Planning commission recommends rezoning, approves variance for Paper Birch townhomes at 396 E. Linden amid neighborhood opposition

A majority of the Boise City Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday recommended City Council rezone two parcels at 396 East Linden Street from R‑1C to MX‑1 and approved a subdivision preliminary plat, and separately approved a variance to deviate from certain streetscape and access requirements along Linden Street.

The development proposal, submitted as CAR‑24‑8 (rezone), CVA‑24‑28 (variance) and SUB‑24‑26 (preliminary plat), would create a mixed project with a small mixed‑use building containing 13 residential units above two ground‑floor commercial spaces and roughly 31 townhomes across about 1.85 acres. Planning staff recommended approval of the rezone and the variance along Linden Street while recommending denial of a similar variance for Gettysburg Street. The commission voted to approve the variance and to recommend the rezone and preliminary plat to City Council.

Why it matters: the parcels sit across from Timberline High School and near White Pine Elementary and lie along Linden Street, a busy collector where residents and school officials raised safety, parking and traffic concerns. Neighbors also pressed the city for stronger safeguards around demolition of old structures on the site, citing asbestos, lead and well‑water contamination risks.

Planning staff presentation and recommendation Jesse Lyle, senior planner with Boise City planning staff, told commissioners the application proposes rezoning about 1.14 acres to MX‑1 and a preliminary plat for 32 buildable lots plus one common lot across 1.85 acres. She said the proposed project would result in a development density near 24 units per acre and that, under the MX‑1 rules, the mixed‑use building could reach up to 45 feet in height while the existing R‑1C zone allows up to 40 feet.

"In conclusion, the planning team recommends approval of the rezone, the variance to the streetscape and access and connectivity standards along Linden Street, and the preliminary plat," Lyle said. She added staff did not find a hardship to support a streetscape variance along Gettysburg Street and conditioned approval on installation of a 5‑foot detached sidewalk along that frontage.

Applicant response Ian Hoffman, representing the applicant and design team, said the applicant "is in complete agreement with the city's findings" and described the design as a transitional infill…