Stadium out. Apartments in. Los Angeles-based developer proposes 400 near Quinn’s Pond
Seven acres of mostly empty land west of downtown Boise once proposed for a sports stadium may soon become the home of 400 high-end apartments and specialty shops.
Los Angeles developer Roundhouse has proposed to build about 400 apartments on the parcel.
“It’s in the West End, which is not core downtown — but that’s where the path of growth will continue expanding,” said Katie Vila, chief operating officer at Roundhouse, formerly known as Local Construct.
Roundhouse, headed by Casey Lynch, acquired the most of the land from the city in 2016 and began to plan apartments but stopped when Boise approached the company about putting the stadium there instead. The stadium deal fell apart when Mayor David Bieter, who championed it, lost his re-election bid last fall, and when city voters passed an ordinance requiring a citywide referendum on it. After that, Lynch returned to his original idea.
Earlier this year, Roundhouse also bought the former U.S. Bank Building on 28th Street, adding more land to the project.
The real estate development firm has been bullish on Boise. In 2018, it opened The Fowler, a seven-story, 159-apartment building on the northwest corner of 5th and Myrtle streets. Just one block west, it is building The Cartee, an eight-story 160-apartment building at 4th and Broad streets. And further west in Eagle, Roundhouse has been building The Clara, a 277-unit apartment and townhouse project going up on 22 acres west of Linder Road and south of State Street.
The West End project, tentatively called Whitewater and Main, would be Roundhouse’s largest yet in Boise. It would feature two apartment buildings, each up to six stories tall, with 70,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, including a big-box business, such as a grocery store or gymnasium.
“The rest will be restaurants, small shops,” Vila said.
The project, located within walking distance from Esther Simplot Park and Quinn’s Pond, will also include a parking garage, as well as a few surface parking lots.
Vila is confident the project will include enough parking for residents and visitors. At the Fowler, for example, there are fewer cars in the complex than residents, meaning that their residents may find other places downtown to park, or just don’t own cars at all.
As part of the project, Roundhouse will be required to extend 29th Street through the property to Fairview Avenue.
Vila said that the 7-acre parcel gives Roundhouse the space to do some “place-making” in the area, including a piece of public art.
“We’re going to try to incorporate a lot of natural landscaping, whether it be a small pocket park or other small natural amenities,” she said.
Rents will be priced at “market rate,” Vila said, similar to those at the Fowler, which start at $1,100 for a studio, $1,360 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,780 for two bedrooms. It’s possible that Roundhouse could end up renting some of its units as short-term rentals through Stay Alfred, a vacation rental platform, as it did at The Fowler.
As part of Roundhouse’s 2016 agreement with the city to acquire the parcel, the developer will reserve 10 of the units for low-income renters.
Boise has targeted the West End area in downtown as a prime area for residential and commercial growth. In 2014, it established a new urban renewal district in the 30th Street area, which includes several blocks along Main Street and Fairview Avenues, plus properties along 27th Street and Whitewater Park Boulevard.
Since 2012, the city has demolished unused buildings on the Bob Rice Ford Property, which is now owned by the College of Western Idaho, and helped to develop Esther Simplot Park. St. Luke’s is building a new hospital on 27th Street and Fairview. And further east, Boise partnered with private developers to construct Adare Manor, a 134-unit complex for people with low and moderate incomes.
“What Boise needs is to continue to focus on density and finding the highest and best use in a dense setting,” Vila said.
Density isn’t something all neighbors are willing to accept. In the last few weeks, some residents have protested infill projects with less than 10 units, such as proposed condos at 25th and Bannock streets. Those neighbors have sited typical concerns of increased traffic and a lack of cohesiveness with “neighborhood character.”
No houses abut the project site, though, and projects like the hospital and Adare Manor drew little opposition.
Vila said she expects to see only more growth west of downtown.
“We believe that Boise provides an affordable alternative to a lot of these primary cities right now,” she said. “The in-migration rate to Boise has been a strong indicator that people are seeking that affordability component and the natural amenities Boise has to offer.”
