1. Purpose: Specific Plan Districts provide a means to create new zoning regulations for unique areas and developments where other conventional zoning mechanisms cannot achieve the desired results. Specific plans shall implement and be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan including the Future Land Use Map and policies. The purpose of a Specific Plan is to create unique zoning regulations for the buildout of a community over time.
2. Scope:
A. Examples of Specific Plans: Specific Plans may take the form of mixed use districts and planned communities or planned development. Each Specific Plan has its own non-transferable set of regulations. The regulations may include zoning standards, design guidelines, a site plan, an infrastructure plan, a phasing plan, and other elements. Specific Plans are adopted into the Code by ordinance and become either the base zoning district or an overlay zoning district for the property.
B. Specific Plan Elements: A Specific Plan may include many different chapters with detailed standards for the issues addressed in each chapter. For example, a large, planned community Specific Plan may include a detailed land use plan with lotting patterns, building envelopes, and street networks. Detailed zoning standards could be included that address setbacks, building heights, mix of uses, and parking ratios. A design chapter could describe materials, architectural styles, and sign programs. A landscape section could address open space with a plant palette and irrigation plans. A transportation chapter could include roadway cross sections and streetscapes, pathways, or a public transportation or transportation management program. An infrastructure chapter could address the location, sizing and timing of sewer, water, fire, and other facilities. An environmental chapter could address water quality, riparian protection, revegetation of graded slopes and similar issues. A phasing chapter could identify how the construction would proceed and at which point in time certain infrastructure elements would be installed. A review process chapter could describe the specific review and approval process for individual phases within the project. In this case, the Specific Plan might constitute all aspects of project approval short of subdivision Final Plat approval.
3. Land Use Controls: The type of uses and amount of development in a SP district shall be as established by the Specific Plan. Pre-existing legal nonconforming uses shall be permitted in a SP district. Any permitted or conditional use may be included in a Specific Plan District.
4. Initiation: An amendment may be initiated by a property owner or authorized agent, the Planning and Zoning Commission, or City Council. If the property is not under a single ownership, the majority of ownership shall join in the application, and a map showing the extent of ownership shall be submitted with concept plans and materials. For the purposes of this Section, a majority of ownership shall be defined as either 75 percent of the affected owners or 75 percent of the affected land area. For projects larger than 200 acres, a neighborhood scoping meeting, per Section 11-05-04.3.B, Neighborhood Meeting, between the applicant and the City shall be conducted prior to application submittal to determine which supporting materials and specific plan elements shall be appropriate and required for the proposal.
5. Minimum Area Standards: The minimum area of a SP district shall be 20 acres.
6. Additional Eligibility Requirements: Each Specific Plan application shall include two of the following three elements, to be selected by the applicant:
A. Natural Systems: Commitments to permanently protect and manage open space, natural systems, and resources.
B. Housing Affordability: Commitments to deed restrict at least 10 percent of residential to households earning not more than 60 percent of the Area Median Income for the Boise area if the dwelling unit (s) is a rental unit; or 15 percent of residential units affordable to households earning no more than 120 percent of the Area Median Income if the dwelling unit(s) is a for-sale property, for a period of at least 20 years.
C. Sustainable Building Design: Commitments that the project will include conformance with sustainable building practices including Silver Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system or the adopted City of Boise Green Building Code. (Ord. 27-23, 7-18-2023, eff. 12-1-2023; amd. Ord. 43-23, 12-5-2023)