Boise Auditorium District’s expansion plans continue with second River Street lot

The Greater Boise Auditorium District continued its downtown expansion on Tuesday, agreeing to an option to buy its second property along River Street in less than a month.

Once finalized, the move would secure the district two adjacent properties totalling about six acres between 9th and 11th streets by the Boise River — and within walking distance of Boise Centre, its downtown convention hub.

The board’s decision set an option agreement to buy 1.84 acres at 970 W. River Street for $12.5 million, district spokesperson Mary-Michael Rodgers told the Idaho Statesman. The board entered into a similar deal on a 4.13-acre parcel next door on March 31 for $21.25 million, Rodgers previously told the Statesman.

There’s no plan or development timeline for the new properties, Rodgers said in a press release. The district plans to put out a request for proposals for a design team in early summer to “explore possibilities” once due diligence is done.

“Future-proofing the district to maintain our current assets and maximize growth through expansion is a major priority for us,” GBAD Executive Director Cody Lund said in a press release. “This second parcel of land opens up more possibilities in how we could develop the new site for flow and activation of the space, which are important elements as we think about how this investment fits in with our existing facility and the rest of our downtown neighbors.”

The flurry of acquisition marks the district’s largest expansion since it opened Boise Centre East in 2017.

It will be up to a future board to finalize the 9th Street purchase, Lund told the Statesman in an interview. Right now, Idaho Records Management uses the property for a pair of storage facilities, and it plans to keep operating on the site for at least three-and-a-half more years, Lund said. After that, GBAD can give 18 months’ notice to exercise the option, he said, putting the time frame for completing the deal in the five-to-seven-year range.

In 2025, Ada County assessed the property at $7.4 million, with almost 54,000 square feet of interior space. The aging buildings “don’t have the bones” to support a new public use, Lund said, and likely would be torn down if the district takes control.

Securing the option now allows for more site flexibility — as well as a firmer footing — as Boise Auditorium District plans for the new land.

“Being landlocked is not the best when you’re ready for growth and busting at the seams with events,” Lund said.

Report called for expansion, new facilities

Together, the two River Street lots are considerably larger than the district’s 86,000-square-foot Boise Centre event space, which a consultant study released last fall found insufficient to meet demand for conventions in Idaho’s capital.

Boise Centre hosted 278 events and more than 170,812 people in 2025, according to a January report. That was a new record for conventions — and one it may not be able to break at its existing home downtown.

The Grove Plaza convention center is “at or near capacity,” according to the report from C.H. Johnson Consulting, and the hub lost 400 events in fiscal 2024 “due to space, date, and hotel limitations.”

“Without expansion, Boise risks losing high-value events to regional and national competitors,” the report stated.

For the center and downtown businesses, that means missing out on money that added traffic might bring. Boise Centre calculated that its events generated $51.2 million in local economic impact last year — also a record. That figure was based on a tool from the tourism interest group Destinations International. The district’s fiscal year ended Nov. 30.

The report suggested either adding event space or building a sports complex nearby. Both options are on the table as the board embarks on feasibility studies of the new location. The Boise Auditorium District stated that the 11th Street property can fit a 100,000-square-foot “exhibition hall, multi-use event center, or an indoor sports facility — all of which our feasibility studies noted are in-demand in our community.”

Meanwhile, the smaller neighboring lot is well-suited for parking, loading docks and pedestrian access, according to the district.

“We’re focused on building a solid foundation for both the district and greater downtown Boise that will withstand needs well into the future,” said GBAD Board Chair Kristin Muchow said in a release.

How will it get financed?

The Greater Boise Auditorium District dates back to 1959, when voters formed it to make, market, maintain and manage exhibition halls, convention centers, stadiums and other similar economic drivers. It’s funded mostly by a 5% tax on hotel stays. Lately, revenue from that tax has been very strong, growing by roughly $400,000 each of the past several years, Lund told the Statesman. The district forecasts about $12.4 million in earnings from the lodging tax this year, he said.

The full cost of the new purchase won’t come due unless board members exercise the 9th Street option. For now, though, the district was able to make down payments out of the roughly $30 million it has built up in cash reserves, Lund said. Any future construction could require a bond securitizing the district’s tax income to raise money, but it’s too early to say what that might mean.

Lund said he hopes to assemble a preliminary design team through an RFP this summer. Then, the district can “put pencil to paper” on what to build and how much it might cost.

One thing GBAD lacks is an exhibit hall, which could double as an indoor sports facility, he said.

So far, nothing is set in stone — or off the table. Lund feels the new land could “check off a lot of products” on the district’s wish list at one site.

“I think an important factor in the decision is definitely looking for the right project to get more visitors staying at hotels, dining at restaurants, renting cars and stimulating our local economy,” Rodgers said. “That’s the purpose and mission of the district.”

Business as usual at Boise Centre

A seven-minute walk away, Boise Centre will “operate as usual for the foreseeable future” and “honor all commitments” at Grove Plaza, Lund said.

“This investment for us is about growth, not disruption,” he said.