‘Remarkable’ or unsafe? Why Boise put the brakes on church’s dorm for single men

A Boise church will need to show more “transparency” — and outline a plan for security — before building a contentious dormitory and life-skills campus for 100 men teetering on homelessness in the West Bench.

The torn Boise Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday deferred its decision for Mountain View Church of the Brethren’s proposal, sending applicants back to the drawing board to flesh out safety measures, explain the screening process for residents, and further articulate its nonprofit programming.

The commissioners stopped short of denying the Mountain View Church of the Brethren’s permit despite vocal neighborhood opposition, which argued that the proposed life-skills educational campus on 2028 N. Cole Rd. runs afoul of their vision for attracting businesses to the neighborhood — and living safely in it.

“There is, in my opinion, a lot of work to do,” Commissioner Ester Ceja said during a hearing late Monday night.

The church now has 60 days or more to draft the update. A deferral of this length is a rare move for the Boise board. They’re typically capped at 60 days, according to City Planning and Zoning Manager Crystal Rain. Had the commissioners denied the application, the church could have appealed the decision to the Boise City Council, or waited a year to come back before P&Z with revisions.

‘We haven’t had anything come forward like this’

Administrative Pastor Steve Neighbors filed the application for the three-story, 36-unit dormitory on behalf of the church, which owns the property on Cole Road a block south of Ustick Road.

In 2023, the church set up a nonprofit called Christian Safetynet Programs to expand education and counseling services to “address the increasing economic stresses we see around us,” according to the application. So far, the nonprofit has no website or publicly available annual report, but documents show that it is run from the offices of Strategic & Operational Solutions, Inc., a business consulting firm started by Neighbors. The church said in a statement that Neighbors doesn’t stand to earn money from the plan.

The church plans to use the nonprofit to lead a new curriculum of “faith-based” training “focused on improving life skills, from economic growth through enhanced job skill training to social interaction skills, community service, and personal character development.”

Self-help and job-training classes would be open to all men and women, according to the application. But central to the overall vision is a dormitory for single men that would go up on what’s now a lightly used parking lot and underused community garden next to the church.

“Providing a dorm discipline for the highest underserved homeless group will encourage men to commit to the Christian SafetyNet Program, creating better future husbands and men of character,” architect David Ruby wrote in a letter to city staff explaining the project. “Single men are also the most underserved focus for non-profits and comprise the majority of those homeless.”

The plan doesn’t slot cleanly into Boise code. City staffers called it cohousing — a classification installed during the city’s 2023 zoning overhaul in which residents rent single rooms or individual beds — in part because it didn’t fit other uses outlined by the city.

The church emphasizes that the dorm will focus on men at high risk of slipping into homelessness. Prospective residents would need to be approved by a committee and would be subject to a strict set of rules, Ruby wrote.

“It’s an open-door church. It’s not an open-door dorm,” Neighbors said at Monday’s hearing. “They have to convince an interview team that they’re serious about improving their life skills. We don’t want to screen out those that we can help the most, and could have the greatest impact in our society.”

The dorm isn’t considered a homeless shelter, city staff determined, because it’s only open to employed men enrolled in Christian SafetyNet’s program after a screening interview. And while SafetyNet offers services you’d often see at a “recovery residence” or halfway house for people transitioning out of prison or drug treatment — and the church says that some people may be referred in by a parole board — the application for the dormitory rejects the term.

“We reserve the right to help whomever we can and who fits into our program and population,” the church said in a statement accompanying its application. “We will use great discernment, wisdom, and experience in selecting and managing the residents, but we cannot let fear and rabble-rousers dictate whom we can or cannot help. Giving those who have left a past problem a scarlet letter for life is counterproductive.”

The church says the $7 million project would be mostly donor-funded, though Neighbors said the cost may have gone up since his initial estimate. Residents of the dorm would likely pay $500 per month for a bed; rent would cover program costs, Neighbors said.

“To my knowledge we haven’t had anything come forward like this,” Senior Planner Jesi Lile said.

Written, in-person opposition strike different tones

It’s the dorm that rankled neighbors most. Some 50 West Bench residents spoke out against the plan in written comments ahead of Monday’s hearing, and about the same number came to watch at Boise City Hall. The opposition ranged from clinical and code-based to angry and afraid.

“One hundred single men! You must be kidding! We would no longer feel safe shopping at our neighborhood Walmart market,” wrote West Bench resident Teresa Jones prior to the meeting. “We would not feel safe walking anywhere in the neighborhoods surrounding our home. And the crimes that will undoubtedly rise, what about that?”

“Can you explain to me why the city is happy to take my tax dollars but refuses to do anything for my safety? No sidewalks, terrible traffic, and now you add 100 perverts!” wrote Lorna Auld. “Are you all unable or just unwilling to have concern for our quality of life?”

The West Bench Neighborhood Association was more measured. The plan, wrote representatives Rochelle Schaetten and Joan Wallace, would stifle city-backed economic development and alternative transit plans — as well as risk residents’ security.

“The proposed placement of dormitories for up to 100 single men — many of whom may be experiencing substance-use challenges, social-skills difficulties, or are on probation or parole — adjacent to the community library and a commercial area identified for revitalization in the study raises significant concerns,” they wrote. “We are concerned that siting a large transitional-housing facility in this location may discourage new businesses from investing in West Bench and could diminish residents’ sense of safety.”

Comments voiced Monday were more evenly split. A handful spoke in favor of the project. Opponents found a conciliatory tone, mostly concerned with vague details Neighbors offered about security, screening and how residents will use the associated auto shop on site.

“I’m just not getting the answers that I think are required for a project of this magnitude and impact,” neighbor Mike Hennessy said. “That’s not to say that I have anything but the utmost respect for the goals and aims. We had one supporter say, ‘Take a chance on these people.’ What I’m hearing is, ‘Take a gamble.’”

Neighbors said the church and its congregation has been unfairly maligned.

“The church has been painted by many throughout the city as the church of the homeless. The church of the felons. Even the church of the pedophiles,” he said. “But we feel that it is important to maintain our open-door policy to all to fulfill our mission.”

“I don’t know how to deal with fear,” he added later. “I reached out because I haven’t seen anything like this. I’m trying to set a standard that will bring other churches to the table.”

P&Z admires vision, leery of plan

Boise P&Z was one vote from denying the church’s permit before Board Chair Chris Danley floated the idea of buying more time. He pitched the idea to a split commission.

Commissioners Ester Ceja, Tony Torres and Kati Stallings each expressed admiration for the idea but said they didn’t get enough information from Neighbors to push the permit through. Commissioners Jennifer Mohr and Michael Stefancic suggested that they had seen enough to meet P&Z’s threshold for approval. (Commissioners Michelle Doane and Bob Shafer were absent.)

To Mohr, there was no need for P&Z to delve so deeply into the church’s operation. “A multifamily development would not be under such scrutiny,” she said.

The board unanimously approved the deferral. It gives Neighbors another shot later this year — one he seems keen to take.

“I want to do this right,” he said. “I haven’t found anything I can mirror out there. I think the church is trying to pave new ground.”

Stallings, who fought tears through the hearing, agreed.

“The intent, to use worship space like this, is remarkable. I’m on both sides of this. I think this is the hardest [application] I’ve seen,” she said. “With a little bit more organization and transparency, this would be a really remarkable project.”

This story was originally published January 6, 2026 at 1:27 PM.