Huge hotel opens, more town homes, new recreation options — 8 development stories

May 2026 already has brought a wave of major growth and development news across the Boise area, from a major hotel opening to park expansions and infrastructure concerns. Here’s a digest of top stories from the Idaho Statesman.

• Pennbridge Hospitality opened a 296-room Marriott property at 1005 W. Grove St. last week, making it Boise’s newest and largest hotel. The 15-story building combines two Marriott brands — Element and AC — under one address and includes a rooftop restaurant called the Boise Post.
• The Harris family donated $1.5 million to advance construction of Alta Harris Park, a 20-acre site approved nearly two decades ago. The full build-out is estimated to cost more than $11 million, with the city budgeting $3 million for the initial phase and construction set to begin this summer.
• The Boise City Council unanimously approved Gardner Group’s 66-unit Rivergate Townhomes on a 3-acre West End lot after the Boise City Housing Authority abandoned plans for affordable housing due to market factors. The town homes are expected to be priced between $500,000 and $800,000.
• Roaring Springs Waterpark opened May 9, debuting a new waterslide called The Hive featuring 720-degree double loops. It’s only the second slide of its kind in the world and part of a multiyear expansion expected to grow the park’s footprint by 40%.
• A new LendingTree study found Idaho’s roads deteriorated faster than any other state between 2019 and 2024, with poor-condition miles rising from 3.5% to 5.9%. Despite the nearly 70% increase, Idaho still ranks in the middle of the pack for overall road condition.
• Developer Tommy Ahlquist broke ground this month on The District at Ten Mile, a 220-acre commercial development near the Ten Mile Interchange in Meridian. The project will include a 148,000-square-foot Target opening in May 2027, alongside more than 650,000 square feet of retail and office space.
• The Caldwell City Council approved Silverleaf, a 220-acre mixed-use development by M3 Companies that will include 655 single-family homes, up to 336 multifamily units and 47 acres of commercial space. Residents raised concerns about traffic, school capacity and water supply during the hearing.
• Kevin Pavlis Park, a 5.5-mile adaptive mountain bike trail system, opened this month in the Foothills north of Eagle. The park is designed for accessibility, featuring trails that accommodate customized bikes with e-assist motors, hand-operated controls and three or four wheels.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.