I've taken a bit of time to imagine some other options to the downtown circulator, and fleshed out what a fully developed light rail system could look like in Boise. Of course these are fantasy proposals contingent on a ton of different factors, but a challenge I see worth pursuing.
To rehash, here is the city's current proposal:
https://boisedev.com/news/2017/8/15/...ve-bieter-achd
Rather than build this circulator that doesn't really go anywhere, and has no destinations that aren't easier to walk to, I propose that the first line that Boise builds go out to the Boise Towne Square Mall. I can almost hear the groans.."The Mallllllll"..!
This makes sense for a variety of reasons, some of which are highlighted on the image below.
This important link would provide major anchor destinations on each end of the route, greatly increasing ridership, and spurring an enormous amount of economic development, something the proposed downtown circulator won't accomplish. Overall length of this proposal is only roughly 20% greater than the circulator, but comes with many advantages.
Advantages:
Major Retail Exchange. Mall visitors can easily park and then ride the train downtown for a different shopping experience of urban oriented shops and cuisine. Likewise for downtown residents and shoppers that want to visit the major retail destination of the mall. City planners originally envisioned the mall downtown, which most are glad to see never happen, but this could be a compromise that creates an amicable relationship between the two economic centers.
The mall parking lot is rarely filled outside of the Christmas season and can be used as Park and Ride lot into Downtown, greatly decreasing the parking requirements for Downtown employees.
The gas refinery at the midpoint of this route has been explored for redevelopment, and is the perfect location for a very dense TOD that provides residents and visitors unparalleled access to two major anchor destinations with the Mall and Downtown only a couple stops in either direction.
This line is also valuable even for downtown travel, connecting the urban center with the proposed baseball field, community college, hospital, and white water recreation park.
Developing this link also provides the opportunity for Garden City to develop a line that taps into the Boise system. I envision this being the second line developed, because alone it doesn't provide the connectivity or anchor destinations that are required for ridership support and economic development. Once developed it opens up the potential for truly transit oriented neighborhoods across Garden City's entire grid.
The third line completes the connection of the major anchor destinations within the immediate Boise area by connecting out to the airport. This also provides the location for storage and maintenance to support a much larger rail system, and would likely replace a smaller facility along the Mall Route.
Full build out of this fantasy proposal.
I'm sure many have different views, or would tweak it this way or that, but this was done for fun, so it is what it is. I wouldn't mind getting some of those massive contracts the city has issued over the years to study this more legitimately.
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