BOISE, Idaho — The Veterans Park Neighborhood Association (VPNA) filed a petition against the City of Boise asking for a judicial review of Interfaith Sanctuary's approved Conditional Use Permit (CUP).
Interfaith plans to move their homeless shelter into the old Salvation Army building on West State Street.
"Every neighbor I have spoken to on this street - in this neighborhood - is opposed to it," nearby resident Brent Mathieu said. "It's complicated."
The permit states, "petitioner is alleging substantial harm to their real property interests." VPNA President Katy Decker confirmed this is a direct concern about how the homeless shelter will impact nearby property values.
"I think that we've made it clear we don't think this belongs in any residential community," Decker said.
The Boise City Council disagrees. The council voted 4-2 to approve the permit back in April. The CUP is needed for permission to use this space for a homeless shelter.
The city council vote overturned the City of Boise Planning and Zoning Commission that originally denied the Conditional Use Permit in January.
As it currently stands, Interfaith is approved to move to State Street.
"Right now, we continue to work on our approved application and move forward on designing a new shelter for our building," Interfaith Executive Director, Jodi Peterson-Stigers said.
Interfaith sold their current building to afford the old Salvation Army building. The Salvation Army property plans to provide 205 beds for people experiencing homelessness.
If the shelter cannot move to State Street, the future of the shelter is unclear.
"It would be a tragedy. We are always looking for plan B. Right now, because of where we are at with our approval for our application, we are really staying focused on getting the steps done to get into design review, to get our building permit, and to get construction underway. That is definitely where I am staying," Peterson-Stigers said. "Let's get this beautiful building built."
VPNA is unsure when they will hear back from the court system regarding their permit, according to Decker. She expects this process to take months.
Interfaith doesn't plan to move into the old Salvation Army building on West State Street until spring of 2023, according to Peterson-Stigers.
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