Former Karcher Mall in Nampa finds a new lease on life. This is what developers did
The Karcher Mall’s second chance at life as a commercial and residential development has taken a step forward with the opening of 96 new apartments.
The first phase of the development named District 208 features apartments at 1509 Caldwell Blvd. in a former parking lot of the Nampa mall. When the apartments are finished in spring 2024, District 208 would host 252 units, a swimming pool and a 4,500-square-foot clubhouse.
The development is led by the Nevada-based Rhino Investments Group, with Meridian-based Engineered Structures Inc., or ESI, as the general contractor.
Further commercial development is planned on the former Karcher Mall site over the coming months, according to an email from Katie Gwinn, ESI marketing manager.
“By redeveloping the Karcher Mall site, District 208 is set to keep the community moving and reinvigorate the local economy,” Gwinn said.
The apartments include five floor plans with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 580 square feet to 1,202 square feet, according to an email from Katherine Bueno, property manager at District 208.
Pricing for one-bedroom units starts at $1,325, two-bedroom apartments at $1,550 and three-bedrooms at $1,680, Bueno said.
Additional community amenities include a fitness center, playground, on-site management and maintenance, according to District 208’s website. Apartment amenities include air conditioning, dishwasher and washer and dryer.
Re-imagining a dying mall
Getting to the grand opening was not easy, Gwinn said. In addition to the normal woes of balancing construction in a commercial area with residential communities and irrigation infrastructure, they had a few surprises.
“Below that empty mall parking lot, construction teams discovered a treasure trove of old cisterns, pipes and rusty farm equipment, not to mention previously uncharted utilities,” Gwinn said.
The developers worked with the local irrigation district to maintain and improve the system during construction and keep water flowing in time for planting season, Gwinn said.
The Karcher Mall, the first mall built in Idaho, struggled for years amid declining sales at brick-and-mortar stores like Macy’s and Burlington. In December 2018, nearly a third of the mall’s retail spaces were empty, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting.
Rhino Investments bought the property in 2019 with the hope to revitalize it into a big-box “lifestyle center” with apartments, fitness facilities, retail, restaurants, a grocer and entertainment.
This story was originally published September 15, 2023 at 12:03 PM.
