See what’s happening to Boise’s historic armory. Changing rents. What’s coming near you
The latest proposed developments, housing and other construction projects, and new businesses around Idaho’s Treasure Valley:
Boise
Alpha Development Group has submitted permit requests valued at $48 million to begin building 205 apartments at 801 Reserve St., near the base of the Military Reserve trails in the East End.
The Armory apartments would include 173 units above a new parking structure with 3,000 square feet of retail space, 21 ground-level apartments and 11 townhouses. They would go up on the site of the former Idaho National Guard Armory, commonly called the Boise Armory, which has been vacant for more than a decade.
The market-rate units would range from studios to three-bedroom townhouses in various buildings on 4.8 acres between East Reserve Street and East Logan Street, as well as along North Avenue H.
Documents filed with the city this spring added additional details about the developer’s vision for the space after parts of the project were revised.
The developer said he wants the open space between the buildings and the Armory building to serve as a “festival street” for gathering and holding special events. The proposed landscaping, sitting wall, accent sidewalks and a wall featuring art would be intended to “further emphasize the pedestrian nature of this space,” according to documents.
Alpha’s plans include keeping the historic armory intact “with some cosmetic cleanup of the exterior,” according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting.
Outdoor amenity space would include a pool, outdoor seating areas with fire pits, hammock and slack line areas, and a barbeque area with a covered pergola.
The Design Review Committee approved the revised project design in April.
—
Lori Fascilla, executive director of Giraffe Laugh Early Learning Centers, has filed a request for permit for the design of a single-story, 6,395-square-foot child care center at 203 S. Orchard St., south of West Franklin Street.
—
Wes Steele, owner of Steele Architecture, has filed a request for a permit to build two light industrial buildings at 11230 W. Joplin Road, north of West Chinden Boulevard.
The 10,080-square-foot buildings would house Joplin Industrial, according to the application.
—
Christina Murray, owner of Season and Taste, has filed a request for a permit for the cooking school to occupy a 1,966-square-foot tenant space at 800 W. Main St., on the second story of the Eighth & Main building.
—
Meridian
The Conger Group wants to build 251 houses south of Wahooz, according to a filing with the city.
The Windrow Neighborhood would be located at the corner of South Linder and West Amity roads. The developer is requesting approvals for annexation, zoning and a preliminary plat.
The Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to hear the proposal at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at City Hall.
—
Jim Conger, of the Conger Group, wants to build 19 apartments in five two-story buildings on 2 acres at the northwest corner of Meridian Road and West Harris Street.
The two-story Stapleton Apartments would be designed to blend into the single-family homes that would be next to the project, the application said.
The Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to hear the proposal at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at City Hall.
—
CBH Homes wants to build 89 houses near Hillsdale Elementary School and the Tomlinson South Meridian YMCA.
The Centerville Subdivision would be located at the southeast corner of East Amity Road and South Hillsdale Avenue, according to a filing.
The developer is requesting final plat approval. The Meridian City Council is scheduled to hear the proposal at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 25, at City Hall.
The Base Jiu Jitsu, a martial arts studio, is moving.
The owners signed a lease at 950 N. Hickory Ave., Suite 110, Meridian, near Eagle Road and Pine Avenue, for nearly 3,000 square feet of indoor space. The school is now located at 201 N. Maple Grove Road in Boise.
The Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to hear the owners’ request for a conditional-use permit at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, at City Hall.
The Base Jiu Jitsu was established 20 years ago, according to a filing with the city.
—
Nampa
Thomans Coleman, of KB Home Idaho, wants to build 291 single-family houses on the southeast corner of U.S. Highway 26 and Franklin Road.
The Resting Rock subdivision would be on 69.5 acres, according to the application.
The subdivision is planned to be built in eight phases and have 10.5 acres of parks and walking paths. The development would also have pickleball courts and picnic areas.
“KB Home has an unwavering commitment to the quality of product and design that goes into their high-quality communities and homes,” KB said in its application. “Resting Rock Subdivision will epitomize this vision and commitment that KB Home has in making a community special. “
—
Peter Estay, of Enclave Development LLC, a Driggs development company, wants to build 306 apartments on the northwest corner of Cherry Lane, Garrity Boulevard and Can Ada Road.
The NWC Cherry and Garrity Roads apartments would be on 16.5 acres.
The apartments would be market rate “high amenity” apartments, the application said.
The project includes nine three-story buildings with 33 studios, 105 one-bedroom units, 75 two-bedrooms and 93 three-bedroom, the application said.
The complex would include a club house with a pool, pool deck, community patio with gas grilling stations and gas fire pits.
—
Nampa veterinarian Merik H. G. Metos plans to build a clinic called Rising Sun Animal Hospital.
It would be located at 910 S. Rising Sun Drive and have 2,750 square feet.
The Planning and Zoning Commission has approved the application.
—
Caldwell
The city of Caldwell wants to build an innovation center for agricultural technology.
The Caldwell City Council accepted a grant from Capital Matrix for $25,000 to study the feasibility of a center.
In a news release, the city said the center would “focus on agricultural-based innovation, creating opportunity and growing jobs, and contributing to the long-term economic prosperity of Caldwell, the Treasure Valley, and the state of Idaho.”
“Agriculture is a significant driver of Canyon County’s economy,” the city said.
Capital Matrix is a private, nonprofit Boise corporation that administers certain Small Business Administration loans for real estate and equipment.
—
Star
Brett Clancy, owner of Christian Brothers Automotive in Meridian, plans to open an automotive repair shop in Star.
The new Christian Brothers Automotive shop is planned at 12338 West Havencrest Drive, marking Clancy’s second location in the area.
The shop is scheduled to open in early 2024.
—
Ada County
Construction has started on a new traffic operations center for the Ada County Highway District at 12590 West Franklin Road.
Three buildings are planned for the property, including a main building with a traffic signal management center and materials lab, a storage warehouse, and a workshop for paint and signal crews.
Fifty-five employees would move there from the Adams Maintenance Complex in Garden City, which ACHD plans to vacate.
—
Garden City
A new business in Garden City, Welhous Studio, owned by Bob and Megan Basham, aims to reduce urban wood waste by salvaging and drying trees removed from Treasure Valley properties before they’re tossed in the landfill or turned into firewood.
The studio uses a kiln that can hold slabs of wood as large as 5 feet by 16 feet with a three-week drying time, which is much quicker than air drying and other kiln methods, the studio says.
Homeowners, artists and tree services can drop off trees at the studio at 208 W. 37th St. No. 105.
—
Notable
Apartment rents in Boise fell 0.6% in June from May, and have fallen 6.3% since June 2022, a national listing service says.
That continues a rent slowdown after a multiyear surge. From January through June, Boise rents rose 0.7%, compared with 9.8% in the same months of 2022, Apartment List said in its latest monthly report.
The overall median rent is now $1,351, with one-bedroom units at $1,123 and two-bedrooms at $1,327, Apartment List said. That makes the 60th most-expensive city among the nation’s 100 largest cities.
Even with the latest decline, Boise rents are up 36.3% since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the listing service says.
—
Idaho claimed first place for skyrocketing home-sales prices in the U.S. between 2016 and 2023, according to a study by Texas Real Estate Source.
The state’s average home price increased to $369,300 from $165,100, an increase of 124%, the nation’s highest percentage increase.
The Idaho zip code with the largest increase was 83650, which includes Murphy, Oreana, Silver City and Swan Falls. Average home value increased 461% there, the agency said.
—
Amalgamated Sugar, the sugar-beet processing company based in Boise, has a new president and CEO.
Fran Malecha will take over on July 31, according to a news release. His predecessor, John McCreedy, is retiring after eight years.
Malecha previously worked as an executive at Compass Minerals International and Viterra. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and attended programs at Harvard Business School.
“I am honored to lead this exceptional company,” Malecha said in the release.
