The Boise City Council will review reconsideration requests Tuesday on its decision to allow Interfaith Sanctuary’s relocation.
In April, the council overturned the Planning & Zoning Commission’s denial, allowing the homeless shelter a conditional use permit to open in the former Salvation Army site at 4306 W. State St.
One of the opposed neighborhood groups, the Veterans Park Neighborhood Association, said on Facebook this was the first step towards taking the issue to court.
“VPNA submitted a request for reconsideration today and, if denied, is committed to seeking judicial review under the Local Land Use Planning Act (LLUPA) to challenge this approval,” the association wrote.
An individual, Attorney Scott Rose, also submitted a request for consideration, according to city documents.
{p dir=”ltr”}”We’re just letting that process happen and we don’t really have any comment right now,” said Jodi Peterson-Stigers, executive director of Interfaith Sanctuary.
Rose’s request focused on State Street traffic dangers. The Veterans Park Neighborhood Association’s request alleged the decision to approve the shelter is unlawful. The request also included printed emails from a real estate agent who notified a seller that the buyers were withdrawing their offer because of the new shelter. The agent told the Idaho Press on Monday the shelter was part of their decision.
The home in question is less than a half-mile from the shelter and, according to Zillow, has a pending offer.
The requests do not require a public hearing, according to a city memo. The council will decide if the reconsiderations go forward, and if they do, a public hearing will take place. The council can reconsider a decision “for good cause,” including if the requesting party has relevant information that was not previously available or brought up at a previous hearing.
The Boise Planning & Zoning commission in January denied Interfaith Sanctuary’s conditional use permit at the State Street location, the Idaho Press previously reported. The commissioners said the shelter would “place an undue burden on public facilities,” was not a compatible use with the neighborhood and would adversely affect other property in the vicinity.
The Boise Police Department remained neutral, though both Boise police and fire departments said some calls for service would move with the shelter.
However, city of Boise Planning and Development Services staff wrote in a March memo that the commissioners had made mistakes.
Interfaith Sanctuary has been attempting to move from its downtown location for quite some time. The shelter filed an application for a conditional use permit in April 2021.
In April 2022, city council members voted 4-2 to approve the permit, though the council placed 30 conditions on the shelter’s operations.
The conditions include an 8 feet perimeter screen wall, limited evening check-in and no outdoor speakers and amplified music at night.
