Housing Bonus Ordinance

Housing Choice Matters

A City for Everyone includes housing options at price points affordable to all who choose to call Boise home. The Housing Bonus Ordinance is a necessary tool in the City of Boise’s comprehensive approach to housing affordability. It helps increase the number of affordable units, targets areas for housing growth and preserve existing buildings to expand housing supply.

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Incentives

The Housing Bonus Ordinance offers incentives to property owners who:

Develop or preserve affordable housing
Develop housing along designated roadways and/or activity centers
Reuse an existing building/structure for affordable housing

Property owners who meet these criteria may be eligible for the following incentives:

Density flexibility
Additional building height
Parking reduction
Streamlined review process

View the Story Map to see the designated areas across the city where the different incentives apply.

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How We Got Here

In 2018 and 2019, the City of Boise conducted a series of strategic planning sessions with the community to better understand the dynamics of housing in our city, including areas of opportunities, resident needs and current gaps in the city’s housing strategy. Housing affordability was the main concern. This tool is one of several the City of Boise is investing in to improve housing affordability in our community.

The Housing Bonus Ordinance adds a new section into Boise City Code Chapter 11-06-03.4. It was approved by Boise Mayor and City Council on January 12, 2021 and went into effect on February 15, 2021.

For more information on the Housing Bonus Ordinance, please contact us.

Applicable Zones and Incentives

	Public Benefit	Applicable Zones learn more about each zone	Incentive
(1) Affordable Housing Bonus	10-20% of the proposed housing is income-restricted Income Guidelines	R-3 N-0, L-0 PC C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4	Streamlined process for projects containing less than 25 dwelling units Density Flexibility *Additional Building Height (not applicable for projects in the R-3 zone) 20% Parking Reduction
(2) Activity Center Supportive Housing Bonus	Project is located 1/8 mile from a designated community activity center or 1/4 mile from a designated regional activity center	R-3 N-0, L-0 PC C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4	Density Flexibility *Additional Building Height (not applicable for projects in the R-3 zone) 10% Parking Reduction
(3) Adaptive Reuse Housing Bonus	Reuse of an existing structure	R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, R-1M, R-2, R-3 N-0, L-0 PC C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4	50% Parking Reduction
(4) Affordable Housing and Activity Center Supportive Housing Bonuses	10-20% of proposed housing is income-restricted AND projected is located 1/8 mile from a designated community activity center or 1/4 mile from a designated regional activity center Income Guidelines	R-3 N-0, L-0 PC C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4	Streamlined Process Density Flexibility *Additional Building Height (not applicable for projects in the R-3 zone) Up to a 30% Parking Reduction
(5) Affordable Housing and Adaptive Reuse Bonuses	10-20% of proposed housing is income-restricted AND reuse of an existing structure Income Guidelines	R-3 N-0, L-0 PC C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4	Streamlined Process Density Flexibility *Additional Building Height (not applicable for projects in the R-3 zone) 50% Parking Reduction

*Any portion of the structure located directly touching, across the street or across the alley to a residential zoning district containing a detached single-family or duplex dwelling shall have a maximum height of 35 feet for a minimum of 10 feet beyond the applicable side or rear setback.

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