Zoning Rewrite – CTNA’s Position Statement – For Membership Review and Comment

The following is a communication from Don Day, BoiseDev followed by CTNA’s response. It’s a long piece to read but if you are interested or concerned in how the current Zoning Rewrite package could impact the future of Boise – then it’s well worth your time

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To Boise Neighborhood Associations- March 27, 2023, To Boise Neighborhood Associations

I’m reaching out to each of Boise’s Neighborhoods to gauge their stance on the proposed Boise Zoning Code Rewrite for an upcoming story. As you know, the first comment deadline has passed, and we want to help the public see how the city’s neighborhoods view the plan before public testimony in April.  Could you answer these three questions, and reply by Friday, March 31?

1) Does your neighborhood association support the Zoning Code Rewrite as proposed?  (Yes, no or undecided)

2) What if any changes would the NA want to see to the ZCR?

3) Does your NA feel the city conducted proper outreach to help shape/provide input on the rewrite?

Thanks! —

DON L. DAY | BoiseDev Founder & Editor

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March 31, 2023, Centennial Neighborhood Association Responseto be discussed on April 20, 2023, board meeting

To: Don Day, BoiseDev

The attached document is a position by consensus of the Centennial NA board of directors. We were unable to call a special meeting of the association’s general members within the timeline for response to your request. Accordingly, we cannot stipulate that this represents the consensus of the entire constituency of Centennial NA. We have been working diligently to keep the membership aware and informed and are therefore confident in offering this response. We are following through with an upcoming Centennial NA meeting on April 20, 2023, to further vet topic consensus and be prepared for the subsequent public hearings.

We are appreciative and are in admiration of the evident effort of BoiseDev’s “Deep Dive” into the ZCR. Thank you for the opportunity to weigh in.

On behalf of the Centennial NA board of directors,

Gary Dufault, President

Centennial Neighborhood’s Reply

1) Does your neighborhood association support the Zoning Code Rewrite as proposed?  (Yes, no or undecided)   

No, we support some of the rewrite, but are opposed to some.

  • We support mixed use residential and commercial zones.
  • We support high density housing. 
  • We especially support high density housing along transportation corridors, should Boise ever have viable public transportation.
  • We support neighborhoods of mixed size and type housing.
  • We applaud zoning code leaning toward form based over use based.
  • We applaud a streamlined approval process for all developments that meet form and use code, not just affordable housing use.
  • We support bicycle and motorcycle parking minimums that encourage alternative transportation.
  • We do not support limiting public or private parking.
  • We do not support the city subsidizing housing, the city owning housing or the city competing with private real estate.
  • We do not support ‘affordable’, subsidized or rent controlled housing in Boise prime real estate areas where we have the opportunity to grow the city tax base and relieve resident taxes.
  • We do not support use deed restrictions for affordable housing. 
  • While we support streamlined approval, we do not support the efforts to stifle public comment on any project.

2) What if any changes would the NA want to see to the ZCR?   

Parking

Parking space restrictions are not appropriate for Boise.  We are a private vehicle culture. The public brings up parking at every opportunity and it’s usually the #1 issue.  The lack of parking affects everyone, but those without other options are impacted the most.  Adequate parking drives the economy.  We do not want to devolve into a city, like so many others, where commercial endeavors fail from lack of access and parking, motorists driving around in circles looking for parking and parking disputes turning into violence.  We should encourage people to get out of their cars by positive actions and attractive alternatives, not by trying to punish them with negative actions and unrealistic options.  

  • We applaud efforts to reduce traffic volume and we applaud developing walking neighborhoods, but we do not support limiting public and private parking in either the ‘modern’ or the old code.
  • The Treasure Valley does not have a viable public transportation system.
    • We understand the ‘chicken and the egg’ approach…
      • But those moving into housing without parking will need a fully viable public transportation system on day one.  Viable means access throughout the Treasure Valley, not just transportation corridors, 24/7, all weather, affordable, quick, safe and sustainable.
        • This is the minimum a working person would need just for day-to-day use and does not include major shopping trips or recreation. Even those that prefer to use public transportation regularly will usually also require a personal car on occasion.    
      • At what cost and for how long will the taxpayers support an unused public transportation system before they begin to trim off the edges by cutting routes, operating hours and trip frequency?
  • Walking neighborhoods require somewhere to walk to.  The current focus on more housing will result in more housing, but without the commercial and public accommodations we might want to walk to.
    • Centennial Neighborhood is an example in which the city has denied commercial development in commercial zones and approved in-fill high density residential.  There was nothing to walk to before.  Now we have more homes and still nothing to walk to, but also less available parking.
    • Walking neighborhoods require sustainable businesses to walk to.  In mixed use development, parking is essential for any business that cannot survive only on the clientele within walking distance.
      • Those of us in areas like Centennial and West Valley without a lot of commercial development have been in the habit of driving to other areas to spend our money.  If we get to those areas and don’t have anywhere to park, we can’t patronize the businesses.   

Affordable Housing

  • We do not support city subsidized housing, the city owning housing or the city competing with private real estate.   We see this as an infringement on free enterprise and, perhaps even free elections.
  • We do not support ‘affordable’, subsidized or rent controlled housing in Boise’s prime real estate areas where we have the opportunity to grow the city tax base and relieve resident taxes rather than concede these areas to tax-free or subsidized-by-tax areas.  The areas we consider prime are downtown, along the Greenbelt and bordering any parks or foothill access.  These assets are places residents will, and should, pay a premium to live near.  They should be reserved for either high tax base residential or commercial properties that all of Boise can enjoy.
  • We do not support fixed use deed restrictions, If the project fails, it might need to be repurposed without trying to change deed restrictions.   

Project Approval

While we support streamlined approval, we do not support the efforts to stifle public comment on any project.  There are pieces of the ‘modern’ code designed to limit public participation such as elevating the design review to a commission, allowing planners to make more desk approvals and creating the role of a ‘Fair Hearing’ that will be appointed by and accountable to the administration.  We also note the current practice of reducing the time for public comment, especially for the Neighborhood Assns. which have been labeled as remnants of the old, failed urban renewal efforts of the past.

  • Public comment provides benefits.
    • It encourages the developer to present quality projects, not the bare minimums.  What we build today will be with us and affect quality of life in Boise for years.  
    • Even when a project ticks all the boxes legally, public comment has resulted in voluntary project refinement and improvements that make it more palatable to the neighbors.  At least their voices were heard.
    • It allows for public participation which grows participation.  
  • We’re told some projects will still require public hearings based upon “complex applications” and other considerations, but who will make those decisions?  The temptation to make these decisions based upon political considerations would be great.   How would the public hold the administration accountable for elevating controversial projects to a hearing?  “Alternative form” hearings would be held for the reasons opposite of what the public may want…less density, more parking, etc.

3) Does your NA feel the city conducted proper outreach to help shape/provide input on the rewrite?

We feel that the city has made extensive, but meaningless outreach.  

  • The administration appointed a ‘city wide advisory committee’ packed with developers and affordable housing advocates to represent us, but that’s not representative of all of Boise. 
  • An intern was assigned to interview the public and she chose a laundromat to hold the interviews.  Not very representative of much of Boise.  
  • While the city has made some small perceived concessions such as:
    • leaving a zone named residential in the new code, but changing residential zone details that change the nature of this zone
    • calling for ‘stable neighborhoods’ while defining stable as restrictions moving toward more dense, affordable housing
    • changing the name of the ‘hearing examiner’ to ‘fair hearing’ and letting the Planning Director, who reports to the mayor, appoint the examiner instead of the mayor appointing that person directly.   These changes do nothing to change the fact that one person, accountable to the administration, would still be making the decision and the only appeal would be an expensive lawsuit.  

 Affordable housing is needed, but that should not be the predominant goal and following the examples of cities that have failed in this effort will only lead to failure here.  We have the chance to create a code that will encourage affordable housing while also encouraging vibrant, quality development that protects what we love about Boise

Zoning Code Rewrite – It’s Almost a Done Deal – What You Need to Know!

The final phase of the Boise Zoning Code Rewrite is upon us.  This is public comment time, which is when the CTNA can choose to participate followed by approval by the city. The time to voice an opinion is now or never!

This link to Boise Dev is a great summary of the rewrite. It also contains the public meeting dates starting 4/24 and a link to the actual rewrite draft. Centennial Neighborhood Association will be considering its position on the “Rewrite” at its upcoming board meeting, Thursday April 2oth. https://centennialna.org/event/ctna-2nd-quarter-board-meeting.

West Boise / East Meridian Needs a Library Too!

Your Centennial Neighborhood Association supports the need for Boise to have a library closer to the citizens of West Boise.  Ideally libraries are within walking or at least biking distance.  The Library! at Cole & Ustick is more than five miles away from parts of our Neighborhood Association.  Many citizens of Boise live within 1 mile of a library, and most are within two miles. “?” West Boise stands alone in a “library desert”!

If you are interested in supporting this effort, help is needed.  You can help in the following ways:

Join the “West Boise / East Meridian Needs a Library! Too” Facebook Group set up to bring together people who support this idea.

Sign this petition – https://www.change.org/p/west-boise-east-meridian-needs-a-library-too

Spread the word.

SEE YOU AT USTICK IN BLOOM JUNE 10

Your 2024-2025 Board Members

At the October 2024 Annual Meeting the following CTNA members were elected to serve on the board and at a subsequent meeting officer positions were established for the coming year:

Kathy Graham – President

Open- Vice President

Gary Dufault – Treasurer

Vicki Flier – Secretary

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City of Boise Proposed Budget

We just received this post from Boise’s Energize program. Of course, residential property values have skyrocketed these past few years but the real drivers of your property tax bill are the spending/budgets of our taxing districts.

Your CTNA urges you to open or download the City of Boise’s “proposed” budget at – cityofboise.org/budget. It is both detailed and informative!

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MAYOR MCLEAN PRESENTS PROPOSED 2023 BUDGET

The proposed FY 2023 budget for the General Fund totals $306,028,033 including $15.2 million in federal recovery money and will be presented at the Boise City Council Budget Workshop on Tuesday, June 28 at 8 a.m.

“As always, we are focused on caring for the people of this city. This budget provides property tax relief for homeowners and directs resources to keep our city safe, make homes more affordable, grow our economy, take climate action, and ensure we care for our families while giving back to our unique and welcoming community,” said Mayor Lauren McLean. “Now more than ever, we must support all the people of Boise to ensure we’re truly a city for everyone.”

You can view highlights of the proposed FY 2023 budget as well as download the full budget book at cityofboise.org/budget.

The public is encouraged to participate by watching the budget workshop online. Details are available here: https://www.cityofboise.org/…/city-council-work-session-2/

Residents are also invited to give feedback at the Boise City Council budget public hearing on Tuesday, July 19 at 6:00 p.m. This meeting will be held at City Hall. Residents can opt to participate virtually by providing testimony via Zoom. Details are available here https://www.cityofboise.org/…/2022/july/city-council-1/

The city will also accept feedback in advance of the public hearing. This feedback will be shared with the mayor and Boise City Council. Feedback must be submitted by noon on Monday, July 18. You can submit your feedback at https://www.cityofboise.org/budget

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The Road Ahead for the Centennial NA

A good example of purpose for CTNA: Eagle Road comes to mind. One could say “A River Runs Through It”. Our neighborhoods are bisected by one of the busiest corridors in Idaho. How can we make it become all that it can be?
There are many key stakeholders in our section of Hwy 55 as it courses from The City of Eagle south beyond I-84. Among these are the cities of Boise, Meridian and Eagle, Ada County Highway District, Idaho Transportation Department, major subdivisions, countless businesses, thousands of commuters and, of course, the members and constituency of the Centennial Neighborhood Association.
CTNA gives us an opportunity to build consensus and bring a potent voice to the table. This example is figuratively representative of our many prospective purposes.
We are asking you to become a contributor to our travels on the road ahead.
Informative links:

https://centennialna.org/

https://www.cityofboise.org/programs/energize/neighborhood-associations/

https://www.cityofboise.org/programs/energize/neighborhood-associations/centennial-neighborhood-association

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What is a Neighborhood Association?

A Neighborhood Associations (NA) primary function is to work with the city towards the common goal of creating strong “vibrant” communities. This can include:

  • Creating Neighborhood Events
  • Building or Improving shared spaces
  • Learning about and informing neighbors of new plans and developments
  • Providing a voice for the future of our communities with the city
  • And so much more
    Without an NA the neighborhood would lose the ability to gain city grants and funding for events and projects as well as significant representation at city hearings.
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Neighborhood Data Almanac

The Neighborhood Data Almanac provides data snapshots about residents, households, and the built and natural environments for the geographic boundaries of each of Boise’s registered neighborhood associations. All of the data provided in the almanac serves as a touchpoint for any individual interested in better understanding the general composition of each neighborhood and, by extension, helps the city and residents better address the needs of each neighborhood.

Centennial Neighborhood Association

View the Complete Almanac https://www.cityofboise.org/programs/energize/neighborhood-almanac/

Cottonwood Park New Playground

About the Park

Cottonwood Park is a small neighborhood 8-acre park located in west Boise. Amenities include a walking path, open play areas, playground and basketball courts.

New playground

The playground features include climbing walls and a finger maze to promote tactile based play, bells for auditory stimulation, binoculars for visual play and equipment designed to encourage children of all abilities to explore. Ten-foot swings and a Ten Spin inclusive motion spinner also promote social play at Cottonwood Park. In addition, a special bonded rubber fall material was installed underneath the playground – the surface is easy to navigate for people who use assistive mobility devices and provides a soft surface for all playground users.

City of Boise Celebrates New Accessible and Inclusive Playground at Cottonwood Park

KTVB-New playground for Boise’s Cottonwood Park is all-inclusive

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