An out-of-state developer has ideas for Boise’s housing shortage. What’s coming
Many Boise-area developers have pulled back in the Treasure Valley over the last few years amid poor economic conditions and high costs. But a few companies are still pushing forward with plans for affordable apartments, thanks to millions of dollars in government help.
Nevada-based Pacific West Communities Inc. is opening 102 units of affordable housing at the Wilson Station apartments off State Street this month, and 200 more on Denton Street later this year.
Utah’s J. Fisher Cos., is forging the rough waters in attempt to solve Boise’s housing crisis, too.
The company wrapped up construction on The Franklin Apartments, its latest Idaho affordable housing development, at 227 S. Orchard St. on the Central Bench in October. That development included 205 apartments on the southwest corner of Franklin Road and Orchard Street, across from a Fred Meyer store.
Now the company is preparing to start construction on a new apartment project roughly two miles away called Dorado Station, which the city approved in April. The development, designed to “honor the history of the old Boise cable car/trolley that helped the city boom during the early 1900s,” is planned to be a six-story, 212-unit apartment building at 1505 N. McKinney Lane. The site is just east of the Albertsons store at Cole Road and Fairview Avenue.
According to a letter from J. Fisher, the building would include 53 one-, 134 two- and 25 three-bedroom units. All 212 units would be reserved for those making 80% or less of the area median income, according to Maria Ortega, a spokesperson for the city of Boise. Ten would be reserved for those earning no more than 80% of the area median income, 180 for those earning no more than 60%, and 22 for those earning no more than 50%.
In Boise in 2025, 60% of the area median income for a one-person household is $44,940, a two-person household $51,360, and a three-person household $57,780, according to the city’s income guidelines.
Rents for the units are capped at 30% of the household income. For people in the 60%-or-less group, that means rents max out at $1,124 for a one-person household, $1,284 for a two-person household and $1,445 for a three-person household.
(60% of Median Income)
| Household Size | | Annual Gross Income | | Affordable Rent |
| 1 Person | $44,940 | $1,124 |
| 2 Person | $51,360 | $1,284 |
| 3 Person | $57,780 | $1,445 |
| 4 Person | $64,200 | $1,605 |
A full list of Boise’s income and affordable rent guidelines can be found at https://www.cityofboise.org/departments/planning-and-development-services/housing-and-community-development/income-guidelines/.
Ortega said that 10% of the units would be dedicated to Our Path Home tenants leaving homelessness and that apartment managers would prioritize tenants with vouchers under a federal program that helps pay the rent for low-income, elderly and disabled people and helps them find housing in the private market.
Sarah Boyle, director of marketing for J. Fisher, said by email that the company expects to start construction later this summer and plans to open apartments for tenants in the summer of 2027.
A growing need for affordable homes
J. Fisher is partnering with the city of Boise and Ada County on the development to help address a housing shortage that has plagued the Treasure Valley.
In 2022, the city of Boise published a Housing Needs Analysis that found that the city has not kept up with a growing demand for new housing. According to the analysis, the city needs to build 2,773 homes every year until 2031 to meet demand. Boise had missed that mark by over 4,100 over the three years prior to the study.
“The project philosophy centers around maximizing the number of affordable housing units to help ease the current housing burden many Boise community members face,” according to J. Fisher’s letter, which was written to the city of Boise.
The city bought the land in 2022 for $2.75 million and planned to put $5 million toward the project, according to prior Idaho Statesman reporting. The Ada County Commission joined in and approved $4.5 million in federal funding from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program for it, too.
Jill Youmans, a spokesperson for the city, told the Statesman in 2023 that the estimated construction cost in 2023 was $69 million, though it’s not clear if that number has changed since. According to BuildZoom, a contracting services website, the project’s value was pegged at nearly $48 million.
J. Fisher did not respond to follow-up questions before publication.
