New businesses are popping up, thanks to Boise’s contentious zoning code. How, and where?
It wasn’t too long ago that Boise residents were arguing with each other — in coffee shops, lawn signs and community meetings — over a rewrite of the city’s zoning code.
Most of the arguments had to do with whether the code, which determines what can be built in different parts of the city, would increase density in the city, make traffic worse and allow buildings that don’t fit into the neighborhoods. The effects of the now-passed zoning code are beginning to come into focus, especially for those interested in taking advantage of a new rule that allows neighborhood cafes on corner lots in residential areas.
Two such neighborhood cafes could soon be on their way to Boise’s North End neighborhood, including a cafe and market at 1504 W. Lemp St. across the street from Washington Elementary School.
Brandon and Christina Turpin, who own the home on the northwest corner of 15th and Lemp streets, are seeking to redevelop a part of their property — their fenced yard — into the 1,200-square foot cafe and market.
According to written comments received during a neighborhood meeting on the development, the Turpins received support for the cafe despite some concerns about traffic and parking.
“I think overall the move to make our neighborhoods more walkable and livable is great,” wrote Taryn Birdsall, who attended the meeting. “I think my only ‘real’ concern is just that I would prefer a more classic design — less contemporary and more in keeping with the homes in the neighborhood.”
“Right now, I’m uncertain and ambivalent about this project,” wrote Larry Lighty, another attendee. “My main concern is the potential impact on neighbors adjacent to this project. My main attraction would be that it gives my wife and I another place to hang out when we wish to.”
The cafe isn’t the first of its kind. The Roosevelt Market from Boise’s Wylder Hospitality Group is situated in Boise’s East End directly across from Roosevelt Elementary School and a few blocks north from Warm Springs Avenue. Wylder Hospitality Group, from restaurateurs David and Lizzy Rex, is known for Boise restaurants including The Wylder, Percy, Certified Kitchen + Bakery and Wyld Child.
The Lemp Street cafe would need to go in front of the Historic Preservation Committee for a public hearing before it is approved and may need a waiver from the city’s planning director to reduce parking requirements.
According to city rules, neighborhood cafes such as the Turpins’ are allowed to operate only from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Brandon Turpin did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.
Boise’s new code brings new neighborhood businesses
The city has already approved a second neighborhood cafe a few blocks away in the North End across from Camel’s Back Park, just north of the busy Hyde Park neighborhood.
That project from Eagle-based Zion Ventures LLC at 1920 N. 13th St. would replace the three-bedroom house there with a two-story building. A cafe and retail shop would occupy the ground floor and four studio apartments the second.
Mark Verner and John Bottles, real estate agents at Eagle’s Mark Bottles Real Estate Services, own Zion Ventures.
“We have been close friends and partners in real estate for several years … We both grew up in Boise and have deep roots within the community,” according to a letter from Verner and Bottles to the city of Boise.
The new building would take a cue from the neighborhood grocery and drug stores that were common in the North End in the early 1900s, according to Verner and Bottle’s letter.
“The building will provide housing in a desirable neighborhood, while the cafe will offer a space that harbors community both within and between the neighborhood and greater metro,” according to the letter.
Early renderings from Hummel Architects in 2023 show a white- and tan-brick building with black trim, high ceilings and outdoor seating. The design took inspiration from several buildings in the North End, including the old Reibe’s Shoe Shop on 13th Street and the Roots Support Services building across from the southwest corner of North Junior High School.
The existing house is noncontributing, meaning it was not built during a period of significance or no longer has historic integrity, according to the city of Boise.
“Our goal is not to replicate a historic building but to design a modern building that is historically sensitive to its surroundings,” Verner and Bottles wrote. “We understand the importance of maintaining the historical authenticity within the North End and both the vitality and collective value that a new community space can bring to the neighborhood.”
“This application is congruous with the historical, architectural, archaeological, education and cultural aspects of the district,” according to the Historic Preservation Committee’s approval of the development.
