‘Monstrosity’: Neighbors say two-tower apartment complex doesn’t fit
A proposed apartment complex near Boise Bible College is raising tensions with neighbors, with some calling it “obscene” and arguing that it would destroy the neighboring community.
The project, called the Antioch Apartments, is located next to Boise Bible College on Marigold Street off Chinden Boulevard in Garden City. Under the proposal, two C-shaped buildings would sit four stories high amid parking lots. The 236-unit project also would include open space, a dog park and a flag-football field for the college.
“Our property values will suffer,” neighbors James and Carol Trent wrote in a letter to Garden City. “Who will want to buy a house so close to this monstrosity?”
The Treasure Valley’s rapid growth has pushed some residents to go to their cities asking for help to prevent what they fear could be a disrupted quality of life, more traffic and lowered property values.
Garden City in particular has undergone tremendous changes.
Many of the city’s mobile home parks have been replaced by apartments. Wineries and breweries have sprung up in town, as well as an artist-friendly culture. The city has shed its reputation as a less-than-optimal part of the valley. And though its home values remain some of the lowest in Ada County, at least one resident near the proposed apartments said parts of Garden City were undoubtedly gentrifying.
During a neighborhood meeting Monday, developer Caleb Roope was able to soothe some concerns for neighbors, such as dispelling rumors that the complex would include low-income housing. He offered to look into solutions like adding a wall to block sound and moving dumpsters.
But the meeting was still often tense, with neighbors offering comments and quips while three representatives spoke. When John Rennison, one of the property managers, described the complex as a “nice-looking building,” the entire room laughed loudly. “If you don’t have to live next to it,” someone remarked from the audience. The meeting was held at the Willowbrook Clubhouse, which is in a senior living community.
Despite the opposition, Roope, Rennison and project manager Zach Turner are moving ahead. Turner and Rennison are with Eagle-based Rennison Cos.
Roope, who is president and CEO of Eagle’s The Pacific Cos., told the audience that he’s working on this project for Boise Bible College. Roope is a longtime donor to the college, he told the full house of senior citizens, and the college asked him for ideas to get more money. He suggested diversifying its revenue stream by building apartments.
Roope said he’s paying $300,000 a year to lease the land, at a minimum. He said he intends to share some of the earnings from the project with the college.
“This isn’t a project I would normally take on as a private development,” Roope said. “I’m doing this for other reasons.”
He estimated that the project will make $800,000 a year, and the college will receive $100,000 on top of the lease amount.
Building apartments costs about $250,000 a unit, he said Monday night. Neighbor after neighbor asked him during the meeting to lower the number of stories to two from four, but he said that wouldn’t pencil out financially.
Neighbors have criticized the project in part because they say it will increase traffic to unreasonable levels. But the Ada County Highway District, in agency comments, said the project would create fewer than 100 new afternoon rush-hour trips, too few to meet the threshold for a traffic study.
Every road would operate at acceptable levels except for the intersection of Marigold and Glenwood streets, the highway district said. The Idaho Transportation Department has jurisdiction over Glenwood, according to the highway district’s letter.
ITD did not comment on the project but said the corridor was already congested. The department does not have any funding set aside to mitigate traffic on Glenwood, according to an email sent to the city.
The developer will have to find a solution for sewer service, because two nearby stations are at capacity. Roope said Monday that’s a citywide problem.
Katie Jennings, who lives in the nearby Rivers Edge subdivision, told the Statesman after the meeting that she left with the same concerns she had going in. To her, the project’s density and height don’t fit.
“We get onto Marigold and we sit in traffic,” Jennings said. “I don’t believe that (the developers) are concerned about the neighborhood.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
