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River-Myrtle/Old Boise URD Projects Update

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News Update on CCDC Projects in the River-Myrtle/Old Boise URD

The city’s largest district, River-Myrtle/Old Boise is made up of two distinct zones: the areas adjacent to the Boise River, public parks, and the historic downtown section known as Old Boise.

5th & Front Streets – Hotel and Parking Garage – Participation Program (PP) Type 3, 5:  The hotel and garage components of the project are complete and are under review by the Agency for reimbursement.  The parking garage portion (540 total spaces) opened for customers in mid-March 2020.  CCDC began leasing 200 monthly, reserved spaces for public use starting May 1, 2020.  The CCDC Board approved an additional $90,000 in eligible expenses for a public art element at its December 2019 meeting.  After a formal selection process the ‘Pale Blue Dot’ art piece was approved at the December 2020 Board meeting.  Installation on the stairwell wall facing Front Street is scheduled for 2021.  Project Lead: Brady Shinn

200 W. Myrtle Street – Boise Caddis – PP Type 2:  Construction on the vertical core and shell portion of the Boise Caddis project continues. The project, scheduled to open in the summer of 2021, includes 160 rental units and 400 parking spaces. Ada County will purchase the parking garage for use by its nearby Courthouse complex workforce. The Type 2 Agreement includes approximately $1.2 million in eligible expenses for public improvements on 2nd, 3rd, and Myrtle Streets and a small portion of Broad Street. Reimbursement will come from tax increment revenue generated by the project. Project Lead: Alexandra Monjar

204 E. Myrtle Street – CDG Boise – PP Type 2: The Board designated this project for Type 2 funding at its November 2019 meeting. CDG Boise is building a 249-unit apartment building with 353 parking spaces, and has requested reimbursement for approximately $980,000 of public improvements including streetscapes and utility work. The Type 2 Agreement was approved at the December 2019 Board meeting. The project is finalizing permitting. Construction began January 2021 with an anticipated Certificate of Occupancy by Winter 2022.  Project Lead: Alexandra Monjar

406 W. Broad Street – Hearth (Formerly the Cartee) Apartments – PP Type 2:  This project includes 160 apartment units and 176 structured parking spaces.  Construction continues on the vertical core and shell. The agreement between CCDC and the developer contemplates approximately $1.3 million in eligible expenses to be reimbursed from project-generated tax increment revenue.  Project Lead: Alexandra Monjar

512 W. Grove Street – The Lucy – PP Type 2:  At its March 2020 meeting, the CCDC Board approved a Type 2 General Assistance Participation Agreement with 5th and Grove Investors, LLC. The project includes 114 for-rent apartments and 8,000 square feet of ground floor retail. Fifty of the apartment units will be dedicated to workforce housing, serving 120% AMI (area median income) and below. The project qualifies for Level A status and is eligible to receive 80% of the tax increment revenue it generates to reimburse Eligible Expenses. The project includes approximately $1 million in Eligible Expenses for public improvements along 5th Street, Grove Street and alley. It is estimated that tax increment revenue can reimburse approximately $700,000 of Eligible Expenses. CCDC will construct and pay for the already-planned Grove Street streetscape improvements currently in the Agency’s 5-year Capital Improvement Plan, accounting for approximately $347,000 in Eligible Expenses. If construction timelines do not align, CCDC will reimburse the developer for that work upon completion of the project and not through project-generated tax increment revenue. Those two sources will reimburse the developer for all of the project’s Eligible Expenses. The project is under construction with framing underway.  Project Lead: Alexandra Monjar

116 6th Street – Thomas Logan – PP Type 2: At its March 2020 meeting, the CCDC Board approved a Type 2 General Assistance Participation Agreement with the developers of the 6th & Grove project. This is a mixed-use residential and retail project being developed by Capital Partners, Galena Fund, and deChase Miksis. It will consist of 60 apartment units (income restricted and market rate), 5,000 square feet of retail and 9,000 square feet of office space. The project includes approximately $600,000 of Eligible Expenses for public improvements in the alley and streetscapes along Grove and 6th streets. Sixth Street improvements are included in CCDC’s Capital Improvement Plan and will be reimbursed upon completion. Grove Street improvements account for approximately $130,000 of Eligible Expenses. Depending on the timeline of design approval for Grove St and this project’s construction, CCDC or the developer will build the Grove Street streetscape and the expenses will be reimbursed with the Agency’s budget in the current CIP. The remainder of the Eligible Expenses will be reimbursed using tax increment revenue generated by the project between 2022 and 2025. These funding sources will reimburse the developer for all Eligible Expenses.  Footings, foundations, sitework, site prep, and mobilization began summer 2020, construction proceeding apace. An amendment to the Agreement is in-process to coordinate construction timing for CCDC Capital Improvement Plan projects. The Amendment will be presented to the Board upon completing coordination among the different projects since original timelines have shifted.  Project Lead: Alexandra Monjar

600 W. Front Street – The Vanguard – PP Type 2: Visum Development is constructing a 75-unit multi-family apartment building on the corner of 6th and Front streets (former Biz Print location). The CCDC Board designated this project for Type 2 funding at its November 2019 meeting. Visum has requested reimbursement for approximately $400,000 of public improvements, including streetscapes and utility work. The Type 2 Agreement was approved at the December 2019 Board meeting. Vertical construction continues with the core and shell in progress.  Project Lead: Alexandra Monjar

601 S. 8th Street – Mixed-Use with Public Parking – PP Type 3: Jordan-Wilcomb Construction is partnering with local developer Global Senior Housing on a mixed-use project that preliminarily includes office, retail, public parking and residential spaces. The residential portion will be Global Senior Housing’s specialty, an “Active Adult Community Platform” for 55+ year-old adults. Current use at the property is a vacant, one story building that previously housed the Foothills School for Arts and Sciences. CCDC is interested in potentially purchasing a parking condominium and providing public parking at the location. The project anticipates over 160 residential living spaces over 5 floors, 300 parking stalls, and over 20,000 sq ft of commercial and retail spaces. The project’s total development cost is estimated to be $53 million with construction expected to begin in 2021 and open by late 2022 or 2023. The project received Designation at the September 2020 Board Meeting. The Agency is negotiating the Letter of Intent as the developer finalizes anticipated costs.  Project Lead: Brady Shinn

5th St & Myrtle St – Signalized Crossing: This project seeks to install signal control on Myrtle Street at the 5th Street intersection to provide a safe crossing between Julia Davis Park and the Central Addition, and to extend the signal-coordinated calming of Myrtle Street. Kittelson & Associates has completed a preliminary traffic signal study and representatives of ACHD, City of Boise, CCDC, and ITD met in March 2020 to discuss next steps. CCDC and the City are working on a request to ITD outlining the rationale for a signal. Project Lead: Zach Piepmeyer

ParkBOI – Capitol & Myrtle Parking Garage – Agency Owned Property:  All light fixtures in the Capitol & Myrtle garage have been upgraded to LED. Project was completed on February 17, 2021.   Project Lead: Aaron Nelson 

505 W. Bannock St – 505 Bannock – T1 Designation: Local general contractor Visser Construction is building a three-story mixed-use property at the site of the former Wells Fargo bank branch. The project features over 11,000 sq ft of dining space between two restaurants, and 3,700 sq ft top floor office space. The project is an estimated $5.5 million in total development costs. The project requests reimbursement to replace the public improvements in its narrow storefront, as well as install a transformer on-site that will replace existing pole-mounted transformers in the alley right-of-way. Total anticipated reimbursement is over $80,000. Applicant is I M IRIE TWO LLC, the site owner’s controlling entity.  The Board approved the agreement on February 8, 2021. Construction on the project is wrapping up.  Project Lead: Alexandra Monjar

ParkBOI – 11th & Front Parking Garage – Agency Owned Property:  Additional suicide prevention signs have been added to top levels of garage.  Project Lead: Aaron Nelson

Grove Street – Multi-Block Improvement Project:  CCDC conducted an inclusive, community-driven visioning process to develop a place-making strategy for this site. The process began in June 2020 with a series of stakeholder visioning meetings to create a community-supported vision for the area. The public had several opportunities to engage in the visioning process through summer and fall. The visioning document was presented to the Board at its December 14, 2020 meeting. An RFQ for a professional design team to further the project has been issued and received. Jensen Belts Associates has been hired as the landscape architect of record and has started work on schematic design. An RFQ for CMGC selection was issued on February 25 and is due on March 17. Stakeholder meetings will resume the end of March to gather public feedback.  Project Leads: Karl Woods, Jordyn Neerdaels

Linen Blocks – W. Grove Street Improvements:  The Linen Blocks on Grove Street between 10th and 16th streets are being assessed for catalytic infrastructure improvements. CCDC kicked off an inclusive community-driven visioning process in September 2020 to develop a reinvestment strategy for that area. The first stakeholder visioning meeting took place on February 24 to start defining a community-supported vision for the area. A public survey is scheduled to launch the first week in March 2021.  Project Lead:  Amy Fimbel

Grove Street Pathway, 3rd Street to Broadway:  The Visioning Report produced through the Grove Street Old Boise Blocks concept effort confirmed that pedestrian activation of the Grove Street corridor is important and recommended an east-west bike/pedestrian connection from the intersection of 3rd/Grove to Broadway.  This project seeks to establish a non-motorized multi-use pathway generally aligned with the Grove Street corridor, connecting 3rd Street to Broadway at the recently installed enhanced pedestrian crossing to Dona Larsen Park.  The process will include concept work (i.e. alternatives analysis), public outreach, final design and construction.  Because no continuous public right-of-way exists within which to construct the pathway, close coordination with adjacent property owners will be important.  Agency initiated preliminary discussions with property owners and Agency partners.  An RFQ is being developed for design-related services.  It is anticipated that a consultant will be selected and project work will begin in spring of 2021.  Project Lead:  Zach Piepmeyer

Fulton Street Improvements, 9th Street to Capitol Blvd:  Between 2010 and 2016 the City and CCDC engaged in several planning efforts related to the southern end of 8th Street.  Out of those efforts, improvements to these two blocks of Fulton were recommended, emphasizing the corridor location at the center of the Arts & Cultural District and suggesting improvements that will facilitate street festivals and other public outdoor events such as theatre, dance and musical performances as well as outdoor markets.  This project will build upon previous planning efforts with a concept phase (alternatives analysis), public and stakeholder outreach, and final design through the remainder of FY21 and early FY22.  Construction is anticipated later in FY22.  An RFQ has been developed and provided to three on-call consultants with proposals due March 5.  Consultant design work will likely begin in April 2021.  Project Lead:  Zach Piepmeyer

RMOB Public Art – City of Boise Broad Street Sculpture – PP Type 4:  The new design concept was approved in October by the city’s Arts & History Commission.  Installation of the sculpture is anticipated in Spring/Early Summer 2021.  Project Lead: Karl Woods