A small park in downtown Boise is mostly ignored. These changes may make you want to go
The effort to spruce up Grove Street’s east end is starting to take shape.
One of the first steps is designing improvements to C.W. Moore Park. Though city officials view the park positively, they’ve highlighted ways intended to make it more of a destination. That includes adding a small playground and widening the sidewalk to connect Grove Street and the park.
C.W. Moore Park sits on the northeast corner of West Grove and South 5th streets. It features trees, benches, a restored 1910-era irrigation water wheel, and a turret previously atop a downtown building. The park was built in the 1930s and after different uses it was rededicated in 1983. It’s stayed largely the same since.
The board of Capital City Development Corp., Boise’s urban renewal agency, voted Monday to move forward with the city of Boise’s Parks and Recreation Department to carry out the improvements.
The investment is part of a bigger vision that could help attract new development in the rest of West Grove, a mostly ignored stretch with parking lots bordering almost half of its three blocks and none of the vibrancy of the Basque Block and the Grove Plaza to the west.
Plans call for replacing the existing benches and reducing tripping hazards as part of safety and accessibility improvements.
“There’s some historical elements here that we want to retain, some improvements we want to make,” said Sara Arkle, city of Boise parks resources superintendent. “And obviously bring it back to its original intention, serving as a family destination.”
The urban renewal agency’s overall idea is to revitalize the east side of Grove Street, from 3rd to 6th streets.
In a document outlining redevelopment plans, the agency referred to C.W. Moore Park in a “What’s working” category. Still, the agency wants to invest in public places to keep “what’s working” and improve the park to help generate more activity.
Capital City Development Corp. accepted public input when creating that plan, senior project manager Karl Woods said. Feedback supported “further orienting the park towards and interacting with Grove Street,” Woods said.
Widening the sidewalk could spark more synergy between the street and the park. It would also help the create more of a “festival street” vibe, which is what city leaders envision for the three blocks.
Another improvement includes a new children’s playground. Preliminary designs show a slide, a structure to climb on and the letters “BOI” facing outward. While places to pose for photos with a structure that spells out the city’s name are common, this one would also incorporate the playground element.
“Having something that people could take a picture of when they come visit downtown Boise,” Arkle said, “and have their kids stand on top of that tower and get something that they can bring home with them from their trip, would be kind of neat to consider.”
Previous Capital City Development Corp. improvements elsewhere in downtown Boise have spurred redevelopment. Investments in sidewalks and bike parking on Broad Street helped lead to a more vibrant area as new apartment buildings popped up nearby.
C.W. Moore Apartments, just east of the park, was recently bought by local development company Roundhouse, which has built several downtown apartment buildings, including two on Broad Street. Roundhouse Chief Operating Officer Katie Vila told the Statesman that the company doesn’t have major plans for the building other than deferred maintenance and interior improvements.
Capital City Development Corp. would pay for the playground, and the city of Boise would pay for other improvements to the park. The city is requesting $350,000 to be reimbursed by the urban renewal agency.
Arkle said a public restroom is “needed” at C.W. Moore Park. She estimated it would cost $600,000. There is no plan to pay for that.
“It’s going to come down to the ability to fund that restroom,” Arkle said.
The Parks and Recreation Department anticipates construction lasting from April 2023 to June 2023.
