Changes at Whole Foods. A 16-story Boise tower. 40 apartments. What’s coming near you.
The latest proposed developments, other construction projects and new businesses around Idaho’s Treasure Valley:
Notable
The 2020 Idaho Capitol Christmas Tree is on display on the Capitol’s front steps, and now the state Department of Administration is on the prowl for next year’s tree.
The department put out a news release seeking potential tree donors. But not just any tree, and not just any donor.
“Desirable trees are blue spruces at least 35 feet tall with a single main trunk and located in Boise, with proximity to the Capitol Building being most preferred,” the department said.
This year’s tree, donated by Doug Cobb, came from the old Booth Home campus on Hazel Street between 24th & 25th streets in the North End.
The department picks a tree by late summer each year and arranges to have it cut and rigged for lifting. A crane company loads it onto an Idaho Transportation Department truck, and Boise police provide an escort.
For more information on donating, visit https://cms.idaho.gov/tree.
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November passenger counts at the Boise Airport were down 49% from 2019 numbers, new statistics show.
Passenger numbers have been slowly rising since bottoming out in April, when only 18,000 people went through the airport, although November saw a slight dip again. About 172,000 passengers went through the Boise Airport in November, down slightly from the roughly 186,000 people who flew through the airport in October.
Those numbers match a trend across the country, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration.
Sean Briggs, spokesperson for the airport, noted that passenger numbers are typically lower in November than they are in October.
Two new flights started at the end of November: an Allegiant Air flight from Boise to Palm Springs began Nov. 19, and the Delta Air Lines flight from Boise to Atlanta began Nov. 20. Even with those new flights, the airport also reported 14% fewer landings, as the coronavirus pandemic has affected travel greatly.
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Boise
Ball Ventures Ahlquist will go before the Boise City Council in its attempt to build two large towers in downtown Boise.
The company, run by developer Tommy Ahlquist, is seeking a rezone of 1.2 acres from R-OD (residential office with design review) to C-5DD/DA (central business district with downtown design review and a development agreement), at 200 N. 4th St.
If approved, the rezone would allow Ahlquist to build the tallest new building Boise has seen in a long time. The project has two towers — one would be 16 stories (or 232 feet) tall, while the other would be 10.
The project would replace a three-story ICCU branch currently on the site.
Neighbors largely oppose the project because of the way it would change the neighborhood. The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended denial of the project after holding a hearing on it in November.
The Boise City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the project at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5. Those interested in testifying can do so remotely by visiting www.cityofboise.org/virtual-meetings or in person on the third floor of Boise City Hall, 150 N. Capitol Blvd.
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The Boise School District is seeking a permit to renovate five second-floor classrooms at Capital High School, 8055 W. Goddard Road. The improvements will include the addition of fire sprinklers in each of the five classrooms. The school district agreed to install sprinklers in areas without them with each phase of future construction. The remodeling work is estimated to cost $180,000.
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Whole Foods Market, 401 S. Broadway Ave., is seeking a permit to remove three express lane checkstands and replace them with six self-checkout stands.
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Mr. Gas of Burley is seeking a permit to build an 11,000-square-foot truck terminal with gas pumps for diesel trucks and passenger cars at 10026 S. Eisenman Road. The building will include a sales area, small kitchen, restrooms and a storage room.
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Loon Outdoors, a manufacturer and distributor of fly-tying and fly-fishing gear, is seeking an occupancy permit at 2611 Fry St., Suite 166.
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Penske Truck Leasing is seeking a permit to construct a building at 652 E. Gowen Road.. The building would have 19,605 square feet. The estimated cost is $6.5 million.
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The Boise City Council will hear the “housing bonus ordinance,” so named because it offers incentives to developers who meet certain development criteria, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan 12.
In the proposed ordinance, developers who create affordable housing, who preserve existing buildings or who build near activity centers could be eligible for additional height on buildings, a parking reduction or density flexibility.
The end goal is to increase house stock. Boise officials have said in order to meet the housing need of the next 20 years, the city must build 1,000 housing units (which could include houses, apartments and townhomes) annually. By offering developers incentives, city planning officials hope that developers are willing to build something beyond just more-lucrative luxury units.
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously last week to recommend approval of the ordinance to the council.
Those interested in testifying can do so remotely by visiting www.cityofboise.org/virtual-meetings or in person on the third floor of Boise City Hall, 150 N. Capitol Blvd.
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El-Ada Community Action Partnership Inc., a nonprofit that helps low-income people and families, is seeking to build 40 multifamily apartments at 10881 W. Florence Drive.
The project, called Celebration Acres, would include two-, three-, and four-bedroom units, according to filings with the city. The project will largely be for low-income and very low-income households, filings indicate, with only three of the units going for market rate.
The first phase will have 28 apartments, three of which are market rate. Of the remaining 25 in the first phase, 18 will be reserved for people who make 60% of the area median income (also known as AMI) or below, three will be reserved for those who make 50% of the AMI or below, two will be limited to those who make 45% AMI or below and two will be targeted at chronically homeless people who make 30% or less of the AMI.
The second phase will have 12 units, all to serve very low-income residents who make at least 30% AMI. AMI depends on the size of the family, but a recent presentation to the Boise Planning and Zoning Commission put the amount at $51,562 for a single person and $73,600 for a family of four.
The project will be privately owned thanks to a partnership between El-Ada and Phoenix Holding Group.
Celebration Acres is set to be heard by the Planning and Zoning Commission at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 4. Those interested in testifying can do so remotely by visiting www.cityofboise.org/virtual-meetings or in person on the third floor of Boise City Hall, 150 N. Capitol Blvd.
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Twisted Sugar, a shop that sells cookies and soda, is seeking to build a drive-thru at 10804 W. Fairview Ave.
The store was previously a bakery, according to city filings.
The request is set to be heard by the Planning and Zoning Commission at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 4. Those interested in testifying can do so remotely by visiting www.cityofboise.org/virtual-meetings or in person on the third floor of Boise City Hall, 150 N. Capitol Blvd.
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Nampa
The city of Nampa plans to improve a portion of the Wall Street alley in downtown. The city is looking to create a pedestrian-only area from 1st Street South to the Longbranch building in the alley north of 1st Street South between 12th Avenue South and 13th Avenue South.
The project involves upgrading the utilities located under Wall Street from 1st Street South to 2nd Street South, installing colored brick pavers and concrete ribbons (designed as an homage to Nampa’s heritage as a railroad town), decorative streetlights, and removable bollards. Trees, shrubs, art, street furniture and façade improvements would also be added.
The project, which has been in conceptual planning since in 2017, aims to address blighted conditions by providing a safe, walkable connection on the Wall Street pedestrian path. The area lacks lighting, and it has inadequate drainage, flooding problems and cracked asphalt in an area surrounded by restaurants.
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Orange Power Group LLC, which owns and operates a network of dealerships of Ditch Witch mechanical-trenching machines, bought a 5-acre lot on East Hunt Avenue, reports Cushman & Wakefield Pacific Commercial Realty Advisors.
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Meridian
Brighton Development is seeking to build 77 single-family homes and two commercial lots on 41.6 acres at the southeast corner of South Locust Grove and East Lake Hazel roads.
The project will go before Meridian City Council at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. Those interested in attending can do so in person at Meridian City Hall, 33 E. Broadway Ave., or virtually by visiting www.meridiancity.org/government/virtualmeeting.
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Sweetwater Car Wash, an Orlando-based automated car wash company, is seeking to build a new facility with on-site vacuum stations at 100 S. Meridian Road.
According to the company’s website, it appears the location will be the company’s first in Idaho.
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Land Solutions, a surveying company registered to Clint Hansen of Meridian, is looking to build a new office and a large garage to store fleet vehicles at 1021 S Truss Pl.
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Eagle
Hall Capital LLC, a company registered to Gerald Gregory Hall of Eagle, is seeking a conditional use permit, an annexation and a rezone from RUT (rural-urban transition, as designated by Ada County) to R-2-DA-P (residential with a development agreement) for 28 acres at 6001 W. Beacon Light Road.
The development would include 53 homes.
The Eagle Planning and Zoning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the project at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4 at Eagle City Hall. Testimony will be taken remotely via WebEx; information on that can be found at www.cityofeagle.org/1698/Virtual-Meetings.
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Ada County
Ada County commissioners are considering allowing meetings and hearings on zoning matters to be held remotely and virtually, a move that will “reduce the need for in-person hearings ... which will slow the transmission of the COVID-19 virus,” the county said in a news release.
The commissioners will hold a hearing on the proposed ordinance at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec 29, in the commissioners’ third-floor conference room at the Ada County Courthouse, 200 W. Front St.
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Around Idaho
After neighbors objected, the Twin Falls City Council shot down plans for a proposed development that would have turned an empty lot near the canyon rim into commercial and residential buildings, the Times-News reported.
Developer Hepworth Family Landholdings’ proposal included the construction of up to 26 multifamily buildings with up to 104 units on the southern portion of the property, at the intersection of Federation Road and Washington Street North. The northern part of the property was to include commercial buildings that could be used for offices, retail stores or other purposes.
“There is a definite need for housing for people here in Twin Falls, we are growing, we know we have that need,” Council member Craig Hawkins said. “But my gut feeling is it just doesn’t quite fit.”
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