Catholic Church’s proposed building draws criticism in Boise’s ‘gateway to the North End’

Residents of Boise’s North End neighborhood may soon see offices for Boise’s Roman Catholic Diocese going up on a lot that’s sat vacant for years. But the local neighborhood association isn’t happy.

The diocese is developing a three-story, 20,000-square-foot building at 902 N. 8th Street, which will serve as its chancery, or administrative offices. The site is across the street from the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, down the road from St. Joseph’s Catholic School and across the street from the Boise Co-op.

“Why this spot? Very simply: It is common for the administrative headquarters of a diocese to be located next to or near the cathedral,” Christian Welp, the church’s director of special projects, told the commission at a Planning and Zoning hearing on Monday.

In 2017, the lot was slated for a building that would have included 31 apartments and street-level retail. At the time, its developer went through a process with the city to get the lot rezoned – a process that resulted in an agreement about how the space would be used.

That project fell through, and the diocese bought the property in 2020. It is trying to use the same development agreement David Southers, the original developer, made with the city, but with some modifications, for what it says will be an office for 35 people, and occasionally a gathering place for diocese events.

North End Neighborhood Association objects

The move has drawn criticism from some residents and the local neighborhood association, given the changes in property ownership and type of development.

“It’s been six years since [the agreement] was issued,” Erik Hagen, the president of the North End Neighborhood Association, told the Idaho Statesman by phone. “That’s well beyond its lifetime, per city requirements. Most applications get expired within a year or two.”

“If a 6-year-old development agreement that was never adhered to, a change of ownership and change of product type doesn’t warrant a revisit of the development agreement process, I don’t know what would,” Hagen said.

The church, meanwhile, argues that the proposed changes to the type of project are relatively minor – that office space was one of the possible uses allowed under the previous development agreement, and that the building itself will be close enough in size to the previous proposal.

The development agreement “allows for several remedies, which includes requesting a modification of the agreement from City Council, which is what the applicant is doing,” City Planner David Moser argued at the hearing.

Church members back the building

At the hearing, several residents, many of whom identified themselves as members of the church, expressed support for the proposal, saying it would be visually appealing and is a logical use of the space, given the proximity to other church properties.

Others voiced concerns over the building’s proposed height – about 62 feet at its tallest point – and limited parking, saying it would loom over nearby buildings and further tax a neighborhood already beset by busy streets and parking shortages. Several questioned whether the building was an appropriate addition to an area they called the “gateway to the North End.”

At the hearing, commissioners came down on the side of the church. They approved a conditional-use permit to increase the building’s height and allow fewer parking spaces than zoning requires. They also recommended that the City Council approve a modified development agreement between the city and the developers about the use of the space.

The proposed development includes underground and surface parking, and plans for a shared parking agreement with nearby church properties.

Hagen said he plans to appeal the commission’s approval of the permit and make a case to the City Council to deny the church’s request to use the same agreement as the previous development at the site.

“I don’t mind the design. I don’t mind the use,” Hagen said. “It’s just basically the process.”

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