Boise’s City Council has at last given its blessing to the Catholic Diocese’s plans for a new office building near the North End.
The unanimous decision came Tuesday after months of contentious public hearings, conflict between Boise’s Catholic Diocese and the local neighborhood association, revised building plans, and threats of a lawsuit against the city.
The diocese had submitted an updated project proposal for a shorter building — about 45 feet tall instead of its previously proposed height of about 62 feet at its tallest point — that includes 1,000 square feet of commercial space on its ground floor. Plans for that commercial space are still in the works, but the diocese is considering a child care center, a Christian bookstore or a coffee shop, said attorney Deborah Nelson, the diocese’s representative.
The City Council’s decision resurrected a project that “could have died” after a public hearing in April , Council Member Luci Willits said Tuesday.