A Christian college wants to build apartments in Garden City. Neighbors are mad
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- Developers proposed 236-unit Antioch Apartments near Boise Bible College.
- Plans include two four-story buildings with courtyards and shared amenities.
- It's unclear if development includes affordable or student housing units.
More apartments could be on the way for northern Garden City.
Eagle’s Rennison Cos. and The Pacific Cos. submitted an application to the city May 7 to build 236 apartments split between two buildings at 8647 and 8687 W. Marigold St., next to Boise Bible College. The development would be called the Antioch Apartments.
The plan, still in the early stages, has already faced significant opposition from neighbors who say it doesn’t fit the area, could worsen traffic and is too dense.
“The college due to its own failings is putting the burden on the surrounding residents with this MONEY GRAB,” wrote neighbor Charles Leffler to the city of Garden City. “I along with many, many surrounding neighbors OPPOSE it and ask that Planning and the Council amend it to fit the neighboring community or completely deny it.”
The four-story buildings would fill a mostly vacant lot and baseball diamond to the west of Expo Idaho and the Garden City Public Library. It would include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units with amenities split spread between the buildings.
Some of those amenities include a fitness room, fourth-floor clubroom, co-working spaces, bike storage, a package room, a pet washing area and leasing office, according to a letter to Garden City. The buildings were designed in a U-shape to create landscaped courtyards, gathering spaces and a pergola.
The development would also include nearly two acres of outdoor space, a walking path, dog park and open grassy areas, according to the letter.
Renderings of the buildings show them painted in a gray beige and charcoal, with wood siding on parts of the building and balconies for many of the units.
Rennison Cos. builds higher-end homes, apartments and commercial developments — including the long-proposed East End Marketplace in Eagle that has faced significant headwind from Eagle City Council.
The Pacific Cos. has been heavily involved in building affordable housing around the Treasure Valley, such as Adare Manor in Boise. It is also building a 95-unit addition to Boise’s New Path apartments, a 40-unit building that provides permanent supportive housing for people who have been chronically homelessness.
The company also builds market-rate apartments like the Hemingway in Eagle and the Old Town Lofts in downtown Meridian. It’s not clear if the Antioch Apartments would include any affordable units or if they would be market-rate. Neither the Pacific Cos. or Rennison Cos. responded to multiple requests for comment.
The property is still owned by Boise Bible College, according to Ada County Assessor records, but it’s not clear if the college is otherwise involved in the Antioch Apartments. Boise Bible College did not return calls requesting comment or clarification.
The name Antioch comes from an ancient city in modern day Turkey that was one of the earliest centers for Christianity, was where St. Paul was based and where followers of Christ became known as Christians.
Neighbors oppose more apartments
When Rennison, Pacific Cos. and Boise Bible College submitted an application to divide the land in May 2024 in preparation for the development, over 35 people and the Willowbrook Homeowners’ Association submitted letters voicing their opposition. In June 2024, 45 people attended a neighborhood meeting on the plan, with nearly every attendee signing a box asking whether they were interesting in having standing to object to the project.
“I live directly next to the proposed development and am very concerned about the plans and the affect on traffic, parking, noise, too high density and the loss of the only small open space in this area,” wrote neighbor Linda Murphy.
“I love my neighborhood and do feel that other families should have the chance to live here in new single family homes or condos, but I am deeply concerned about the size of development being proposed by Rennison and possibly approved by Garden City which I feel would be detrimental to the flow of traffic and tranquility of our already densely populated community,” wrote neighbor Rebekah Zachariou.
A letter from the Willowbrook HOA, which covers the Willowbrook Estates 55+ subdivision, said that the development wouldn’t be conducive to its residents and that safety and security were a concern.
A 2023 Idaho Statesman analysis of crime data within a quarter mile of nine apartment complexes across the Treasure Valley found there was no correlation between when the apartments opened for new tenants and an increase in crime. The findings line up with studies from the Arizona Multihousing Association and a Harvard University literature review that found “no connection between crime and housing density.”
