‘Trying times’: Boise businesses suffer as downtown construction booms
Boise city officials say they want to better coordinate with businesses, other agencies and contractors after receiving complaints about extended downtown road closures affecting businesses.
Projects in the 11th and 12th street areas have cut off some street parking and closed lanes of traffic downtown, prompting frustration from business owners over congestion, sidewalk obstructions and fewer parking spaces for employees and customers.
Different blocks of 11th Street have been closed for months as contractors dig up the road to conduct utility repairs and construct a new protected bike path. Construction is also underway on an apartment tower at 12th Street and Idaho Street, a hotel at 11th Street and Grove Street, and another apartment tower along Front Street between 12th and 13th streets.
Andrea Cantor, Mayor Lauren McLean’s economic development advisor, told the City Council last week that the spate of construction is due to the rapid growth of Boise, as surface parking lots are replaced with apartment buildings and hotels. But she acknowledged a need to better coordinate the closures to keep streets accessible.
“There’s an opportunity and a need to improve communication, coordination and decision-making around closures associated with large or complex projects in order to keep the city accessible for those wanting to bike, walk and stroll through our city,” Cantor said.
Jennifer Hensley, the executive director of the Downtown Boise Association, told the Idaho Statesman that the city has implemented some changes that businesses have asked for to ease parking challenges, like adjusting four-hour parking meters to two hours.
“The crux of the issue is that while we are looking forward to hundreds of new residents and tourists to our downtown and the positive impacts these new patrons will bring downtown businesses in the future, it can be tough to navigate some areas of downtown right now,” she said in an email. While street parking has been the largest complaint, she said, it has not been enforceable to “ban” anyone from parking there.
“We’ve exhausted options within current code, so the next step is to involve city leadership for potential code changes,” Hensley said. “Leadership has listened intently, working to understand these issues from all perspectives, so we’re thankful for that and look forward to next steps.”
In a recent Facebook post, Owyhee Tavern, a restaurant at the corner of 11th Street and Main Street, said that some businesses have seen close to a 20% reduction in sales.
“These are trying times for our beloved downtown Boise,” the post said. “The persistent echo of progress has caused a dip in the usual hustle and bustle.”
When will downtown Boise construction be complete?
The improvements on 11th Street are scheduled to be completed by November, according to Boise’s urban renewal agency, the Capital City Development Corp.
In an email, Ada County Highway District spokesperson Rachel Bjornestad said Capital City Development Corp. is in charge of the 11th Street construction, and that utility upgrades prompted the other closures unrelated to new buildings.
“By Idaho Code, we cannot prevent utilities from doing work without sufficient reason,” Bjornestad said. “A lot of the utilities in downtown Boise are old and need repairs or replacement even without development.”
The highway district is in charge of most roads in Boise. Bjornestad added that ACHD works to minimize the impact construction has on residents, and that contractors are often limited by weather, labor shortages and supply chain issues.
Boise City Council weighs in on complaints
At a council meeting last week, Council Member Patrick Bageant said he was resistant to the idea of setting aside parking for employees at local businesses or requiring more administrative work for developers when they schedule construction, which he said could delay projects.
“We should be prioritizing customer parking, citizen parking, downtown use parking,” he said. “We’re going to tend to hear from the employees who want to park. We’re not going to tend to hear from the people who go downtown to eat, or the people who go downtown to walk around, even though they have as much right or more right to be parking and using that space.”
He said communication with the highway district and other agencies involved in construction is critical.
Council Member Latonia Haney Keith, who also chairs Capital City Development Corp.’s board, said she finds their emailed construction updates helpful and supported having a city website that publishes construction updates and schedules.
She also said the city should put time limits on lane closures, adding that complainants have mentioned persistent lane closures even after construction appears to have stopped.
Council President Holli Woodings suggested the city should look to what larger cities do to minimize construction impacts. She also said Boise should try to maintain pedestrian access to sidewalks, so that long-term closures don’t make it difficult for pedestrians to get around.
“It’s been really tough on quite a few of them for quite a bit of time,” McLean said at the meeting, referring to some downtown businesses. “When we get through it, these businesses I’m sure will really enjoy the added number of people that this development brings.”
Council Member Jimmy Hallyburton added that the city should explore partnering with businesses with large parking lots to provide more public parking.
This story was originally published June 14, 2023 at 4:00 AM.
