Eight large apartments planned as renovation for Downtown Boise warehouse

Developer Chad Olsen said he’ll try to preserve nearly 9,000-square-foot warehouse on the northwest corner of 15th and Front streets in Downtown Boise as he builds eight apartments on the property.

He expects to shore up the existing load-bearing walls so that they’re strong enough to support a second floor. His plans call for eight two- to four-bedroom apartments that range from 1,350 square feet to 1,850 square feet.

But Olsen said his project is still in the conceptual phase and details, such as the number and size of apartments, could change.

Because city law calls for at least one parking space per living unit in that part of the city, the eight garage doors Olsen can fit on the existing building’s east side determined the number of apartments he can build. That, in turn, determines the size of the apartments.

Olsen said he could try to fit eight apartments into a single floor, but he doesn’t think that’s the best use for the property.

He also hasn’t decided what he’ll charge tenants. In addition to traditional six-month or year-long leases, he said, he could include some mixture of short-term rental structures.

He doesn’t have a firm time frame for starting and finishing construction of the apartments. Once he irons out the details of his plan, he said, the rest should go smoothly because the neighborhood has responded positively to his proposal and city planners seem to like it.

The Boise Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to consider Olsen’s project during their Jan. 9 meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. in the Boise City Council chambers at City Hall, 150 N. Capitol Blvd.

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 5:18 AM with the headline "Eight large apartments planned as renovation for Downtown Boise warehouse."