Planning commission approves variances for West Junior High subdivision, recommends plat to City Council

The Boise City Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 3 approved three variances and recommended a one‑lot subdivision at the West Junior High and Frank Church High School property, citing traffic and site constraints.

Planning staff said the application would create a 5.004‑acre lot carved from a 33.6‑acre parcel that contains the two school campuses. The proposal includes dedication of two rights of way — a 53‑foot right of way to the north (Pepper Street) and a 50‑foot right of way to the south — and asked for three variances: to omit detached sidewalks and landscape buffers along Milwaukee Street and Salt Creek Drive, and to deviate from the city’s electric‑vehicle (EV) parking requirement by installing conduit to enable future charging at 45 spaces rather than immediately equipping 20% of spaces.

Planning staff recommended approval of the variances with conditions, noting a hardship to protect mature trees along Milwaukee Street and the fact the proposed overflow parking lot is off‑site and separated from the school campus by a public street. Staff’s recommended conditions (and applicant agreements) included installing a 10‑foot detached sidewalk and 8‑foot landscape buffer along Trabuco Avenue and installing conduit to serve 45 EV‑capable spaces.

Applicant Justin Marais of JJ Howard Engineers told the commission the project is intended primarily to improve public infrastructure, reduce stacking at morning and afternoon pickups, and redirect bus traffic from Salt Creek Drive to the new Pepper Street. Marais said the team wants to preserve existing mature trees along Milwaukee Street and that negotiations with the adjacent developer to the north over sidewalk easements had not produced an agreement.

Tom Willis of Boise School District said the district had previously discussed an agreement with the northern developer to allow use of school property for a laydown yard as part of a shared improvement but that the developer later backed away from the arrangement.

Commissioners asked staff and the applicant detailed questions about which sidewalks would be attached or detached, how the right‑of‑way dedication would be split with the neighboring property, and whether the EV conduit requirement should be a condition of the variance or the subdivision. Staff clarified that preservation of attached sidewalks where necessary to protect trees and the required detached sidewalks on Trabuco and Pepper Street were built into the recommendation, and that the conduit requirement is a condition of the EV variance.

Commissioner Seha moved to approve the three variances; the motion was seconded and passed by roll call. The commission then voted to recommend approval of SUB25‑46 (the preliminary and final plat) to City Council with the staff condition requiring a 10‑foot detached sidewalk on Trabuco Avenue and the other standard staff conditions.

Both the variances and the recommendation to City Council carry conditions intended to balance pedestrian access, tree preservation and future EV readiness while allowing the roadway and parking improvements the applicant says are needed for school traffic circulation.

Further action: the subdivision recommendation goes to the Boise City Council; the approved variances are final unless appealed.