Boise planning commission backs year‑one zoning cleanups and recommends allowing tiny homes on wheels

The Boise City Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday recommended that City Council approve a zoning ordinance amendment that packages more than 40 technical “continuous improvement” edits to Title 11 and formally adds tiny homes on wheels as an allowed accessory use in select residential zones.

Planning staff presented the application, COA 25‑3, as the commission’s sole item for the evening. “I'm here today to present COA 25 3 and amend amendments to Boise City code incorporating continuous improvements and permitting tiny homes on wheels,” planning staff member Deanna said during the presentation. Commissioners voted 6‑0 to recommend approval. The final decision rests with City Council.

The amendment stems from implementation of Boise’s modern zoning code, adopted by the council in June 2023 and effective Dec. 1, 2023. Staff told the commission that the city directed an early review of the new code to correct drafting errors and fix implementation issues that emerged in the first year of use. In staff remarks, Andrea Tooning of Planning and Development Services described two categories of updates: technical “continuous improvements” — typos, formatting, clearer definitions and technical standard adjustments — and separate “policy topic” amendments that would require more targeted outreach and research.

Staff said year‑one findings include a sharp rise in accessory dwelling unit (ADU) permitting (more than a 100% increase over a five‑year average), roughly 1,000 applications filed citywide, and large volumes of public inquiries (about 17,000 front‑desk calls during the first year). Staff also cited early infrastructure outcomes they attribute to the new code: about 1,200 new bike parking spaces, nearly five miles of new sidewalk, a quarter mile of pathway implementation and more than 700 trees planted.

The continuous improvement package includes roughly 40 line‑item edits across design, uses and procedural chapters and adds rules to allow one tiny home on wheels as an accessory dwelling where a single‑family dwelling is permitted. Staff said that the tiny‑home allowance grew from an innovation pilot run with LEAP Housing and an interdepartmental human‑centered design process led by the mayor’s innovation and performance team and coordinated with the Idaho Policy Institute. “The allowance for tiny homes on wheels offers additional housing choice,” Deanna said.

Commissioners pressed staff on several points during the public hearing and deliberation. Topics discussed included whether tiny homes on wheels should be allowed in mixed‑use (MX) zones, how the code handles vehicle and equipment sales near residential zones, the removal of a noise provision from Title 11 (Tooning said noise enforcement is in Title 5, so the zoning code language was removed), changes to historic‑resource notice procedures, and how staff plan to handle more substantive policy topics such as building heights, parking and neighborhood transition standards.

Eric Berg, a representative of the Southeast Neighborhood Association, told the commission the association “does not oppose” the technical fixes but urged a framework for addressing more substantive inconsistencies and conflicts between the zoning code and the comprehensive plan. “We were really excited” when the idea of a code cleanup was announced, Berg said, but added the association wanted a clearer process for bringing policy‑level fixes forward.

Staff told the commission they intend to continue evaluations and outreach, including a post‑application survey and follow‑up interviews, a financial analysis of the zoning code’s housing incentives, and a study with Boise State University and the Idaho Policy Institute to analyze longer‑term housing impacts. Staff recommended a pace of roughly one continuous improvement edit per year and up to two policy topic zoning amendments annually, citing staff capacity and the legislative process required for each code change.

The motion before the commission — “to recommend approval of ZOA 25‑3, the zoning code amendment to City Council with all the terms, conditions, and edits as presented to us this evening” — was made by Commissioner Schaefer and seconded by Commissioner Moore. Clerk roll call recorded votes in favor by Danley, Moore, Schaefer, Mooney, Seha and Doan; commissioners recorded the motion as carrying 6‑0. Staff noted any City Council decision will be subject to the council’s own public process and any appeal deadlines.

Commissioners and staff agreed the technical edits before the panel were not intended to substitute for the larger policy conversations that many residents and commissioners said they want next — including parking minimums, building heights and neighborhood transition standards. Staff invited the commission and the public to propose items to add to the working list of future policy topics and said several policy items — including a housing incentives amendment — are expected later this year or next spring.