Design Review Commission approves 4-story, 41-unit mixed-use building at 10 South Latah despite neighborhood parking and safety objections

The Boise City Design Review Commission voted May 14 to approve DRH24-00397, a four-story mixed-use building at 10 South Latah Street that will contain 41 residential units and about 1,800 square feet of ground-floor retail, subject to the findings of fact, conclusions of law and recommended conditions in the project report.

Planning staff said the project meets MX-1 zone standards for setbacks and the 45-foot height limit and that design review criteria focus on site and structure design. Staff also reported receiving both letters of support and opposition; the primary public concerns centered on building height and scale, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, parking displacement and potential noise and light impacts.

Developer James Marria, cofounder of EM Works, presented the project and described its design intent, including two brick masses at the street edges, a smaller “floating” mass at the corner, raised planters and other pedestrian-oriented features. He told the commission the team had worked with neighborhood stakeholders and that the design intentionally steps away from adjacent fourplexes to reduce impacts.

Representatives of the Depot Bench Neighborhood Association, led by board member David Nibel Deschenes, urged the commission to address safety and parking impacts at the Layton–Alpine intersection. The association and multiple neighbors said the gravel lot where the project will be built currently serves as overflow parking for nearby businesses and that removing those spaces would increase jaywalking and on-street parking in nearby residential blocks. Speakers described frequent near-misses between vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists and asked for enhanced crosswalks, lighting and other measures coordinated with the Ada County Highway District (ACHD).

Specific figures cited during public testimony: the applicant proposes 38 on-site parking spaces for 41 units; neighborhood speakers said the removed lot currently handles “up to 60” vehicles during peak times. Neighbors also raised concerns about visibility approaching the railroad crossing north of Alpine and the proximity of Jefferson Elementary School.

Commissioners noted that design review authority is limited to site and structure design and cannot require reductions in height or additional parking beyond what the zoning code requires. One commissioner said the applicant’s raised planter approach and the building’s sidewalk-oriented design should direct pedestrians to the intersection, but commissioners also encouraged continued neighborhood engagement with ACHD on speed and safety measures.

Motion and vote: A commissioner moved to approve DRH24-00397 as recommended in the project report. The motion carried on roll call; two commissioners recused themselves from this item as noted in the meeting record.