Development Applications in the Highlands Neighborhood
This is an outline on how development application process works in the City of Boise.
- Annexation:
- If the land is adjacent to the City, but not within the city, it is considered to be in the “Impact Zone” of the city.
- Ada County requires the developer to ask the City of Boise to annex the land into the city before the county will consider a development application.
- Much of the undeveloped land in the Highlands Neighborhood is in this “Impact Zone”
- The basis for this law is that the City of Boise will probably be supplying the services to this land when it is developed, so the city should have say on how it is developed.
- If the city declines to annex the land, then the developer applies to the county.
- The remainder of this outline assumes the land is in Boise City.
- Boise Planning and Development Services
- Boise requires developers to have preliminary meetings with landowners and residents within 300 feet of any proposed development, prior to formal application to the city. The idea is that this meeting might modify what the developer is planning.
- Development Applications for Highlands Neighborhood
- Multiple Forms
- Annexation and Rezone
- Preliminary Plat - diagram of proposed lots
- Hillside and Foothills Development
- Required for areas with slopes
- Concerned with engineering, erosion, revegetation
- Planned Unit Development
- Form of Conditional Use Permit
- Allow for more flexibility in interpretation of zoning requirements
- Essentially used for all Foothills applications
- Subdivision Application
- All application material is on the Planning and Development website (http://pdsonline.cityofboise.org/pdsonline/)
- Foothills Planned Development Standards
- Part of Zoning Ordinance that specifically controls development in the Foothills
- Not applicable to all Foothills lands, but clearly to those where annexation or rezone applies.
- Timelines/Process
- Boise City Planning & Zoning Commission Public Hearing
- Usually 6-8 weeks after application filed
- Planning and Development Staff author a report with recommendations
- Given to commissioners five days before the hearing
- Written public comments can be included if sent in five days before the hearing
- Agency (ACHD, Fire, Parks and Recreation, Sewer) reports and recommendations are included with the staff report
- At the hearing, public testimony is allowed:
- Developer is allotted 30 minutes, and ten minutes rebuttal
- The Neighborhood Association is allotted 30 minutes
- Individual citizens can present for three minutes, by signing up at the time of the hearing.
- Planning and Zoning Commission decisions are made at time of hearing
- If approved, the preliminary plat still has to go to City Council for final approval
- If denied, the developer has ten days to file for an appeal to the City Council. If approved, individuals affected by the development also have ten days to file an appeal.
- Appeals are generally heard by the City Council 6-8 weeks after the P&Z Public Hearing.
- Boise City Planning & Zoning Commission Public Hearing
Additional sites that may be valuable:
http://pds.cityofboise.org/planning/comp/blueprint-boise/ ("Blueprint Boise" The Comprehensive Plan)
http://pds.cityofboise.org/media/151889/Blueprint_4.5.pdf (Chapter 4 - Foothills Specific Portion of Blueprint Boise)
http://cityclerk.cityofboise.org/media/262806/11-entire-code.pdf (Boise Zoning Ordinances)