Neighbors turn out to fight development near Boise Airport. Here’s what happened next
Without more specifics to sway decision-makers, Boise officials must wait to get their wish to put an industrial park on airport-owned open land to maximize revenue.
As neighbors largely opposed to the development filled the City Council chambers, Boise Planning and Zoning Commission members raised questions to which officials of the city-run Boise Airport had no immediate answers. More specifics would have helped commissioners choose whether to recommend approval or denial of the city’s request, some commissioners said. But further details weren’t provided by the airport.
So the neighbors’ fight to preserve open space was delayed. After more than an hour of discussion — mostly centered around possibly rezoning 77.5 acres of land that’s designated for “permanent open space” — the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 8-0 to defer Monday’s public hearing until Feb. 14, sending most of the neighbors home before they had a chance to speak.
The Boise Airport’s proposal features rezoning 153 acres southwest of the airport just east of South Umatilla Avenue. Of those 153 acres, 75.5 that are closest to the airport are zoned A-1, meaning open land that could eventually be developed. The other 77.5 acres, which are closest to neighboring residents, are zoned A-2, which is “intended for permanent open space,” according to the city’s zoning code. The “permanent open space” portion borders homes on South Umatilla Avenue that are about 2 miles southwest of the airport.
The airport wants to change all 153 acres into a light industrial district, which aligns with the city’s comprehensive plan and land use map, which guide future development.
The rezoning would allow the development of the industrial park near existing houses. The airport could make money from the leasing of its ground, and the city of Boise could generate property tax revenue from new buildings and warehouses.
The city has already picked Boise’s Adler Industrial as its preferred developer. In response to the city’s request for information, Adler Industrial projected that it could bring in $3.3 million in property tax revenue annually.
Nearly every seat was full during Monday’s hearing in the City Council chambers, and some people sat on the floor or leaned against walls. Several neighbors held signs that read “BOSA,” short for the Boise Open Space Alliance, which opposes the rezoning.
About an hour into the hearing, Amy Snyder, the airport’s property and contract manager, requested the deferral before public comment opened. When she said the hearing could continue on Valentine’s Day, people in the crowd groaned. Snyder said she wanted to allow more time for a development agreement to be worked out.
Before the deferral, Commissioner Ashley Squyres questioned why a development agreement wasn’t already in place. A development agreement would allow the city to shape the parameters of what would be permitted.
Snyder said the request for deferral was based on commissioners’ lines of questioning. Snyder said their requests for information and responses were “very high level.”
Commissioner Milt Gillespie said a development agreement that includes a conditional-use permit requirement for the permanent open space area “is the way to go here.”
Once a development agreement is made, “I think we’ll all be more comfortable going with a recommendation to rezone or not rezone,” Gillespie said.
When asked when the agreement would be entered, city of Boise Senior Planner Crystal Rain said that depends on how the airport chooses to move forward with its application.
Snyder presented the airport’s pitch, highlighting the comprehensive plan, pointing to nearby industrial areas and noting that her job is to find ways to maximize revenue. Rain explained that the planning staff’s recommendation to approve the rezoning is based on the comprehensive plan.
Estee Lefrenz, president of the South Cole Neighborhood Association, opposed the rezoning of the permanent open space. She said she understood rezoning the other half of the land, because it’s designated as a holding area until future development.
“If permanent doesn’t mean permanent, then how can we trust any of the language in the code?” Lefrenz said. “How else should we interpret that?”
Lefrenz also raised concerns about traffic, noise and pollution tied to a potential industrial park.
The city hadn’t completed a traffic study, and Lefrenz was concerned about negative health effects of diesel exhaust exposure. The deferral could allow more time for the city staff and commissioners to gather more information.
“If you can’t in good conscience tell these residents that they are safe with an industrial development next to them without any proof,” Lefrenz said, “then you must deny the rezone application.”
The land was annexed into the city of Boise in 2005. Rain said the original zoning was based on trying to match how the land was zoned when it was part of Ada County.
“The definition of A-2 zone, permanent open space, should be reworded, because the zoning designation is truly never permanent,” Rain said. “Anyone can request a rezone within the city, so it’s likely they will change over time.”
The development proposal includes a minimum 60-foot buffer from the neighbors’ property lines, but neighbors have argued that’s too close to residential properties.
Commissioner Chris Danley questioned how the proposal complies with the rezoning requirement to “maintain and preserve compatibility of surrounding zoning and development.” Rain said light industrial is allowed to be near homes.
A few people who said they’d be unable to testify Feb. 14 were allowed to comment. They all spoke in opposition to rezoning the 77.5 acres of permanent open space.
Once the Planning and Zoning Commission reaches a recommendation to approve or deny the rezoning, it will head to the City Council.
This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 11:52 PM.
