local historic district.

City Economic Development Analyst Kathryn Keyes, who serves as staff liaison to the Arts and Historic Preservation Commission, told the council the application covers two grant components: a $15,000 CLG grant with a $10,000 city match already approved in the FY25 historic preservation budget, plus a $5,000 match from economic development and planning and zoning.

Keyes said the work funded by the grant would focus on community outreach, boundary refinement and preparation of design guidelines that the city could adopt locally. "It is an honorary designation," Keyes said of the National Register status, "but there are no protections that come with the National Register. So we're trying to move into this area to progress in preservation with a local district from the City of Nampa." She explained that a local district, unlike the National Register listing, can include design guidelines enforced locally.

Keyes described prior work: a 2006 survey and a 2006 National Register nomination that produced an honorary listing; a 2022 CLG grant application and a 2024 neighborhood meeting where a consultant-collected survey showed substantial support. Her presentation packet reported 42 survey responses from 243 buildings (about a 17% response rate), with 50% of respondents "strongly supporting" a local district with design guidelines, about 30% "somewhat" supportive and 19% opposed.

Councilmembers asked staff to clarify boundary rules, how cutouts in the mapped district related to the 2006 National Register boundaries, and how design guidelines would be drafted and implemented. Staff said the National Register nomination included only the most intact historic resources, but a local district's boundaries would be set later through the working group and Arts and Historic Preservation Commission and ultimately by council ordinance. Staff said a consultant with architectural-history expertise would write the design guidelines in partnership with a community working group; city staff would choose which guideline items, if any, to adopt into Title 10 zoning code.

Several councilmembers pressed staff on how a local district could affect property owners' costs. Staff acknowledged concerns about additional time and expense for projects and said the working-group and design process is intended to limit review to work that already requires building permits, keep most reviews at staff level (not commission level), and explore future homeowner grant opportunities tied to local designation and National Register status.

After discussion, a councilmember moved to authorize the mayor to sign the grant application. The motion passed on roll call with councilmembers voting Yes: Rodriguez, Jankula (Jengula), Reynolds, Haverfield; No: Bills. The mayor and staff said they will proceed with the grant application and follow the public process described, returning to council for subsequent ordinance, design-guideline and Title 10 code changes.

Why it matters: a locally adopted historic-district overlay with design guidelines would create the legal tools for the city to review exterior changes in Old Nampa and could provide eligibility for homeowner and preservation grant programs; staff stressed the National Register status alone provides only honorary recognition.

Next steps staff listed: working-group boundary and guideline drafting, consultant contract work under CLG funds, Arts and Historic Preservation Commission review, Planning and Zoning code updates, and return to council for ordinance adoption and code amendments. Staff asked for council direction to proceed with the grant application and the subsequent public process.