Townhouses. A dog park. A new YMCA pool. A gun maker. Micron on campus. Coming near you
The latest proposed developments, other construction projects and new businesses around Idaho’s Treasure Valley:
Boise
Boise State University opened its $50 million Micron Center for Materials Research building in time for last fall’s semester, and it plans to schedule a public opening ceremony.
The 97,000-square foot building, half of which was paid for by Boise’s Micron Technology Inc., is the home of the recently named Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering. Its address is 1435 W. University Drive.
The center provides research laboratories and spaces, specialized learning environments, a 250-seat lecture hall, two large classrooms, offices and work spaces for faculty members, staff and graduate students in materials education and research, the university said in a news release.
The building was recognized for excellence in sustainability in the 2021 Building Excellence Awards presented by the city of Boise. It was designed by Hummel Architects and built by Hoffman Construction.
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Developer Boise View LLC wants to build new townhouses in southeast Boise.
Chrysalis Architecture and Planning in Meridian represented a developer seeking a conditional use permit to build five three-story townhouses at the corner of West Boise Avenue and East Pennsylvania Street. If approved, two current homes on the property would be demolished.
Thirteen of the 24 units would have four bedrooms and 11 would have three. The townhouses would range from 1,800 to 2,400 square feet. Each townhouse would include a two-car garage, and some would have rooftop decks for residents.
The Boise City Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on the application at 6 p.m. on July 12.
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FM-Products, a gun manufacturer, leased 26,750 square feet of industrial space at 9700 W. Bethel Court, TKO Commercial reported.
FM-Products did not reply to a voice message and an email seeking information about its plans.
The company currently works out of a smaller site at 457 N. Steelhead Way.
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Veterinary Orthopedic & Surgical Care Center leased 3,181 square feet of retail space at 201 W. Boise Ave., Cushman and Wakefield Pacific reports.
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Kyle’s Custom Wood Shop Inc. leased 9,530 square feet of industrial space at 11193 W. Emerald St., Colliers International Idaho reports.
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Eagle
Primary Health Medical Group says it will build a clinic at 1871 E. McGrath Road to replace its current clinic at 435 S. Eagle Road.
The grand opening is tentatively scheduled for fall 2022.
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Eagle’s Pet IQ Dog Park is open for limited use.
The city of Eagle and PetIQ plan a dedication ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 1, at the PetIQ Dog Park, 3151 E. Greenbrook St.
PetIQ is the title sponsor of the dog park and made a donation to fund construction. The PetIQ Dog Park features two fully fenced dog runs, a picnic shelter, and public bathrooms.
“Eagle residents have been asking for a dog park for a long time,” Eagle Mayor Jason Pierce said. “We are grateful that PetIQ CEO Cord Christensen helped make this dream a reality.”
Residents and their dogs are invited to attend the ceremony.
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The city of Boise donated 6.2 acres to the city of Eagle to expand the Pamela Baker Park site.
Pamela Baker Park is part of the Lakemoor Subdivision and is located at 850 E. Fisher Creek Drive. Phase 1 of the park was completed in January 2020, according to the city of Eagle.
The donation will expand the park’s southern border.
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Garden City
The city’s Design Review Committee approved an application from Sam Clovis + Georgina Baronian & Associates for a mixed-use development at 108 E. 33rd St.
The three-story building would have commercial space in the front and four multifamily apartments, each with two bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, in the back.
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Eighty-six percent of nearly 6,000 Ada County residents who have taken an Expo Idaho survey so far say they want the Western Idaho Fair to remain in its current location, the county said Wednesday in a news release.
Survey respondents also asked for more natural spaces and an expanded Greenbelt on the county-owned Expo Idaho Grounds. The county is considering what to do with the 247-acre property.
The survey will remain live until Sept. 1 on the county’s webpage, https://adacounty.id.gov/
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Meridian
Corey Barton applied to build a 15.3-acre subdivision at 4306 N. McDermott Road.
The Aegean Estates Subdivision No. 3 would comprise 57 single-family homes and four common lots. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the application on Tuesday.
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The Meridian City Council approved the Prevail North Subdivision on Tuesday night.
The subdivision will consist of 18 single-family residential lots and three common lots on 5.25 acres at 5150 S. Meridian Road.
The Prevail North Subdivision will add to the existing Prevail Subdivision that was approved in 2019. The previously approved subdivision consists of 113 lots.
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The Treasure Valley YMCA will open its newly finished $13 million South Meridian Aquatic Center to the public on July 1.
A grand opening ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 30, at 5155 S. Hillsdale Avenue.
Located at the South Meridian YMCA, the 22,000-square-foot center includes a six-lane competition pool, recreation pool, kiddie pool, three-story indoor-outdoor slide, outdoor splash pad and a lazy river.
Online registration is now open for swimming lessons. Financial assistance is available for lessons.
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Notable
Boise native Kate Stoddard, founder of Orchestra Provisions, has been named to Forbes Magazine’s “Next 1000” list honoring upstart entrepreneurs.
Stoddard’s company produces mixes containing ground-up crickets. Forbes noted that most people — including Stoddard — are put off by the sight of a dried cricket on their plate.
“Stoddard’s business circumvents the issue by supplying protein powders, seasonings and therapeutic blends to seamlessly incorporate insects in a person’s diet,” Forbes said in its citation.
Stoddard, 33, who lives in Driggs, sells her products at Albertsons Marketplace stores in Boise and Meridian, at the Boise Co-op, along with restaurants and coffee shops. Forbes said the company is also planning to sell through Amazon. The Idaho Statesman profiled Stoddard in 2019.
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Boise is the third-best city in the nation for remote workers, says ApartmentList, a national listing service.
ApartmentList ranked 230 U.S. cities “based on a mix of remote-friendliness, housing affordability, urban amenities, and natural amenities,” a spokesperson said by email. “These are the factors that remote workers told us they value most in a recent survey.”
Provo, Utah, ranked first, and Fort Collins, Colorado, second. Boise ranked No. 1 for natural amenities. Boise’s biggest weakness was urban amenities, where it ranked 97th.
“Boise is one of the hottest markets in the country and has seen some of the fastest-growing rent we’ve analyzed,” says ApartmentList’s report. “Rent prices in Boise are up 31% over the past year, and will likely continue to rise as more remote workers pack up and move to the City of Trees.”
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Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped from 3.1% in April to 3% for May, the state Department of Labor reported.
Total employment grew to 874,143, out of a labor force of 901,494. The labor force participation rate remained unchanged at 62.7%.
“Idaho’s nonfarm jobs continue to show healthy over-the-year gains, up 8.9% (+63,900), with every sector showing increases,” the department said in a news release. “Leisure and hospitality — the most affected industry during the pandemic — is 37% above where it was a year ago and has increased 4.1% above pre-pandemic levels in February of 2020.”
All five of Idaho’s metropolitan statistical areas saw year-to-year nonfarm job gains greater than 7%, including the Boise area, up 8.7%.
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The state has apparently filed no response to Big City Coffee’s $10 million-plus tort claim against Boise State University, Idaho Education News reports. That means Big City Coffee is free to sue the state.
Big City alleges that the university illegally ended its contract after receiving complaints about the owner’s display of Thin Blue Line flags that show support for police.
A tort claim is a notification of a possible lawsuit that is required by Idaho law before someone sues the state or a local government.
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This story was originally published June 24, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
