Boise’s Planning & Zoning Commission on Jan. 2 recommended approval of a rezone for a 2.03-acre church-owned parcel at 2823 North Cole Road but deferred a conditional use permit request for a cohousing-style dorm proposed by Mountain View Church and the Christian Safety Net nonprofit.

Staff framed the proposal as an R-2-compatible cohousing use (a recently codified use that can include single-room-occupancy or dormitory-style living) rather than a shelter or recovery residence. The application proposes a three-story building of roughly 33 three-bedroom units with shared facilities, classroom and trade-training space, and a separate accessory building for shop/classroom use. The applicant said individual bedrooms would be leased at about $500 a month and that residents would enroll in programming that includes career counseling, work and life skills training, and four hours per week of community service. Staff recommended approval subject to design-review and conditions.

Neighbors and neighborhood leaders strongly opposed the CUP as submitted. Key concerns raised repeatedly at the hearing included the project’s proximity to several schools and child-centered facilities, uncertainty about whether people with criminal histories or people on parole would be eligible and in what numbers, the lack of a clear security and screening plan, the potential for high turnover and how the operation would enforce conduct rules, traffic and parking impacts, and whether the proposed shop would introduce hazardous-material risks when scaled to a dorm population.

Applicant Steve Neighbors said the project is not a recovery residence or halfway house and that screening and mentorship would be core features. He told the commission the program aims to help working adults and students obtain education and trade training, and that the dorm rent would fund on-site career counselors and managers. Neighbors also said the project team is open to operational guardrails and caps but needs the commission’s approval to finalize detailed design, staffing and funding.

Commissioners were divided. Some praised the church’s intent to create an innovative, faith-based housing and training campus; others said the record lacked the concrete operational and safety details required to find that the project would not create unmitigated negative impacts. After an initial motion to deny, the applicant and several commissioners agreed to withdraw the denial motion and accept a deferral. The commission voted to defer the CUP with direction that the applicant return with more complete documentation — including a written operations plan, screening and eviction procedures, staffing levels and on-site security arrangements, a cap on certain categories of community-supervised residents, detailed parking/bicycle-parking and hazardous-material procedures for the workshop, and updated financial pro forma — and to coordinate with police and neighborhood stakeholders. The applicant agreed that the application could take longer than the required 60-day action window and asked for time to prepare materials.

Next steps: The rezone recommendation goes to City Council; the CUP will return to P&Z after the applicant submits the requested operational and mitigation plans and a schedule is set for rehearing.