Westside Projects Update
June 11, 2020News Update on CCDC Projects in the Westside URD
The Westside includes a portion of the downtown core, a residential neighborhood to the west, and the burgeoning Linen District with an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants. Read below for an update of current projects happening within the Westside Urban Renewal District.
1010 W. Jefferson St – 10Ten Building – Agency-Owned Property: No notable maintenance issues.
421 N. 10th St – ISG/BSN Building – Agency Owned Property: No notable maintenance issues.
11th Street Streetscape – Washington Street to Grove Street: These streetscape improvements are planned for construction in FY2023. To maximize public investment, the Agency is working closely with ACHD on its 11th Street bikeway facilities project. To ensure that cooperative and coordinated solutions are developed by ACHD and the Agency in their respective planning processes, CCDC is conducting planning and design on a similar schedule to ACHD.
1111 Idaho St – 11th & Idaho Building – PP Type 2: This nine-story, Class A office building is being developed by Rafanelli and Nahas using the internationally recognized architecture firm Perkins + Will. The site is adjacent to the future Westside Urban Park and is being designed to complement the existing Boise Plaza office building on the adjacent block to the north. The development was designated as a Type 2 Participation Project in July 2019. The final agreement was presented to the Board in August 2019. Construction is underway. CCDC will reimburse the developers for public improvements being completed along Idaho and 11th streets. The reimbursement will be based on actual expenses and will not exceed $740,690.
1015 W Main Street – 11th and Main Apartments – PP Type 1: Seattle’s Revolve Development is seeking Designation for a Type 1 project at the June 8, 2020 Board meeting. Revolve has purchased part of the former Safari Inn, located at 1015 W. Main Street. Revolve is redeveloping the 11th and Main building, transforming it from a 43-room hotel into 41 residential apartments, mostly studio units. Additionally, a teak-wood lattice façade will be added onto the existing stucco exterior walls. The development seeks reimbursement for replacing the 11th Street alley drive-ramp. The reimbursement will be based on actual expenses and will not exceed $23,000 pending final confirmed work scope.
Westside District – Consolidated Newspaper Racks: The Agency is assisting the City of Boise in locating and installing consolidated news racks downtown to ensure sidewalk accessibility, reduce clutter and damage to individual racks. Guho Corp has completed all but two of the planned installations: on Bannock Street between 12th and 13th streets due to the closure of the former Greyhound bus terminal; on 10th Street between Main and Idaho streets due to business concerns and questions over whether the unregulated boxes there are still in use. The City Council approved a news rack ordinance on May 5, 2020. The old boxes will be removed and publications moved into the new racks.
Bannock Street Streetscape – 8th to 9th Streets: The City of Boise conducted a public meeting and an online survey to gauge public support of the proposed design. Feedback was evaluated. The City presented the project to ACHD during a Commission work session in November 2019 and to the ACHD Commission in January 2020 after which ACHD approved the design. The project received Design Review approval from the City in February 2020. The CCDC Board approved the contract for construction documents and construction administration services with Jensen Belts Associates and the ranking for CM/GC services in March 2020. The CM/GC contract with Guho Corp has been signed. The Agency is working to accelerate project timeline to complete construction in 2020. Construction document production is on schedule to seek permits in June.
10th & State Streets – Agency Owned Property: CCDC is working with nearby landowners around the Agency-owned sites to create transformative development in the Brady Block area. CCDC hopes to incentivize the future redevelopment of underutilized sites adjacent to the Brady Block.
1010 Main St – Avery Building – PP Type: This privately-owned vacant building is currently undergoing renovation. CCDC has remained engaged with the developer and owner who is working on overall project financing. The developer is interested in utilizing the Agency’s Participation Program for historic preservation costs and anticipates submitting an application in 2020.
State Street Streetscape & Fiber-Optic Conduit: The Agency is negotiating a cost share agreement with ACHD to include improvements on State Street as part of a road project tentatively scheduled for 2022. Agency-funded improvements would include installation of fiber-optic conduit bank on State between 8th and 14th, and construction of streetscape improvements
to include street trees, Silva cells, and historic street lights from east of 12th to 14th. The Silva cells would serve a dual purpose of accommodating healthy street trees and managing stormwater from State Street (ACHD will credit CCDC for stormwater costs). The cost share application is on the June 8 Board agenda.
Westside URD – Boundary Adjustment: The Agency is working to adjust the Westside URD boundary to add an additional 14 acres that includes the Boise High School campus, the downtown YMCA property, as well as right of way on Franklin Street and 8th Street. The City Council accepted an eligibility report in June 2019 and directed CCDC to move forward with amending the plan. The Plan Amendment must be reviewed by CCDC and the City Council as well as Planning and Zoning prior to adoption. The Agency and counsel are working on scoping the plan amendment and are discussing potential projects with property owners.
ParkBOI – 10th & Front Garage – Agency Owned Property: The Agency hired DESMAN to perform design services for structural damage prevention in the 10th & Front parking garage per a consultant ranking approved by the Board in January 2020. DESMAN is working on construction documents and expects to have them complete by the end of May. The Agency plans to pre-qualify contractors late this summer, bid the project late fall, and award for a Spring 2021 construction start.
North 8th Street – City/ACHD Traffic Configuration: A traffic and bike lane analysis performed by Kittleson & Associates and a design package by Jensen Belts Associates were presented to the City Council in January 2019. The City Council requested public outreach on the project. The City conducted a public meeting and an online survey to gauge public support of the proposed design. Feedback was evaluated. The City presented the project to ACHD’s Commission during a November 2019 work session. The Commission was receptive and asked for an interagency agreement for paving and for the project to be brought back for formal presentation. That presentation occurred in January 2020 after which ACHD approved the design. The project received Design Review approval from the City in February 2020. The CCDC Board approved contract for construction documents and construction administration services with Jensen Belts Associates in March 2020. CCDC is working to accelerate project timeline to complete construction in 2020. Construction Document production is on schedule to seek permits in June.
11th Street & Bannock Street – Westside Urban Park: The City Council approved the Westside Urban Park Master Development Agreement and associated land agreement in June 2019. The completion of these agreements formalizes a public-private partnership that will result in the creation of a new downtown neighborhood urban park. This public investment complements construction of the adjacent 11th and Idaho development, a nine-story Class A office building with retail/restaurant space fronting the park. Construction on the office tower began in August 2019 and is expected to be complete in November 2020. Construction of the park is planned to begin in February 2021 with ribbon cutting estimated in September 2021. CCDC has convened a community naming committee to generate potential names for the park. Recommended name(s) will then be submitted to the Parks & Recreation Commission for review. Artist Matthew Mazzotta presented art concepts to the project stakeholder group on June 1, 2020 and will be making small refinements on the two preferred concepts prior to Arts & History putting the concepts out for public comment.