Planning project · Planning application
Single-family home on foothills lot approved under hillside review
City staff approved a hillside review on July 31 for one new single-family house on a 0.2-acre lot. It revives a 2022 building permit that expired before construction began. A geotechnical report and engineered retaining walls may be required.
From the filing
The application's description as it appears in City of Boise's record. See the official record
Cat II Hillside for new Single Family Dwelling
Project name on file: 5544 N POLECAT LOFTS LN
Timeline
July 31, 2026
Planning Applications: Project Entitled
May 11, 2026
Pending Application Submittal: Planning Applications in Review
May 11, 2026
Concept Review Complete: CR Complete - Type 2
May 8, 2026
Concept Review Complete: Engineering Preview
May 8, 2026
Concept Review Complete: Engineering Preview Complete
A determination has been made that this project will be a Category II Hillside project due to slope, erosion-prone soils, unstable soils, earth movement, and other geologic and hydrologic hazards. In addition to the already submitted documents, additional documents may be required during the CFH Review process.Additional documents that you can expect to provide will be a site-specific geotechnical report with the possibility of a global slope stability analysis (please see the Agency Comment for Hillside Retaining Wall Permitting within this PLN); structural calculations for any retaining wall that is greater than four feet of height, more than one retaining wall when the horizontal interior distance between the retaining walls is less than 10 feet and the total of all retaining walls exceeds four feet in height, a retaining wall having a surcharge, having a backslope greater than three feet horizontal to one foot vertical, or that has structural components (these requirements will be assessed again at the time of occupancy); and civil plans.A subgrade inspection by a geotechnical firm will be required at the time of construction once the subgrade is exposed and prior to placement of foundation materials or forms/rebar. A report of the inspection will need to be submitted and accepted by PW Hillside before scheduling your inspection with the Building Department and receiving final occupancy.NOTE: The hazards of developing and building on property, especially in the Boise foothills, is well known. It is the responsibility of the applicant/owner’s design, geological, and engineering professionals, not the City, to identify, address, and mitigate any hazards to the site. Satisfying these Conditions of Approval is for limited [City purpose] only and should not be relied on for design, geological or engineering purposes. Developer will comply with all requirements of Boise City Hillside Development Code Sections or submit evidence satisfactory to the Boise City Engineer that the proposed development is exempt from the requirements therein stated due to location, topography and/or the absence of adverse conditions associated with slope stability, ground water, erosion and sedimentation.If you would like to discuss this determination, please contact us at HillsideDrainage@cityofboise.org or we can set up a meeting if you prefer.
May 7, 2026
Application Submittal: Online
May 7, 2026
Application filed
Documents
Site plans
- Download Site plan with existing conditions and utility notes
Site plan sheet with vicinity map, numbered notes on existing site improvements, ground contours, downspout and foundation drain routing, and utility layout.
May 7, 2026 · 1 page · 1.2 MB · PDS-Other Small Docs
Project narrative
- Download Concept review summary report
Advisory concept review notes for a re-submittal of an expired 2022 single-family residence permit, flagged as a Category II hillside project needing a geotechnical report and retaining wall documentation.
May 11, 2026 · 2 pages · 461 KB · PDS-Concept Review Summary Report
- Download Project description
Describes a resubmittal of a previously approved 2022 permit for a new detached single-family residence with garage, utilities, grading and drainage, after the original permit expired.
May 7, 2026 · 1 page · 94 KB · PDS-Other Small Docs
Application
- Download Planning project application for reactivating expired single-family permit
Re-submittal of a building permit approved in 2022 for a new single-family residence in R-1A zoning; the project was never built and the permit expired before work began.
May 7, 2026 · 2 pages · 158 KB · PDS-Application
- Download Hillside project questionnaire
Public Works questionnaire answered for a new dwelling and grading over 12 inches, with a retaining wall not exceeding 4 feet exposed and no new parcels or access road.
May 7, 2026 · 1 page · 678 KB · PDS-Other Small Docs
Correspondence
- Download Hillside retaining wall permitting guidance
Public Works guidance on when retaining walls in the hillside zone need a determination, slope stability analysis, and planning-code height and setback limits.
May 8, 2026 · 5 pages · 804 KB · PDS-Agency Comments
