Idaho sells old highway department HQ, ‘prime’ Boise real estate. This is who bought it
A trio of developers has bought the 44-acre property that housed the former headquarters of the Idaho Transportation Department on State Street.
The state sold the property to Idaho-based developers Hawkins Cos. and The Pacific Cos., and the Utah-based FJ Management, which runs convenience stores, hotels, oil refineries and senior living communities.
The property at 3311 W. State St. near Lowell Elementary School and Veterans Memorial Park in Boise consists of multiple office buildings and large parking lots. The sale sets the property on a path to be redeveloped in the coming years.
“These three companies emerged as the highest bidder to transform this prime piece of real estate into a dynamic and innovative development that will contribute to the growth and vibrancy of Boise and the entire state of Idaho,” said Kim Rau, public information officer for the Department of Administration, in a news release.
Rau said final terms and conditions of the sale will be developed in the coming weeks.
Brian Huffaker, president and CEO of Hawkins Cos., said the companies would develop the site together and are hoping to build it out for both commercial and residential uses. But they are in the early stages of planning.
“There’s going to be a lot of discussions with the city with what they’re expecting to see and what they’d like to see,” Huffaker told the Idaho Statesman by phone. “There’s just a lot of interested stakeholders.”
The stakeholders include Boise’s urban renewal agency, the Capital City Development Corp. (CCDC), which has eyed the property as an important part of its State Street urban renewal district.
“Forty-four acres of redevelopment is a tremendous change in this area of town and something that we want to be involved in,” Doug Woodruff, CCDC’s development director, said during the CCDC board’s Aug. 30 meeting.
Huffaker said it’s uncommon for such a large property in the inner Boise area to go up for sale, and he noted that it was especially appealing because of its location along heavily trafficked State Street.
“It’s a pretty unique property,” Huffaker said. “I think most developers have had their eyes on this waiting for it to come to auction at some stage.”
The Idaho Transportation Department ran its operations from the property for more than 60 years but moved to the 200-acre site of the former Hewlett-Packard campus at 11311 W. Chinden Blvd. after a flood left the building with significant damage, according to prior Idaho Statesman reporting
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