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Boise denies state's parking garage appeal

Published: March 5, 2013 at 11:47 a.m. PSTUpdated: March 5, 2013 at 1:27 p.m. PST
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Proposed Capitol Mall parking garage at 6th and Washington in downtown Boise.

The state of Idaho failed to show Boise’s Design Review Committee erred when it rejected the state’s plans for a parking garage north of the Capitol, Planning and Zoning commissioners found Monday.

According to the Planning and Zoning commissioners,“the decision of the Design Review Committee was not inconsistent with the purpose and objectives of the (city's applicable) ordinance, does not place an unreasonable economic hardship on the applicant, does not interfere with the design integrity of the proposal, does not discriminate based upon the use of the property, does not include improper motive, and does not include any unwarranted restrictions.”

At a January hearing, members of the Design Review Committee said the proposed garage’s architecture is inconsistent with the surrounding area, and its landscaping, as planned, wouldn’t do enough to hide the structure from neighbors’ sight. The committee has accepted the garage’s proposed height while rejecting the design of the building and materials the state would use as out of character with the historic surrounding area.

It’s unclear if the state plans to appeal the Planning and Zoning finding to the next level, the City Council. Efforts to contact the state’s representative on the project were unsuccessful.

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