Apartments, townhomes to come to Boise’s Central Bench for new affordable housing
Boise may soon get new affordable apartments and townhomes, built this time at the corner of West Franklin Road and South Orchard Street.
Mayor Lauren McLean announced Friday that the city intends to award J Fisher Companies, a Utah firm, a contract to build the affordable housing development planned for the space.
There will be further conversations about the submitted proposal for the land, but once those are done, McLean said the city would execute a memorandum of agreement with the company.
The housing project, which will be on city property, will have a mix of housing types designed for a range of incomes, according to a news release announcing the selection. It will have one- to three-bedroom apartments ranging from 500 to 1,150 square feet in size, as well as townhomes. There will be a city park on the property as well as an anchor building at the corner of Franklin and Orchard that will have retail space and apartments.
“The vision of housing for all is not an easy task, but it’s important to get it right if we’re building a Boise for all,” McLean said in the news release. “Everyone deserves a home. And we’re going to do everything we can to ensure that there’s a place to live for every resident, at every budget.”
Boise bought the 4.7-acre parcel of land on the corner last year. Officials and neighbors said at the time they hoped to see affordable housing come to the parcel, which was once intended to become a Maverik gas station before the company decided instead to sell the land to the city. Previously, the land was home to the historic Franklin School.
The parcel is near a Fred Meyer store and is on ValleyRide’s No. 6 Orchard bus route, which makes it what Boise calls a “community activity center.” Karen Boe, spokesperson for McLean, said that the number of units and cost would not be available until the memorandum had been executed.
J Fisher Companies was chosen from five development teams that responded with proposals for the site. Proposals were looked at by 15 committee members from several city departments as well as Central Bench Neighborhood residents. The company is based in Centerville, Utah, and has done work primarily around Salt Lake City, including on other affordable housing projects.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 1:57 PM.
.jpg)