Garden City council approves River Villas 14‑unit townhome preliminary plat

Garden City — The Garden City Council on April 14 approved a preliminary plat for River Villas, a 14‑unit townhome planned unit development near 40 Third Street, after hearing a presentation from the applicant and staff and receiving public comment.

The River Villas proposal, presented by Connor Lynch of Kilometers Engineering, would create 14 townhome lots, including two live‑work units at the frontage, and provide 13.7% of the site as open space, Lynch said. Planning staff and the design review committee reviewed the application; the planning and zoning commission recommended approval unanimously via the consent agenda. Council approval was by roll call vote; all voting members recorded yes.

The project site lies about 1,000 feet northeast of Adams Street and about 0.1 miles from the Green Belt, Lynch said. He described a mix of two‑ and three‑bedroom units with one‑ and two‑car garages, a variety of pedestrian and recreational amenities — including bike parking and repair station, a dog park, fire pit and barbecue plaza — and landscape features along 40 Third Street. “We are providing 13.7% of the site as open space,” Lynch told the council.

Development services staff confirmed the project is located in a C‑2 zoning district and that the preliminary plat depicts 14 residential units (staff had earlier noted a discrepancy in a draft report that listed 15 but corrected it during the hearing). Staff advised the council the application requests several standard waivers: allowing more than four units on a common drive, permitting 0‑lot setbacks, and treating some open space areas as meeting the overall square‑footage requirement even though certain dimensions are narrower than typical code guidance. Staff said the applicant had worked with design review on open‑space layout and terminal view conditions, and that a draft condition (in the packet) requires the applicant to work with staff on the terminal view treatment where the proposed trees conflict with a Boise Sewer easement.

Public testimony focused on parking and traffic. Karen Crosby, a Garden City resident, said recent developments had produced overflow parking onto adjacent streets and raised safety concerns around narrow residential roads and the future school near the project site. “So if you get a 14, 15 unit, you basically got 35 cars approximately,” Crosby said, arguing that street parking near the school could cause conflicts. Lisa Tony, another resident, also cited parking and said she was concerned that short‑term rentals at nearby developments had reduced available parking. By contrast, Bridal McGear (via Zoom) said he supported the project, calling the neighborhood an appropriate place for this product type and noting nearby businesses and amenities.

The applicant and staff responded to parking concerns by pointing to the project plan and code compliance: most units include one‑ or two‑car garages, and the application provides on‑site guest spaces and street parking along 40 Third Street. Lynch said the development provides the parking required by code and that Boise Fire raised no site‑plan objections. He described the live‑work units as intended primarily for residents who occasionally use a workspace rather than high‑customer retail storefronts.

Council discussion acknowledged constituent concerns while noting that the application met Garden City code and that parking enforcement or broader street‑parking strategies are separate policy topics. Several council members said staff analysis confirmed the project met code; council members suggested scheduling a future work session on parking strategies in the east end of town and penciled May 12 as a potential date for that discussion.

Council president moved to approve the preliminary plat (listed in the packet as SUBDFY2025‑1 / SUBY2025‑00001) “with findings of fact,” and the motion carried on a roll‑call vote with Council member Jorgensen, Council member Page, Council member Rasmussen and Council member Jacobs voting yes. The council recorded the approval after public hearing and deliberation.

The record shows the project advanced through neighborhood notification and two design‑review meetings before planning and zoning; the applicant provided hard‑copy plans at the hearing and indicated readiness to work with staff on remaining conditions. The council did not adopt additional conditions beyond those in the staff packet and the draft findings included with the motion. Future steps for the development include satisfying any conditions in the final plat and pursuing building permits; the transcript does not specify additional scheduling or permit milestones.

Votes at a glance: River Villas (preliminary plat SUBDFY2025‑1 / SUBY2025‑00001) — Motion to approve preliminary plat with findings: Approved (vote 4–0; Jorgensen Yes, Page Yes, Rasmussen Yes, Jacobs Yes).