Boise’s East End Armory to be redeveloped by church. Some neighbors aren’t happy
The Armory in East Boise has sat empty, collecting dust for almost three decades. What was once the headquarters of the Idaho National Guard has now been left with several unfinished plans for redevelopment.
Now a new plan is in place. Boise’s Planning and Zoning Commission has approved a conditional use permit for River House Ministries’ redevelopment plans on the site.
The church, based in Garden City, plans to use the property for worship. The plans include enough space for 700 people to attend services. They also include blueprints for offices and a cafe.
Riley Verner, who works in the church and is heading the redevelopment effort, says he is “excited” to call the Armory home after so many years of it sitting “largely dilapidated and falling apart.”
But some East End Boiseans are not satisfied with the church’s framework.
The armory, built in 1931 and expanded in 1936, is situated in a specific zone that has certain requirements for any development within it. MX-1 zones require that any buildings established within them have a mix of uses tailored for community engagement.
One requirement is that developments have amenities that face the street and are pedestrian-friendly. Examples of mixed-use neighborhood activity centers with similar zoning restrictions include Bown Crossing and Hyde Park.
Javier Muriel Ocana, a resident of Aldape Heights in East Boise near the armory, filed an appeal to the church’s conditional use permit and said he is concerned about the lack of front-facing amenities included in River House’s blueprints.
“I’m not sure why the city is doing something completely different from what the space is intended to be used for,” Muriel Ocana told the Idaho Statesman in an interview.
The church’s plans
River House Ministries’ blueprints do not change how the building looks, but landscaping will be done to clean up the surrounding property.
“We are not going in here and dramatically changing this building; we are simply taking what’s there and bringing it back to life,” Verner said.
Detached sidewalks will be added to Avenue H and Logan Street, and as for the 40,000-square-foot building, the north side will have office and classroom space for 20 to 30 staff members, and it will be used on weekdays as well as during regular Sunday services.
An open area will be preserved on Reserve Street. Seating and walking paths will be added throughout the property, Verner said.
A 725-square-foot coffee shop will be opened in the center of the building, near the sanctuary. Although the hours of operation are not yet set, Verner said the coffee shop and the rest of the church will be open to the public.
East End residents call for neighborhood activity center
According to the armory’s website, many people who live in the area are “mourning” the lost possibility of acquiring a neighborhood activity center. Muriel Ocana says the church’s failure to provide pedestrian-friendly features in the redevelopment plan results in a lost opportunity to bring neighbors together.
“A mixed-use or a neighborhood activity center is a site where a neighborhood can thrive, where different amenities are provided for the neighborhood,” Muriel Ocana said.
“It’s an opportunity for civics to come into play, for people to socialize, come closer, and just a place for neighbors to meet and share experiences…” he added.
Muriel Ocana called it a “far stretch” to say that the cafe suffices as front-facing, as it is located within the church with no direct outdoor access.
But Maria Ortega, the communications manager of community engagement for the city, said the cafe is not the front-facing amenity that the Planning and Zoning Commission is reviewing. The amenity filling the front-facing requirement is the grassy open area along Reserve Street, she told the Idaho Statesman over email.
Ortega said that if the City Council determines that this does not suffice as a pedestrian-friendly amenity, River House Ministries could be required to revise its redevelopment plan.
This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 1:18 PM.
