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Commission recommends denial of Matson Homes rezone in Sycamore overlay
Summary
The Planning & Zoning Commission recommended denial of CAR26-2, a request to rezone 0.34 acres in the Sycamore neighborhood to R1C, after staff said the proposal conflicts with the neighborhood plan's low-density vision and multiple neighbors raised drainage and character concerns.
The Boise City Planning & Zoning Commission recommended denial of CAR26-2, a rezone request from R1B SCO to R1C SCO at 4432 West Half Street intended to permit a four-lot subdivision, after planning staff said the proposal substantially exceeded the Sycamore neighborhood plan’s density and did not meet rezone findings.
Planning staff told the commission the Sycamore neighborhood plan — adopted to preserve the area’s semi-rural character — envisions low density (approximately four units per acre along edges and fewer internally). Staff noted that the applicant’s proposal (four lots on about 0.34 acres) would amount to over 11 units per acre, significantly higher than the plan’s guidance, and recommended denial.
Applicant Zach Mattson said the prior rezone application was submitted under the legacy code in 2023 and that subsequent updates (new zoning code, future land-use maps, and proximity to transit on Taft Street) support a suburban/R1C designation at this parcel’s edge. Mattson described planned street improvements, including widening Taft Street to ACHD standards and adding detached sidewalks, and said the proposed units would be market-rate single-family homes (about 1,750 sq. ft.).
Neighbors and neighborhood representatives urged denial. Sycamore residents emphasized the plan’s grassroots origin and the desire to preserve large lots, rural character and existing irrigation/canal drainage. A nearby resident raised hydrology concerns tied to the Boise Canal Company easement and warned that subdivision work could disrupt neighborhood irrigation drainage if not carefully engineered.
The commission’s deliberations emphasized adherence to the Sycamore overlay and existing guiding documents, noting that the modern zoning code retained the overlay and that nearby rezones or PUDs had been granted under different conditions in the past. Commissioner Seja moved to recommend denial based on staff findings; the motion was seconded and carried by roll call.
Because the item was a recommendation, City Council will review and take final action on any rezone request.
