Skip to content

Foothills/hillside · Planning application

Single-family home on foothills lot approved with conditions

The city approved a hillside permit for one new home on a 0.2-acre lot, covering grading and retaining walls. The home is capped at 35 feet tall, and stormwater must stay on the lot or go to the street drainage. It renews a project first approved in 2022.

ApprovedCFH26-00041Filed May 11, 2026Collister · 5544 N Polecat Lofts Ln+1 related filing
Site plan for Single-family home on foothills lot approved with conditions
Site plan from the application documents.
Pin at the reported location; the shaded outline is the primary parcel (Ada County).

From the filing

The application's description as it appears in City of Boise's record. See the official record

A new single-family home is approved at 5544 N Polecat Lofts Lane in Boise's foothills. The lot slopes up from the road, and the project needs a hillside permit because of the grading and retaining walls planned in the side and rear yards.

Cat II Hillside for new Single Family Dwelling

Project name on file: 5544 N POLECAT LOFTS LN

Timeline

  1. Aug. 12, 2026

    Review Complete: Completed

  2. Aug. 11, 2026

    Appeal Period: Completed

  3. Aug. 11, 2026

    Planning and Zoning: Complete

  4. July 31, 2026

    Review Complete: Completed

  5. July 14, 2026

    Planning and Zoning: In Review

    Waiting for PW Hillside review to be completed

  6. July 14, 2026

    Planning and Zoning: Notes

    Waiting on PW Hillside Department review

  7. July 14, 2026

    Planning and Zoning: Complete

  8. June 22, 2026

    Planning and Zoning: In Review

  9. June 22, 2026

    Assign Reviewers: Completed

  10. June 15, 2026

    Review Complete: Corrections Required

  11. June 15, 2026

    Planning and Zoning: Corrections Required

  12. May 28, 2026

    Planning and Zoning: In Review

  13. May 28, 2026

    Assign Reviewers: Completed

  14. May 18, 2026

    Fee Payment: Payment Received

  15. May 18, 2026

    Prescreen Review: Passed

  16. May 18, 2026

    Prescreen Review: In Progress

  17. May 13, 2026

    Prescreen Review: Corrections Required

  18. May 12, 2026

    Prescreen Review: In Progress

  19. May 12, 2026

    Application Submittal: ePlanReview

    Marking status as ePlanReview to generate case.

  20. May 11, 2026

    Application filed

Documents

Site plans

  • Revised site plan dated June 22, 2026, bearing a digital engineer's signature dated June 18, 2026.

    June 22, 2026 · 1 page · 1.2 MB · PDS-Maps and Drawings

    Download Revised site plan
  • May 30, 2026 · 1 page · 1.2 MB · PDS-Maps and Drawings

    Download Site plan

Plans

  • Revised drainage plan dated June 22, 2026, bearing a digital engineer's signature dated June 18, 2026.

    June 22, 2026 · 1 page · 850 KB · PDS-Maps and Drawings

    Download Revised drainage plan
  • Revised erosion control plan dated June 22, 2026, bearing an engineer's digital signature dated June 18, 2026.

    June 22, 2026 · 1 page · 1.4 MB · PDS-Maps and Drawings

    Download Revised erosion plan
  • Revised grading plan dated June 22, 2026, bearing a digital engineer's signature stamp dated June 18, 2026.

    June 22, 2026 · 1 page · 852 KB · PDS-Maps and Drawings

    Download Revised grading plan
  • Revised retaining wall profile sheet, dated June 22, 2026, bearing a digital engineer's signature dated June 18, 2026.

    June 22, 2026 · 1 page · 579 KB · PDS-Maps and Drawings

    Download Revised retaining wall profile
  • Site cross section drawing, digitally signed by a licensed engineer and dated June 22, 2026.

    June 22, 2026 · 1 page · 301 KB · PDS-Maps and Drawings

    Download Site cross section
  • Architectural elevation drawings (sheet A-2.01) for Lot 8, showing exterior materials and wall-panel percentages for the south, east and north sides.

    May 30, 2026 · 2 pages · 1.2 MB · PDS-Maps and Drawings

    Download Building elevations, south, east and north
  • Architectural floor plan sheets for the residence, showing room layouts, dimensions, window and door schedules, and sheet references, dated May 2026.

    May 30, 2026 · 3 pages · 569 KB · PDS-Maps and Drawings

    Download Floor plans (first floor and upper level)
  • Single-page grading plan bearing an engineer's digital signature dated May 7, 2026.

    May 30, 2026 · 1 page · 842 KB · PDS-Maps and Drawings

    Download Grading plan
  • Architectural floor plan sheets with scale, drawing, and project notes; the text is mostly dimensions and room labels, so the fire flow content is not evident from the extracted text.

    May 30, 2026 · 3 pages · 569 KB · PDS-Other Small Docs

    Download Fire flow information floor plan sheets

Project narrative

  • Applicant's letter requesting reinstatement or reapproval of a 2022 single-family residence permit that expired before construction was completed, citing delays and stating the design is substantially unchanged.

    May 30, 2026 · 1 page · 107 KB · PDS-Letter of Intent

    Download Letter of intent for reinstating expired single-family residence approval

Decisions

Notices

  • Notice of approval for a Category II hillside development permit covering grading and retaining walls for a new single-family house, with an appeal deadline of August 10, 2026.

    July 31, 2026 · 2 pages · 830 KB · PDS-Legal Notice

    Download Notice of approval with corrected appeal deadline
  • Approval notice for a Category II Hillside Development permit covering grading and retaining walls for a new single-family house, with an appeal deadline of August 7, 2026.

    July 29, 2026 · 2 pages · 784 KB · PDS-Legal Notice

    Download Notice of approval for hillside development permit

Application

  • Category II hillside application for a single-family dwelling on a single residential lot, with applicant and owner information and submittal requirements.

    Aug. 5, 2026 · 2 pages · 199 KB · PDS-Application

    Download Hillside and foothills development application

Studies and reports

  • Atlas letter confirming the site is suitable for the planned construction, based on review of the grading and drainage plans dated May 7, 2026.

    June 22, 2026 · 1 page · 273 KB · PDS-Other Small Docs

    Download Geotechnical site suitability letter
  • Engineer's calculations for a boulder retaining wall at the pond area, covering soil and boulder properties, earth pressures, and overturning, sliding and bearing checks for a submerged condition.

    June 22, 2026 · 4 pages · 446 KB · PDS-Other Small Docs

    Download Pond area retaining wall stability calculations
  • Engineer's calculations for a boulder retaining wall, covering soil and boulder properties, earth pressure, overturning and sliding factors of safety.

    June 22, 2026 · 4 pages · 271 KB · PDS-Other Small Docs

    Download Retaining wall structural calculations
  • Atlas Technical Consultants soils exploration and foundation evaluation for three residential lots, with recommendations for foundation design.

    May 30, 2026 · 32 pages · 2.5 MB · PDS-Other Small Docs

    Download Geotechnical investigation for proposed residences

Photos

  • Two photos of the site, one taken from the future driveway entry and one from the street below.

    May 30, 2026 · 2 pages · 3.2 MB · PDS-Photos

    Download Site photos

Correspondence

  • Fire department approval subject to wildland-urban interface defensible space rules, open flame restrictions, and construction requirements for a single-family residence.

    July 24, 2026 · 2 pages · 410 KB · PDS-Agency Comments

    Download Boise Fire Department comments letter
  • Boise Parks and Recreation has no comments on existing trees but strongly recommends the applicant submit a landscape plan with new trees per Wildland Urban Interface guidance.

    July 24, 2026 · 1 page · 58 KB · PDS-Agency Comments

    Download Parks and Recreation Department comments
  • Public Works staff finds the single-family dwelling proposal meets hillside approval criteria for grading, drainage and soil stability, provided the geotechnical report is followed.

    July 24, 2026 · 3 pages · 148 KB · PDS-Agency Comments

    Download Public Works hillside and drainage comments
  • Public Works states sanitary sewer connection is required upon development, notes possible sewer capacity fees at building permit, and conditions final sewer plan approval.

    July 24, 2026 · 1 page · 65 KB · PDS-Agency Comments

    Download Public Works sewer comments

Other documents

  • Noticing radius map

    Map showing the area within the notice radius for neighboring property owners who were sent notice of the application.

    July 29, 2026 · 543 KB · PDS-Maps and Drawings

  • Agency transmittal

    June 1, 2026 · 130 KB · PDS-Transmittal Agencies

  • Checklist answers on whether the project involves a new dwelling, grading over 12 inches, and retaining walls, with no new parcels, additions, or access roads.

    May 30, 2026 · 1 page · 680 KB · PDS-Other Small Docs

    Download Public Works hillside project questionnaire
  • Statement of legal interest

    May 30, 2026 · 158 KB · PDS-Statement of Legal Interest

  • Submittal checklist

    May 30, 2026 · 843 KB · PDS-Submittal Checklist

  • Fee receipt

    May 18, 2026 · 134 KB · PDS-Receipts

Nearby

The Boise Builds daily briefing

Every new planning application in the Treasure Valley, and every filing that changed, in one email each morning. See a sample

Free. One email a day, only when something is new. Unsubscribe anytime.