CCDC June Board Meeting Recap: Boise on the Blocks and Continued Commitment to Increased Housing
June 9, 2020June 9, 2020 – The CCDC Board of Commissioners welcomed a new board member during June’s virtual board meeting. Danielle Hurd joins the volunteer board as the ninth commissioner and fills the final vacancy. Commissioner Hurd is currently the executive director for the American Institute of Architects’ northwest chapter. Boise Mayor Lauren McLean nominated Hurd for the position, and the nomination was confirmed by Boise City Council last week.
CCDC Board Meetings are open, public meetings. Since 2017, public access online has been available through a livestream link to provide greater equity and access to information on CCDC projects and the decisions our Board of Commissioners make. The viewing link is available through the CCDC Meeting Portal and CCDC’s Facebook page. Following each meeting, the livestream video, meeting records and materials are posted on the CCDC website–available to anyone at any time. Viewers Note: Some internet browser setting may cache a previous livestream link. If you receive an error message, please refresh your browser.
During CCDC’s third virtual meeting, board members heard about “Boise on the Block,” from the Downtown Boise Association’s executive director, Jennifer Hensley. This business-led economic recovery effort expands patios to increase physical space for customers in downtown Boise bars and restaurants. CCDC is providing financial assistance with temporary infrastructure, promotion, and signage costs to offer some economic relief to existing local businesses as well as a needed boost to downtown commerce. 8th Street opened expanded patios on Thursday June 4 and plans to expand the program to areas such as Broad Street, BoDo, and the Basque Block could be approved as soon as next week.
“We are incredibly thankful for CCDC’s partnership in the patio extension project,” said Jennifer Hensley. “Roughly 75 establishments throughout downtown will have a better opportunity to recover – not just survive – due to these expanded patios and the comfort they provide patrons. This is a time when we all need to come together and support each other, and the CCDC team jumped at this opportunity, and we could not be more appreciative.”
In addition, the CCDC Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the purchase of a half-acre parcel at 1721 (formerly 1715) W. Idaho Street. The currently vacant and underutilized parcel is located within CCDC’s Westside District and has some redevelopment barriers, such as encroachments and soil remediation. Commissioners remarked on the property’s potential to increase housing supply near downtown jobs and services. Through public and private partnerships, CCDC has successfully redeveloped underutilized parcels with housing for a mix of income levels using a competitive proposal process, most recently Ash Street Townhomes.
CCDC’s July Board meeting is scheduled to take place on July 13, 2020 at 12:00pm in the same virtual format as social distancing protocols are still in place.