CCDC Redevelopment Project Named Finalist for Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable Housing Award
July 28, 2021
BOISE, Idaho – Wednesday, July 28, 2021 – A recent infill housing project led by Capital City Development Corp, Boise’s redevelopment agency, is a finalist for one of the nation’s top residential awards. The Urban Land Institute has announced 16 finalists for this year’s Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Awards. Ash+River Townhomes in downtown Boise stands among the national finalists as exemplary affordable housing solutions in their communities. The award is given annually by ULI’s Terwilliger Center for Housing to workforce housing projects that highlight achievements in multiple areas. Criteria includes affordability, innovative financing, quality of design, proximity to employment centers and transportation hubs, and involvement of public/private partnerships.
“It’s a great honor to have our project nationally recognized as one of the elite workforce housing developments,” said John Brunelle, executive director at CCDC. “By partnering with the private sector the agency has helped bring hundreds of residential units to market. Ash and River was a special collaboration and introduced a unique rental housing model to Boise.”
Located in downtown Boise’s historic River Street Neighborhood, Ash+River includes 34 units in a three-story mix of townhouses and flats, generous open space, and commercial space for a locally-owned coffee shop. The adjacent Pioneer Pathway, also designed and constructed by CCDC, provides residents with easy access to the Boise River and the city’s 26-mile greenbelt recreation area. The design of Ash+River pays homage to the important history of the neighborhood, a working-class section of the city that was home to many immigrants including Asian, Greek, and Basque. By the 1930s, the neighborhood housed about 80 African American families. The Hayman family arrived there in the 1930s, and Erma Hayman lived in the house until her death in 2009. CCDC acquired the property at that time and carefully maintained the site and preserving the home. It has been gifted to the City’s cultural sites program.
Local developer deChase Miksis partnered with CCDC to create Ash+River following a competitive public process. CCDC issued a Request for Qualifications/Proposals (RFQ/P) in 2016 for a workforce housing development that integrated well with the surrounding neighborhood. CCDC’s Board of Commissioners selected deChase Miksis and a development plan was successfully negotiated in 2017. Final construction was completed in 2019. Ash+River has been near capacity since shortly after its opening, providing an important rental opportunity for Boise’s workforce during a challenging period in the housing market.
CCDC remains focused on catalyzing residential development in downtown Boise for its growing workforce. CCDC is currently accepting proposals for the Block 68 Catalytic Redevelopment RFP, which seeks to provide a minimum of 225 housing units for a mix of income levels. This is the fourth time CCDC has employed the public disposition and development agreement process since 2014, with the most recent project being the 1721 W. Idaho Street Housing Infill Project. CCDC RFP’s have led to the construction of other mixed-use developments including The Afton Condominiums and The Watercooler Live/Work building and Txikiteo Restaurant.
About Capital City Development Corporation:
Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC) is the redevelopment and urban renewal agency for Boise, Idaho, founded by the City of Boise in 1965. Today, CCDC is a public redevelopment agency serving as a catalyst for quality private development through urban design, economic development and infrastructure investment with a goal of igniting diverse economic growth, building attractive urban centers, and promoting healthy community design. www.ccdcboise.com.
Contact:
Jordyn Neerdaels, Capital City Development Corporation
208-319-1220, jneerdaels@ccdcboise.com