Commission approves new house in front of historic cottage at 630 E. Crawl St., converts cottage to ADU

The Boise City Historic Preservation Commission approved application DRH25-00212 to allow construction of a new single-family residence at 630 East Crawl Street with conversion of an existing contributing cottage at the rear into an accessory dwelling unit.

Staff analyst Richard Jarvis recommended denial, telling the commission that placing a new primary residence in front of a contributing structure would obscure and "drastically alter[] the site and how the property is perceived" from the primary public right-of-way. Jarvis cited the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, particularly Standards 1, 2 and 9, and the residential design guidelines that discourage new construction that obscures a contributing resource.

Applicant Ben Semple of Rodney Evans and Partners described the site history and the revisions made after an earlier deferral, noting the historic cottage is approximately 774 square feet and that 70% of that size would be about 541.8 square feet (the code maximum for a front ADU under the scenario staff outlined). Semple said design changes narrowed the proposed new house to increase visibility to the rear cottage, noted nearby right-of-way and flume constraints, and explained that the property had previously had structures toward the front of the lot.

Public testimony and commissioners’ deliberations focused on whether the new house would unacceptably obscure the contributing cottage. Commissioner Malloy favored denial based on preservation precedent; other commissioners, including Owens and Otter, argued the lot has already been substantially altered and that modest new construction would keep the rear historic structure on site and in use. Several commissioners observed that a six-foot fence or parked vehicles could already block views, and that a smaller ADU (541.8 sq ft) would not be viable as long-term housing.

Commissioner Owens moved to approve DRH25-00212 with findings that the proposal maintains the contributing structure on site, narrows the new house compared with earlier designs, and preserves some sightlines; Commissioner Otter seconded. The motion passed by roll call (5–1, Malloy dissenting).

Action: applicant may proceed according to the approval and any conditions noted in the staff report and must comply with building permits and any applicable right-of-way/vacation approvals. The record shows staff had discussed alternatives (a narrower ADU or a variance for placement) and identified a potential 700-square-foot ADU scenario under the 70% rule for a larger historic cottage (not the current application).