Heard about the new zoning code? Here’s what it is and how you can help
Have you ever looked around Boise and thought to yourself that parts of the city look like they’re from 1966?
Well, you wouldn’t be completely wrong.
The last time that Boise completely updated its city zoning code — the method of urban planning that tells developers where and what new buildings can look like — was in 1966. That’s 56 years ago, for those counting.
But that’s about to change.
The city is overseeing a major overhaul of the zoning code this year, drawing new zones that will tell developers where exactly they can build homes, offices, retail buildings, restaurants, and so on. In January, the city released its plans for how new projects in Boise should be developed and what they should look like.
But city officials don’t want to create the new zoning code without public input. The city is hosting an open advisory meeting on Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. that will allow Boiseans to listen in and participate in the final portion of the meeting via Zoom.
Thursday night’s meeting is one of several upcoming public meetings regarding the code.
Read on for a further explanation of the zoning code and the multiple ways you can get involved in shaping the future of Boise.
What exactly is the zoning code?
The zoning code is what tells developers where they can build certain types of buildings and what those buildings can look like.
Blueprint Boise is its companion: a comprehensive plan that breaks the city up into geographical planning areas, each with guidelines and planning policies for that area.
For example, the city may tell developers how many residential homes they can build in a neighborhood and what they must look like. This can range from where the mailbox can be placed and what it looks like to the maximum height a structure can be built.
Many city officials wish to see denser planning within the city. This would include building upward to help create more living quarters and to build residential buildings alongside businesses.
“I looked at our most successful parts of the city, in my opinion, and they have bars right up against residential (areas), and it’s fine,” Council Member Holli Woodings previously told the Idaho Statesman. “It creates walkability, it creates neighborhood character, it does a lot of things that we want to do for the future of our city.”
Other examples of how the zoning code will affect the city are through what business buildings will have to look like. Under the current plan, new business buildings would have parking located behind the building rather than in front, an entrance closer to the street, and sidewalks with landscaping that separates the sidewalk from the road.
Ways you can get involved
The most immediate opportunity will come on Thursday afternoon’s citywide advisory committee meeting. The meeting will include all 20 members of the advisory committee as well as Timothy Keane, the recently-hired planning and development services director.
You can watch the meeting live on YouTube starting at 3 p.m. For those wishing to provide input, the final section of the meeting will be open to public comment from those who sign up to participate virtually through Zoom.
The city has also created a pair of surveys for Boiseans to provide further input. There is a community survey that aims to learn more about what the community values most in new development, and a technical survey for those more familiar with the zoning code and wish to provide feedback on the city’s second draft module.
There are also three further meetings following Thursday that will focus on the general community and specific areas:
General Community — 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, on Zoom
Southeast/Airport — 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31, at Les Bois Junior High School library, 4150 E. Grand Forest Drive
North End/East End — 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, at Boise High School library, 1010 W. Washington St.
You can also use the interactive map below to see where your house or business lies in the current zoning code and where it will be under the proposed code. This tool works best on a desktop. You can find out more information about the tool on the city’s website.
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This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 1:11 PM.
