The Veterans Park Neighborhood Association Board is appealing the City of Boise’s approval for Interfaith Sanctuary's move to State Street.
Last January, the shelter was denied a conditional use permit by the Planning and Zoning Commission. It then appealed to the Boise City Council which reversed the decision, allowing Interfaith to continue planning the move to the new location.
Katy Decker, the head of the neighborhood association, said they have concerns over the process that allowed for the reversal.
City Council overturned the initial denial of the application by Planning and Zoning using new information that the public didn’t have an opportunity to counteract, she said
“We weren't able to review that and provide a response that allows us to be meaningfully heard per the code,” Decker said.
The association believes the council couldn’t prove the shelter would not have a negative impact on the neighborhood “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“Staff provided their personal assessments and didn't have any evidentiary support included in the record to back those up,” she said.
Jodi Peterson-Stigers, the Director of Interfaith Sanctuary, says the appeal is a conversation between the City of Boise and the Veterans Park Neighborhood Association.
“It does not in any way stop or make void our approved conditional use permit,” Peterson-Stigers said.
“For now, we just move forward.”
She added that Interfaith will continue to work with architects to design the shelter.
If a judge determines the neighborhood association’s complaint is valid, they will halt the process once again.
In the meantime, Peterson-Stigers said they will submit the new building drawings for design review by August 2.
