BOISE, Idaho — Dozens rallied outside of Boise City Hall on Saturday to call on Boise City Council to reject the city's proposed zoning code rewrite.
In April, the Boise Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approved the rewrite, which maps out the future design and development of the entire city. City officials say one of its themes is increasing density, which means more homes with smaller footprints.
Boise Planning & Zoning's recommendation was sent to city council, who will hear public testimony and make a decision the week of June 12.
Before that happens, Reject Boise Upzone, a group that's been vocal about concerns with the rewrite, held a rally to raise awareness ahead of the hearing.
"This will impact every resident of our city, whether you're in the upzone or whether you're not in the upzone," Mark Phillips of Reject Boise Upzone said.
An impact that Reject Boise Upzone says more Boiseans should have a voice in.
"In our experience, most Boiseans don't even know that this is happening," Phillips said.
The grassroots citizens group is calling for a delay on the zoning code decision until after Boise City Council district elections in November.
"Our general concern is - why the rush? We feel it is very disingenuous to be doing this upzone right before the 2023 redistricting goes into place," Phillips said. "Districts two, three and four in the city currently do not have elected representation, even though they will bear about 80% of the brunt of this impact. It's very concerning to us. Of course, we also speak for the voiceless, the elderly on fixed incomes, the lower income people, and we just want to have a voice for everyone."
One of the group's main concerns is housing density, they argue the zoning code rewrite singles out some neighborhoods that offer affordable housing.
Reject Boise Upzone says the changes would bring gentrification, higher rents and higher property taxes.
"Developers build new housing, and they never can build that new housing that is as affordable as what they've destroyed. It's very sad," Phillips said. "It's very well-known in the planning community that adding density will never give you affordability. Vancouver has quadrupled their density over the last few decades, and it's one of the most expensive cities in Canada."
Some groups, like Neighbors for Boise, disagree.
Earlier this week, 18 faith leaders affiliated with the housing advocacy group wrote a letter voicing their support for the zoning code rewrite. One of the letter's signees is Pastor Duane Anders from the Cathedral of the Rockies.
"The new code opens some doors for us in the city that are not there now," Anders said. "It allows us to move from duplexes to tri and quads. It allows us to build a little bit higher, it just creates some infill - and maybe we stop the sprawl in the valley, we keep the city a little tighter. And maybe it allows us to create some affordable housing in places that right now are no longer affordable."
The City of Boise zoning code was adopted in 1966, and hasn't seen any major changes since.
"The city has been working for a number of years, with constituents in the city having chances to respond and be active in the zoning rewrite," Anders said.
Both groups plan to speak in front of Boise City Council during public testimony on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"You might wonder why churches care about zoning, but we care about neighbors " Anders said. "Our whole focus is how do we love our neighbor, and so if we can't create places for affordable housing, then we can't be good neighbors."
Boise has made their executive summary of the zoning code public, available here. The full 611-page adoption draft can be viewed here.
"We all live in this city, we have an awesome city as it is," Phillips said. "We want to really keep it that way, and grow thoughtfully and consciously."
Hearings will take place at Boise City Hall in the Maryanne Jordan Council Chambers. Here is the schedule:
Presentation from staff and neighborhood associations:
- Monday, June 12: 4 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Public testimony:
- Tuesday, June 12: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Public testimony:
- Wednesday, June 14: 4 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Q&A, rebuttal, deliberations and decision:
- Thursday, June 15: 4 p.m. - 9 p.m.
The hearings will also be available to view through a live stream on the City of Boise Public Meetings YouTube channel.
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