BOISE, Idaho — It's a new day for Boise's Zoning Code. For the first time in about 60 years, the capital city has a new code that decides how and where new development can happen. The Code is not a fix-all, but city leaders hope it helps a lot, everything from traffic, to housing, to the economy.
After three years of writing, public hearings, re-writing, and more public hearings, Boise's new Zoning Code is now the law of the land.
Boise's Director of Planning and Development Services, Tim Keane, says it’s reason to be excited, "You don't usually hear the word exciting next to the word zoning. But I will say that for Boise, it is somewhat of an exciting time."
Keane says the Code won't fix every problem facing Boiseans. But it will encourage building up not out, building more affordable housing, protecting open spaces, and increasing public transportation options. Boise City Council Member Meredith Stead says all that should help with the economy too, "I do think that there are a lot of correlations with economic growth and even light density. We can allow employees to live closer to where they work, cutting down on commute time. This will also give smaller businesses an opportunity to thrive within neighborhoods, like how we currently have the Roosevelt Market."
So, when do the people of Boise start seeing all these benefits? Keane says it will take a couple years to see the actual new-look construction, but the process to approve all that changed overnight, "It's so important that we have the Zoning Ordinance help us make the things that we want and need easier to build like that affordable housing or the housing or mixed use near transit… We needed to change our process too and make those things easier to build. So that's something you'll see immediately."
There was some very vocal opposition to this new Code. But it passed Boise City Council unanimously and no city leaders who backed the Code lost their elections in November. So, it looks like the majority of Boiseans are on board.
"The residents voted, and it sounds like they're supporting this change,” said Stead. “I know that change can be very scary. And so that's difficult for a lot of people to think about. I can empathize with that. We don't know exactly what this is going to look like in 5 or 10 years. And that's part of what has been built into the process is this review, to be sure that we are getting what we need out of it. And if not, let's continue to modify it until we do."
Keane agrees the yearly opportunity to tweak the Code will be key. He also says that this new Zoning Code is not just about building a more modern city. It's about building a stronger community.
"It's really about being a better place for people and a city that gets better and better with more people,” said Keane. “I mean, that's one of our goals here is because we're growing. We don't have a choice about that. You don't get to choose between growth and no growth. It's going to happen. So, we want the city to get better with more people. And we think the Zoning Ordinance definitely aligns us in a direction that will make that possible."
Council Member Stead also asked for everyone who works with the city on building anything, that you have a little patience for the next few weeks and months. This is not just a change for the people of Boise. It's also a massive change for the people who work at the City of Boise.
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