Boise Development Thread - Part II

[SkyBoi]

I really do think this 11th & Front 450'+ Luxury Apartment Building will get built despite a few hurdles to tackle with bike stalls , that being said with all the groundwork that has already been taken on floor plans , colors of the exterior , how the views of the building will look with the current skyscape of downtown Boise , Personelly I think it will very much enhance the skyline of Downtown with the recent addition of the AC-Element , The Saratoga , the Renagade , and the Arthur , I can't wait till they break ground soon , Fingers Crossed , Let's Go Boise !!!

[Evo5Boise]

Originally Posted by SkyBoi

I really do think this 11th & Front 450'+ Luxury Apartment Building will get built despite a few hurdles to tackle with bike stalls , that being said with all the groundwork that has already been taken on floor plans , colors of the exterior , how the views of the building will look with the current skyscape of downtown Boise , Personelly I think it will very much enhance the skyline of Downtown with the recent addition of the AC-Element , The Saratoga , the Renagade , and the Arthur , I can't wait till they break ground soon , Fingers Crossed , Let's Go Boise !!!

AC-Element turned out better than I expected. I still preferred the original concept with the lip around the top roof, but overall, the building looks good.

[Hot_Onions]

Originally Posted by Evo5Boise

AC-Element turned out better than I expected. I still preferred the original concept with the lip around the top roof, but overall, the building looks good.

I think the AC-Element looks so much better than some of the other hotels downtown, besides the Renegade. The Hampton is just super dated (even with a new coat of paint) and the Marriot is just weird and bad. I appreciate that the AC-Element keeps is fairly simple, both in shape and in material/color choice. There's nothing special per say but it works. I agree that the original looked a bit nicer, though I think the final version might be a bit taller, so there's that.

[Panner]

Originally Posted by Hot_Onions

I think the AC-Element looks so much better than some of the other hotels downtown, besides the Renegade. The Hampton is just super dated (even with a new coat of paint) and the Marriot is just weird and bad. I appreciate that the AC-Element keeps is fairly simple, both in shape and in material/color choice. There's nothing special per say but it works. I agree that the original looked a bit nicer, though I think the final version might be a bit taller, so there's that.

I even like the parking level facades with the open-cable walls and cinder blocks. It was well thought out.

[Craxo]

Originally Posted by Panner

I even like the parking level facades with the open-cable walls and cinder blocks. It was well thought out.

I absolutely agree. I think it’s one of the best parking garages in the downtown area. It integrates super well with the high rise above, and the way it has been built makes it look much more like a pre-existing building than a parking garage, although there is still definitely room for improvement.

[Architecture Design]

AC Marriott and Westin Element combined hotels

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/boicd-ac-hotel-boise-downtown/overview/

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/bo...cid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0



They are taking reservations starting July 1,2026 according to websites of both hotels.
Looks like parking garage levels will have a dark grey cinder block with lighter grey screen covering. Westin Element photos have not been updated.

[Architecture Design]

AC Marriott and Element by Westin combined hotels with exterior almost finished.
Parking levels have a dark cider block with light grey screen.
VIDEO below

https://flic.kr/p/2rYAhVF

[Architecture Design]

AC Marriott and Element by Westin combined hotels with exterior almost finished.
Parking levels have a dark cider block with light grey screen.

[Hot_Onions]

https://bloombergcities.jhu.edu/program/mayors-challenge/2025-winning-cities

This is pretty exciting. The City of Boise just one a global competition hosted by the Bloomberg Philanthropy and received $1,000,000. The competition looked at innovative ways in which cities were dealing with issues impacting their communities. Boise chose to highlight their investment into geothermal energy with the hopes of lowering heating costs. Boise was one of 24 cities globally to win and only 1 of 3 cities in the US (Initially over 600 cities applied).

[Architecture Design]

AC Marriott and Element by Westin combined hotels at night:
Lobby








15th floor The Boise Post restaurant and bar with two outdoor balconies, and event room to the right

[Hot_Onions]

CCDC wants to cover up the staircases around the Aspen Lofts. Definitely interesting. There's more info on their website. https://ccdcboise.com/ccdc-projects/9th-...modernization-and-stair-tower-enclosure/

[jthomps4]

I wish they would do something similar, or add glass, to the south/back side of the building.

Originally Posted by Hot_Onions

CCDC wants to cover up the staircases around the Aspen Lofts. Definitely interesting. There's more info on their website. https://ccdcboise.com/ccdc-projects/9th-...modernization-and-stair-tower-enclosure/

[Evo5Boise]

Originally Posted by jthomps4

I wish they would do something similar, or add glass, to the south/back side of the building.

Agreed. I can’t stand the backside of the building. It’s such a tale of two facades....gorgeous on the front, but seriously lacking on the back.

As for the staircase wrap....it’s interesting. I don’t hate it.

[Panner]

Originally Posted by Hot_Onions

CCDC wants to cover up the staircases around the Aspen Lofts. Definitely interesting. There's more info on their website. https://ccdcboise.com/ccdc-projects/9th-...modernization-and-stair-tower-enclosure/

Crazy how much money has been spent on this staircase over the last 20 years.

[Craxo]

I went by the boardwalk tower site yesterday, and it seems that they paved over it, turning it into a more permanent parking lot. If the tower is not moving forward because of that, then it’s pretty disappointing that we aren’t getting something in between One Capital and US Bank for a bit.

[ncom]

http://https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/...ancies-surge/IJBVPOBR55D7XA6TEDTHBMAYFI/

The attached story describes vacancies increasing in Seattle.

The question I have, is if Boise starts to see an influx of West Coast development companies for downtown.

The companies have capital, but not many places to build right now that are uncertain. Boise continues to grow. Do we see if they put that money to work downtown over the next decade

They want to build. They need to build.

The one thing I'd like to avoid is what is happening in vancouver Canada. Lots of towers but they are all nearly identical. It looks really, really bad, at least to me.

[Evo5Boise]

Originally Posted by ncom

http://https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/...ancies-surge/IJBVPOBR55D7XA6TEDTHBMAYFI/

The attached story describes vacancies increasing in Seattle.

The question I have, is if Boise starts to see an influx of West Coast development companies for downtown.

The companies have capital, but not many places to build right now that are uncertain. Boise continues to grow. Do we see if they put that money to work downtown over the next decade

They want to build. They need to build.

The one thing I'd like to avoid is what is happening in vancouver Canada. Lots of towers but they are all nearly identical. It looks really, really bad, at least to me.

I was actually thinking about this the other day. With telecommuting becoming more common, office towers are seeing higher vacancy rates. It seems like there isn’t as much demand for commercial space as before, yet there’s still strong demand for vertical residential living. The problem is that many cities going vertical are just churning out cookie-cutter towers with very little architectural character.....as you mentioned, Vancouver comes to mind.

I’m not a real estate expert, so I could be off-base here, but just spittballin’ some thoughts.

[Evo5Boise]

Originally Posted by Craxo

I went by the boardwalk tower site yesterday, and it seems that they paved over it, turning it into a more permanent parking lot. If the tower is not moving forward because of that, then it’s pretty disappointing that we aren’t getting something in between One Capital and US Bank for a bit.

Yeah, I’ve wondered if that tower would ever see the light of day. It would be an awesome spot for a random tower. I haven’t seen or heard anything saying it’s officially dead, so there’s still some hope...but only time will tell.

[mhays]

Developers WANT to build, but they don't need to build. Also they often switch to other project types when their favored sector doesn't pencil -- whether it's new apartments or buying existing offices and renovating their common areas for example. The same goes for their financial partners. Many simply hunker down until conditions get better, with a skeleton staff, maybe working slowly on a project or two to start in the next cycle.

Office demand might be declining permanently due to WFH and AI. Developers are optimists by nature, but they're starting to realize this. Boise might see some continued office groundbreakings due due to the booming population and specific companies, but it won't be much.

[Craxo]

Originally Posted by mhays

Office demand might be declining permanently due to WFH and AI. Developers are optimists by nature, but they're starting to realize this. Boise might see some continued office groundbreakings due due to the booming population and specific companies, but it won't be much.

I would hope that we see something similar to the Bannock, combining office and residential into one building, so that going in to the office isn’t as much of a hassle, especially transportation-wise, and that would help our skyline grow beyond this 3-building plateau that we have. I would expect that mixed-use towers like these will help fill in the 60 foot gap that we have, considering the Bannock was originally proposed at 232 ft, but only time will tell, so it’s fingers crossed for now.