Boise Development Thread - Part II

[Boisebro]

this is interesting.

to me, anyway.

when Boise Place was first announced, there was a Q&A article in the statesman about height limits for downtown boise. according to the article, there were no specified height limits, though there were various stipulations and regulations that had to be followed.

that said, I found this pertaining to the Boise Airport (and any airport in Ada County):

MAXIMUM HEIGHT REGULATIONS FOR AREAS ADJACENT TO ADA COUNTY AIRPORTS
In addition to the requirements set forth in Section 6.2/12-06-02 through 6.2(9)/12-06-02(1), the following maximum limitations shall also apply.
A. Height Limits Within Eight (8) Miles: No object within eight (8) miles of any airport shall be more than five hundred feet (500') in height above the ground.

so according to this, downtown boise will never have a building exceeding 500' in height.

however, there may be some loopholes. for one, the airport is significantly higher than downtown boise--downtown boise is listed at 2,704', while the airport is at 2,871' -- a difference of 168 feet. so theoretically, a building downtown could be 668' in height and be equal to a 500' building at the airport.

also, downtown boise is currently about 4 miles from the airport. years from now (likely long after I'm gone), the airport may need to relocate further into the desert -- similar to what Denver did years ago. if that happens and the new airport is built at least 8 miles away, the height restriction would no longer be valid.

unless, of course, the regulations get modified.

anyway, it's been slow around here for new tall proposals, so I thought I'd share this snippet of randomness just for the heck of it.

[Architecture Buff]

Got to view the total eclipse of the sun Monday, and wow a once in a life time experience.

[Cottonwood]

http://idahobusinessreview.com/2017/...e-boise-bench/
Artist studios are taking shape on the Boise Bench

A Boise Bench office building tucked off Vista Avenue could become an artist colony as owner Jane Tharpe reinvents it as the Gem Center for the Arts. Jane and Justin Tharpe bought the 24,000-square-foot, four-story Gem State Securities building on Aug.

https://www.facebook.com/gemcenterforthearts

https://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/ge...nt?oid=6166837
https://media2.fdncms.com/boiseweekl...e_arts_ext.jpg

[TVurban]

Staff still recommends denial of the project.

Staff report
http://pdsonline.cityofboise.org/pds...08221724126140

Bill Clark's opposition letter (2nd paragraph) seems to sum up the reason for denial.
http://pdsonline.cityofboise.org/pds...08220821341860

[boisecynic]

Originally Posted by TVurban

Staff still recommends denial of the project.

Staff report
http://pdsonline.cityofboise.org/pds...08221724126140

Bill Clark's opposition letter (2nd paragraph) seems to sum up the reason for denial.
http://pdsonline.cityofboise.org/pds...08220821341860

Thanks for posting that, another one I wasn't aware of. So did anyone read through that 122 page PDF? That's a lot of prep work to prep for what amounts to a remodel.

I disagree with Clark's position that it's a brand new use. Right off the top of my head I think of Blue Sky Bagel and Addie's in the area with off street parking in front. I'm no more a fan of the strip mall look than anyone else. But that end of town is not yet ready for a full tear down and mid-rise replacement. The remodel seems a good interim solution until such a time that a full replacement becomes economically viable.

It's interesting this came up today. Yesterday I drove by 825 N 12th and it's still an abandoned eyesore. How many years has that been sitting now? Thanks a lot Historic Preservationists.

I first reported on this in Feb 2015, I'm not sure when the Central Addition house was moved to 12th and Hays.

https://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum...postcount=9905

[DonDay]

Got my hands on renderings of the update for Capitol Terrace. Should be a good improvement.

[Boisebro]

I'm glad they're still considering future residential/commercial expansion.

would love to see that original vision of condos above the terrace take shape. perhaps they could consider two towers--one north, one south--to give the capitol condo owners a gap to look through.

[Sawtooth]

The top rendering looks so much nicer. There are some Northend Nimbys coming out against this development (yoga housewives clasping their faces and screaming "omg! What about the children!?!" ) referring to St. Joseph's across the street, but this Northender is in favor. Children can coexist in harmony with smart infill.
Who would have thought the Northend has Nimbys?

Originally Posted by TVurban

Updated 8th and Fort renderings:
http://pdsonline.cityofboise.org/pds...id=DRH17-00289



Refresher rendering:

[Sawtooth]

The Arboretum at Barber Station
http://arboretumboise.com/
view from Warm Springs Mesa
Warm Springs Avenue
July

[Visualize]

Originally Posted by DonDay

Got my hands on renderings of the update for Capitol Terrace. Should be a good improvement.

Digging the neon green! The rest is a little muted though, but a nice update. Always loved the 3-dimensional vibrancy that building provides. Would like to see more of it up and down 8th street. Some missed opportunities to create our own upscale Bourbon Street.

[Visualize]

Let this be a warning to all future builders in the foothills...

Boise begins tearing down crumbling Foothills landslide homes.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/l...169823587.html

Too bad Harris Ranch didn't get this memo before they irreparably scarred the virgin hillside https://www.google.com/maps/dir//%23...9!2d43.5802699. Super excited to see how the dense node Sawtooth captured turns out though.

[boisecynic]

Originally Posted by Visualize

Let this be a warning to all future builders in the foothills...

Boise begins tearing down crumbling Foothills landslide homes.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/l...169823587.html

Too bad Harris Ranch didn't get this memo before they irreparably scarred the virgin hillside https://www.google.com/maps/dir//%23...9!2d43.5802699. Super excited to see how the dense node Sawtooth captured turns out though.

I drove up to Harris Ranch North the other day and it's a lot bigger than I thought. There's already about a dozen completed homes. Maybe half a dozen.

irreparably scarred the virgin hillside

Sadly, foothills development is probably inevitable. Given that, the biggest problem I see is how none of the foothills developments are connected. What If you want to go from HR North to Hidden Springs or Avimor? What if you want to go from Avimor to Bogus Basin? You can't even get from 36th Street (Bison Dr) to Cartwright Road even though they are literally two blue turfs apart. That connection, by the way, was proposed years ago. Arrow Crest residents have to drive clear to Harrison if they want to go skiing.

A foothills parkway is political suicide but it needs to be discussed.

[GrandTeton]

Seattle's NPR, KUOW, ran this little piece earlier today. Boise is becoming more and more on people's radar, unsurpisingly!
http://kuow.org/post/boise-next-portland

[Visualize]

Originally Posted by boisecynic

I drove up to Harris Ranch North the other day and it's a lot bigger than I thought. There's already about a dozen completed homes. Maybe half a dozen.



Sadly, foothills development is probably inevitable. Given that, the biggest problem I see is how none of the foothills developments are connected. What If you want to go from HR North to Hidden Springs or Avimor? What if you want to go from Avimor to Bogus Basin? You can't even get from 36th Street (Bison Dr) to Cartwright Road even though they are literally two blue turfs apart. That connection, by the way, was proposed years ago. Arrow Crest residents have to drive clear to Harrison if they want to go skiing.

A foothills parkway is political suicide but it needs to be discussed.

Yeah, the development won't stop, it just seems better placed in some areas than others I suppose.

Considering that most of these foothill developments are typically all just pockets of residential, I doubt many of the residents have a need or desire to drive between them, not counting a couple of the exceptions you provided. But even then, I think the seclusion is part of the appeal. The foothill developments probably won't ever be connected, and will just resemble the canyons on the mountain side of Honolulu. Cartwright Rd does have some very interesting potential though.

[Sawtooth]

Boise ~ The Tree of Life

[TVurban]

Heres a new St. Lukes Orthopedic Hospital
No renderings as of yet.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/b...170120222.html

http://pdsonline.cityofboise.org/pds...id=CUP17-00057

Site Plan


North Elevation (Fairview)


South Elevation (Connector)


South Garage Elevation (Connector)

[Cottonwood]

That is an attractive design. It is going to be nice to see those lots on that side of downtown finally getting some infill.

Sawtooth, your new photo thread is amazing and beautiful.

[BOI-IDA]

That St. Lukes proposal could be just the boost needed to revitalize this area. Here's hoping it gets built.

[boisecynic]

While we're on a West Downtown tangent, found these 2 things.

1) Boise Whitewater Park Phase 2 delayed a year. In river work had been proposed to begin Fall 2017, now pushed back to Fall 2018.

Record high water levels in the Boise River this year have affected the next phase of the Whitewater Park. Fall/Winter 2017/2018, the Boise City Parks and Recreation Department (BPR) will focus efforts to repair damaged river bank through the project area. The Boise River nearly removed a section of bank between the River and Veterans Pond. This section will need to be reconstructed and armored prior to any additional high water events.

BPR continues to finalize construction documents and obtain all of the necessary project permits. The tentative schedule is to begin work on the in-river wave features during the Fall and Winter of 2018/2019. With a park completion date of June 2019.

https://parks.cityofboise.org/parks-...ase-ii-update/

2) Garden City's Waterfront District HOA gets City of Boise to agree to mitigation of impacts of possible large events at the Whitewater Park. It appears they even got compensation for requesting the mitigation. Friends, that's why you stay in law school.

RES 167-17

March 8, 2017

This resolution approves a contract that memorializes the mutual understanding of the City and the Waterfront District Homeowners Association (the “HOA”) with regard to the City’s construction of Phase II of its Whitewater Park. Staff from the City's Department of Parks and Recreation, Public Works Department, and the City Attorney's Office negotiated the terms of the attached Contract, by which the City agrees to compensate the HOA for: (a) the legal fees incurred by the HOA in negotiating these agreements, and (b) the cost of additional fencing to be installed to mitigate the anticipated effects of increased public use of the Whitewater Park and surrounding area. The Contract also sets forth the timeframe for the HOA to grant a permanent easement to the City for the installation and operation of certain structures required for operation of Phase II of the City’s Whitewater Park (a draft of the Easement is attached as an exhibit to the Contract), binds the parties to certain responsibilities, and acknowledges the rights of the respective parties. The 60% design plans for Phase II of the Whitewater Park are attached as an exhibit to the Contract, as is the City’s existing Special Events Ordinance. (The HOA was particularly concerned that the City would not condition the issuance of Special Events permits on certain crowd controls. The HOA’s primary concern was that parking and attendance overflow from large events at the Whitewater Park would spill over into the HOA’s neighborhood on the Garden City side of the Boise River.)

[Cottonwood]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fi...-cycle-safety/

Introducing human bollards, the latest frontier in cycle safety

The "human bollards" have popped up in Idaho, San Francisco, New York and Dublin recently, in a bid to draw attention to areas where advocacy groups think cyclists are inadequately protected from traffic.

Those taking part usually wear a uniform of a brightly coloured T-shirt and a wide grin (though one protester in Idaho's Downtown Boise area preferred to blend in to the urban landscape by dressing as a flex post and swaying from side to side.)