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River-Myrtle/Old Boise URD Projects Update

August 9, 2021

News & Notes

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.

Economic Development

5th & Front Streets – Hotel and Parking Garage – Participation Program (PP) Type 3, 5:  CCDC leases 200 monthly, reserved spaces for public use.  Installation of the ‘‘Pale Blue Dot”, for which the CCDC Board previously approved and authorized $90,000 in assistance, is scheduled to begin September 2021. Upon completion of the art installation’s cost documentation, the Agency will reimburse actual Eligible Expenses up to $90,000  Project Lead: Brady Shinn

200 W. Myrtle Street – Jules on 3rd (formerly Boise Caddis) – PP Type 2:  Residents on finished floors are moving in as finishing work wraps up on other floors and common areas.  The building includes 160 for-rent apartments and 400 parking spaces owned by Ada County.  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. The Agency expects to receive cost documentation from the developer in the next couple of months. Project Lead: Alexandra Monjar

204 E. Myrtle Street – CDG Boise – PP Type 2: The Board approved this project for Type 2 assistance in December 2019. CDG Boise is building a 249-unit apartment building with 353 parking spaces. CCDC will reimburse approximately $980,000 of public improvements including streetscapes and utility work. The developer expects to complete construction in late 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 and approximately $1.3 million in eligible expenses for streetscape improvements and utility upgrades.  The developer anticipates completion in Fall 2021.Project Lead: Alexandra Monjar

512 W. Grove Street – The Lucy – PP Type 2:  This project includes 114 apartments and 8,000 square feet of ground floor retail. Fifty of the units will be dedicated to workforce housing, serving households earning 120% Area Median Income (AMI) and below. The CCDC Board approved a Type 2 General Assistance Participation Agreement with 5th and Grove Investors, LLC at its March 2020 meeting to reimburse approximately $1 million in Eligible Expenses for public improvements along 5th Street, Grove Street and the alley. With changes in timelines for CCDC’s Grove Street project since this Agreement was originally signed, CCDC and the Developer are coordinating the construction and reimbursement for Grove Street Streetscapes, with an amendment on the Board’s August agenda. The developer expects to complete the project in October 2021.  Project Lead: Alexandra Monjar

116 6th Street – Thomas Logan – PP Type 2: This will be a mixed-use residential and retail project consisting of 60 apartments, including income restricted and market rate units, 5,000 square feet of retail and 9,000 square feet of office space. The CCDC Board approved a Type 2 General Assistance Participation Agreement with development partners Capital Partners, Galena Fund, and deChase Miksis at its March 2020 meeting approving reimbursement for approximately $600,000 of Eligible Expenses for public improvements in the alley and streetscapes along Grove and Sixth streets. An amendment to the Agreement is on the Board’s August agenda to coordinate construction timing for CCDC’s Old Boise Blocks on Grove Street Streetscapes project. Project Lead: Alexandra Monjar

600 W. Front Street – The Vanguard – PP Type 2: Visum Development is constructing a 75-unit apartment building on the corner of 6th and Front Streets (former Biz Print location). The CCDC Board approved this project for Type 2 assistance at its December 2019 meeting. Visum has requested reimbursement for approximately $400,000 of public improvements, including streetscapes and utility work. Construction is ongoing and the developer plans to complete the project in September 2021.  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 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 due primarily to its proximity to the main Library!. The project anticipates over 160 residential living spaces over five floors, 300 parking stalls, and over 20,000 square feet of commercial and retail spaces. The project’s total development cost is estimated to be $53 million with construction anticipated to begin in 2021 and open by late 2022 or early 2023. The CCDC Board approved designation of the project for Type 3 participation assistance at the September 2020 Board meeting, and authorized the Executive Director to execute a Letter of Intent at the February 2021 Board meeting. The Developer is working to complete all information required for a Type 3 Transformative Assistance project details. Project Lead: Brady Shinn

Infrastructure

11th Street Bikeway & Streetscape Improvements – Grove Street to River Street:  This project combines the installation of bikeway infrastructure, streetscape improvements, ACHD planned pavement rehabilitation, and stormwater infrastructure upgrades. A full report can be found under the Westside District. Project Lead: Amy Fimbel

Mobility

5th St & Myrtle St – Signalized Crossing: This project anticipates installing a traffic signal 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 traffic calming of Myrtle Street. Kittelson & Associates completed a traffic signal warrant analysis for this project, which CCDC submitted to ITD on July 15, 2021 with a formal request to allow signalization of the intersection. Project Lead: Zach Piepmeyer

505 W. Bannock St – 505 Bannock – T1 Designation: Local general contractor Visser Construction has built 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 Board approved a Type 1 Agreement with developer I M IRIE TWO LLC in February 2021. Construction is complete and the Agency is working to obtain cost documentation for reimbursement for approximately $100,000 in eligible expenses for streetscape and utility improvements by the end of FY21. Project Lead: Alexandra Monjar

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

Place Making

Grove Street Old Boise Blocks – 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. Agency presented the visioning documents to the Board at its December 14, 2020 meeting. The Agency selected Jensen Belts Associates in February as the Landscape Architect of Record for the project following an RFQ process. The Board approved the ranking of Guho Corp as the selected CM/GC for the project at the April Board meeting.  Stakeholder meetings have been completed. The project was presented to City Council July 20. CCDC is waiting on direction from the Mayor’s Office to assess requested modifications to the streetscape design.  Project Leads: Karl Woods, Jordyn Neerdaels

Linen Blocks – W. Grove Street Improvements:  This project assesses the Linen Blocks on Grove Street between 10th and 16th streets for catalytic infrastructure improvements. CCDC conducted an inclusive, community-driven visioning process for the Linen Blocks on Grove St from September 2020 to June 2021. The process included a series of stakeholder visioning meetings and public surveys. CCDC will present the visioning document to the Board at its August 9, 2021 meeting. CCDC Board approved GGLO’s initial design task order at the July 12, 2021 Board meeting. Concept refinement and design will occur throughout the remainder of 2021 and early part of 2022 with construction anticipated in 2022/2023. A public open house for feedback on design alternatives is anticipated in late August 2021.  Project Lead:  Amy Fimbel

Grove Street Pathway, 3rd Street to Broadway:  This project anticipates constructing 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. As recommended in the 2020 Old Boise Blocks Visioning Report, pedestrian activation and connectivity through the Grove Street corridor (including connectivity to Broadway Ave) is important to stakeholders and the public. The project 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.  CCDC has initiated preliminary discussions with property owners and agency partners.  Agency is developing an RFQ for design-related services.  Consultant selection and design work is anticipated to begin fall 2021.  Project Lead:  Zach Piepmeyer

Fulton Street Improvements, 9th Street to Capitol Blvd:  This project intends to improve Fulton Street between 9th Street and Capitol Blvd.  Between 2010 and 2016 the City and CCDC engaged in several planning efforts related to the southern end of 8th Street and Fulton Street.  These efforts recommended improvements to these two blocks of Fulton Street, emphasizing the corridor location as the center of the City’s Cultural District.  Improvements were suggested which will facilitate street festivals and other public outdoor special events such as theatre, dance and musical performances as well as outdoor markets.  CCDC selected The Land Group to perform consultant design services for the project.  Topographic Survey of the project area is completed and the design team is engaging with property owners and public agency partners in a preliminary outreach effort.  An initial public survey for this project is anticipated to be distributed to the public in mid-August 2021.  Project Lead:  Zach Piepmeyer

Special Projects

RMOB Public Art – City of Boise Broad Street Sculpture – PP Type 4:  The Arts & History Commission approved the design in October 2020. CCDC supported the project through funding and involvement in the selection process.  Installation of the sculpture is anticipated in August 2021.  Project Lead: Karl Woods