A Boise-based developer hopes to win approval from the City of Boise to build a new seven-story building on the current site of a 76 gas station in Boise’s North End.
The project would sit on the corner of 16th Street and State Street, across the street from the Albertsons store. The developer, Cameron Investments, hopes the city will approve a zoning change to allow the project to move forward.
Currently, the site uses Boise’s new “pedestrian commercial” zoning. Cameron asked to change the site’s designation to C-5, which is the designation used for Boise’s central business district. The site is not adjacent to any current C-5 zoning, and would be the first time the zone was used on the north side of State. It is on the edge of the Downtown Boise mixed-use zoning area outlined in the city’s comprehensive plan.
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Cameron requested the change to allow for a taller building as well as increased density on the small site.
‘Missing middle’
“We are proposing housing for the ‘missing middle’ with ground floor pedestrian-friendly uses,” Cameron’s Matthew Clark wrote in an application letter. “The current zone height and density restrictions limit the ability to provide the needed housing in a cost-effective manner.”
The project would include a new commercial retail space on the ground floor facing 16th and State. A parking lot of about two dozen spaces would sit behind the retail, mostly hidden from the street. The second floor would include additional parking, accessed from a ramp off State St.
The next five floors would include apartment units. The zoning application does not include the number or configuration of the units, but a proposed floorplan shows 23 units per floor – bring the rough total to about 115.
“In pursuit of a mission to address the current housing challenges faced by our rapidly growing downtown, we are working to create a pedestrian-oriented, bicycle-friendly, mixed-use, multi-family housing development. We are proposing housing for the ‘missing middle’,” which Clark later describes as “housing for Boise’s workforce and affordable housing.”
The project sits along State, which has seen a flurry of proposed residential projects in the last few years as the City of Boise looks to provide incentives for projects along the key transit corridor. Boise and a number of other agencies hope to make broad changes to State Street in the coming years to boost its utility for several different types of transit – including buses and bikes.
The city set a hearing on the rezoning application for Boise’s Planing & Zoning Commission on December 14th at 6pm.
Zoning in Boise
The City of Boise has 23 different types of land zoning. Each dictates what can be built on a parcel – as well as attributes like parking, density and building height.
For example, there are six subtypes of residential zoning, from R-1A (single family residential on a large lot) to R-3 (multi-family residential). The city also has a variety of “other” types, including U for the area around Boise State University and HS for hospitals.
In addition, there are specific plans like those for the Barber Valley, neighborhood plans and conservation districts.
If a landowner wants to build a project not allowed by the current zoning, they must go through an approval process with the City of Boise – which includes public hearings.
