Design review panel approves revised six-story apartment design despite neighborsparking and access concerns

The Boise City Design Review Commission on Feb. 12 approved revised design plans for a new six-story, 212-unit apartment building at 1505 North McKinney Lane, voting to accept the applicant's updated massing, facade and amenity changes at a work session.

Planning staff said the updated design responds to concerns raised at the Jan. 8 hearing by recessing the top floor on the McKinney Lane (east) elevation, flipping and enlarging a common courtyard to the north, and doubling the size of a Level 2 common area. Kathryn Meehan, planning staff, told the commission the revisions "addressed the Commission's concerns and satisfies the recommendations." Meehan said staff recommends approval of the work-session drawings dated Jan. 29, 2025, subject to the findings and conditions in the original staff report.

The applicant, Jake Wood of J. Fisher Companies, and architect Eric Tuttle described changes intended to reduce the building's perceived mass along McKinney by stepping back upper units toward the courtyard, adding vertical articulation and varying materials and colors. Tuttle said the stepped top floor and material contrasts will "break up the building" and create a smaller view from across the street. Wood said the team had "spent a lot of time" addressing prior comments and that the design team is prepared to answer detailed questions.

Neighbors at the hearing said the design improvements do not resolve operational and safety concerns. Eric Maggard and several residents from the Orchard subdivision focused public comments on parking, traffic counts reported in the applicant packet, and emergency access. Mick Hodges said the project would be at least "50 to 100 parking stalls short" of the required amount cited in the staff packet and asked the commission to require a showing of "good cause" for any reduction. Kyle Hodges and other neighbors said the two narrow residential streets that will serve much of the site's circulation create traffic and safety risks, particularly at the Fairview Avenue intersections.

Staff and the applicant clarified some technical points in response. Planning staff noted the proposal relies on a permitted parking reduction in Boise City code (staff characterized the change as a reduction allowed by code, not a variance), and the applicant said its portfolio analysis supports the chosen parking ratio and that management measures (first-come parking assignment, car-share options) would be used to address demand. The record also includes a police memo warning that having 50 fewer stalls than units could generate increased calls for service, and a fire-department note referenced in public comment requiring fire access roadways at least 26 feet wide for structures over 30 feet tall; neighbors contrasted that with a 3-foot access dimension referenced elsewhere in the packet.

Commission discussion focused on whether the revised massing and material choices meaningfully addressed neighbor concerns about perceived scale; several commissioners praised the design adjustments and stepped backsides and noted staff had not found demonstrated public-safety shortfalls requiring denial. Commissioner comments ranged from support for the revised facade and rooftop step-back to requests for more green space and clearer parking/access analysis.

A motion to approve the revised work-session drawings carried on a roll call: Stempel (Aye), Marsh (Aye), Aguilar (absent), Zuckerman (Aye), Erstad (Aye), Bull (Aye), Johnson (Aye). The motion did not specify additional conditions beyond the staff report findings and conditions of approval.

The commission's approval at this work session covers design-review issues identified in staff materials; outstanding operational and public-safety questions raised by neighbors (detailed parking demand analyses, final fire-lane dimensions, and finalized traffic/access measures) remain in the project record and may be addressed through later permitting and coordination with Boise City departments and ACHD.