This permanent Boise food truck park was set to open in a ‘perfect’ spot. What happened?

Brian Ramos admits it: Earlier this year, he may have put his Cart Life before the horse.

He and his wife, Heidi, were enthused about their proposed food truck park, slated for the former Tates Rents building and parking lot at 4191 W. State St.

But hoping they might open it by summer 2021?

Crazy sauce.

“I probably spoke way too early ... ” Ramos admits good-naturedly. “I had some really excited expectations about what would happen. But after a few meetings with some architects and some builders, I realized I probably should have gone with next summer to begin with.”

All the necessary permits are in hand, Ramos says. But Cart Life has been delayed until the property owners decide how — and whether — to move forward with improvements. Construction bids are coming in higher than initially expected, Ramos says, because of city code requirements and rising building costs. Bids are still being explored, he adds, as are possible adjustments to scale down the project.

In the end, Ramos believes Cart Life will get rolling. “If I were to put a number on it, I’d say it’s 90 to 95 percent that it’s gonna happen,” he says. “It’s just a matter of getting everybody on the same page and starting construction.”

Best-case scenario? Cart Life would open in spring 2022, Ramos says — with five food trucks serving grub, as originally planned.

Idahoans will be waiting hungrily. Cart Life is modeled after food cart pods such as The Lot and The Podski in Bend, Oregon. After visiting sites like those while traveling, the Ramoses were inspired to launch a similar, permanent concept in Boise.

When Tates Rents vacated its longtime equipment rental building, Brian Ramos thought, ” ‘What a perfect location for it,’“ he told the Statesman in March. “Close to the park. Close to the Greenbelt. Close to the North End. Plenty of traffic going by.”

Cart Life would have year-round potential, too, because it wouldn’t rely exclusively on outdoor dining. The plan is to have an indoor bar where the Tates Rents lobby used to be, two new restrooms, and seating inside the garage area — with both garage doors upgraded to glass versions.

Like Cart Life itself, the five food sellers would be permanent fixtures on the half-acre site — or at least semi-permanent, Ramos says. Covered outdoor seating on the west and south sides of the building would provide shade in the summer, with a gas fire pit cutting the chill at night. The old Tates equipment awning in the parking lot would be razed.

In winter, customers could stay warm in an indoor atmosphere remodeled with reclaimed wood and outdoor-sports decor — only heading outside to grab food. Cart Life’s bar would serve beer, wine, hard cider and soft drinks.

But, for now, everything remains in limbo.

“Essentially, the second we get a bid the (property owners like), we’re starting right away,” Ramos says, “and we’ll be open probably March, April.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 4:00 AM.