Boiseans have long awaited changes for this underdeveloped part of town. What happened?

Pelican Press · March 5, 2025

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Boiseans have long awaited changes for this underdeveloped part of town. What happened?

If you drove through Boise’s West End 10 years ago, it looked a little different from today. In 2015, crews were building Esther Simplot Park along Whitewater Park Boulevard,

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was still in business, and the 7-foot-tall fiberglass Rudy the Rooster had yet to find his roost on the Capri Restaurant.

In the years to follow, apartments would replace Jerry’s, Whittier Elementary School would get renovated, and the affordable Adare Manor apartments would fill an empty lot along Fairview Avenue. St. Luke’s Health System would join Adare next door in 2024 with a new

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Those changes, while significant, are only part of the cascade of changes developers proposed for the area. The

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reported in 2016 that investors, developers and planners hoped to see the area flourish in the next decade. But most of that transformation has yet to take root. Dirt lots still disfigure Fairview Avenue and Main Street.

Several vacant lots remain undeveloped between W. Fairview Avenue and W. Main Street in Boise. Plans to build housing units and other mixed use properties have stalled or been cancanceled.

One new apartment building is under construction and two more developments appear likely to be built, with the aid of government financial support. But plans for more than 400 apartments could be dead, and plans for at least 300 more are uncertain. Only 136 apartments seem likely to be built soon, and most of those are in one publicly financed building specifically for people who have been chronically homeless.

For the near future at least, the West End looks less like a hotspot than a development graveyard.

These nine projects tell the story.

1. 272 apartments on Fairview get the axe

St. Louis developer Subtext applied in 2022 to build a seven-story, 272-unit apartment building on the Fairview Avenue site of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the Budget Inn and Capri restaurant — where the familiar fiberglass statue

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has lived since 2016.

The $81 million building at 2600 W. Fairview Ave. was to have a two-story parking garage, commercial space, a gym, club room, coworking space, coffee bar, game room, rooftop terrace, a second-floor courtyard with a swimming pool, hot tub, barbecue stations, fire pits and covered cabanas, according to prior

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St. Louis developer Subtext proposed this seven-story building at 2600 W. Fairview Ave. in Boise’s West End. Those plans have since been scrapped. Plans called for protecting the Capri restaurant, which can be seen at lower right.

The city fully approved the project, called Local Boise Fairview, and the company planned to start construction on the building in spring 2023 and wrap up by summer 2025.

But a poor market led Subtext to scrap the plans and put half of the site up for *****, according to Karl Maier, the listing agent at Platinum Idaho Real Estate at Silvercreek Realty Group. That half includes the Budget Inn and Capri.

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from Colliers still lists the 1-acre property for $6.8 million. The Enterprise Rent-A-Car is not part of the property. According to Maier, any new development would need new city approvals.

2. Goodbye, Symposion. Where are those 169 apartments?

Two somewhat-triangular shaped properties just north of Interstate 84, the West End’s southern border, were among those cued up for redevelopment.

One of the sites along Fletcher Street house an ATV repair shop, a van rental business and the Symposion ********* bar that closed in January, according to prior

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A developer had planned apartments for the site in 2021.

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The Symposion closed in January, though it’s not clear why.

Boise developer Jay Story applied for and won approval to build a 169-unit, seven-story building at 2801 W. Fletcher St. Plans called for two levels of parking and spaces for business.

“The vision for the project is to create a much-needed small apartment community addition within the West End neighborhood in proximity of the Boise River recreational waterway and the Greenbelt pathway systems,” according to a letter from Boise’s Cushing Terrell architecture and engineering firm. “Outdoor seating and dining spaces are planned to activate the outdoor environment and encourage pedestrian connections.”

But construction never began. According to prior

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, the developer, Atlanta’s Greenstone Properties, tried to sell the property for $5.1 million in 2021 after plans for the baseball stadium fell through.

“The owner would just like to sell it,” Story told the Statesman then. “That would include the land and the entitlements, including the schematic designs, and somebody would have to build the project.”

The property is no longer listed for *****. Ada County property records show that a Greenstone business, HBCBP, still owns it. The building permit has expired.

3. A new outdoor hub? All quiet at Idaho River Sports

A 2024 plan by an iconic West End business to create a hub for shopping, dining and drinking shows little sign of progress.

In April,

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applied to remodel its location at Esther Simplot Park along Whitewater Park Boulevard. The business between Quinn’s Pond and the Esther Simplot Pond offers water-oriented rentals such as kayaks and paddle boards, classes and shopping for outdoor gear.

The

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would bring dramatic changes to the squat warehouse the business operates, repurposing it into a two-story “commercial / retail hub.”

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The plans for Idaho River Sports would repurpose it into a two-story commercial and retail hub as shown in this west-facing rendering from Whitewater Park Boulevard. Quinn’s Pond would be at left.

“The original existing building will be divided into multiple tenant spaces,” according to a city of Boise report. “There will be a second floor restaurant and bar with outdoor seating, as well as an additional at-grade building that will house a small bar as well as the rental business.”

The intent of the development, called The Eddy, would be to create a community hub that connects to the Greenbelt and park, according to the report.

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This northwest-facing aerial rendering of the proposed Idaho River Sports development shows a playground and open spaces with seating for food options. Whitewater Boulevard is at bottom right.

“This state-of-the-art planned commercial development offers versatile commercial and restaurant spaces, including coveted indoor/outdoor concepts with patio and bar areas,” according to a Colliers

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The next step was expected to be a

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with nearby neighbors.

As of March 2025, that neighborhood meeting has not happened. Idaho River Sports did not return a voicemail requesting comment.

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This rendering of the interior of the property show spaces for gathering, bike racks and outdoor seating.

4. 88 apartments approved but unbuilt

Across 25th Street from Capri, the Eugene, Oregon, developer deChase Miksis applied to build an 88-unit, six-story building in 2022.

Plans called for ground floor parking, amenities and a small retail space, with five floors of apartments above it, according to prior

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. One- and two-bedroom units were to range from about 500 to 1,000 square feet, with some apartments offering a deck.

The city approved the development, but less than two weeks later the property appeared on real estate listing websites — with one putting the price at $4 million, according to prior Statesman reporting. The property is no longer listed for *****.

According to Dean Papé, partner at deChase Miksis, the project could still happen.

“We’re still working with the city to keep our entitlements in place,” Papé said by phone. “Sooner rather than later we want to move that project forward.”

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An architect’s rendering of the 88-apartment 24th and Fairview building proposed by deChase Miksis. Fairview Avenue is at lower right, with traffic eastbound toward downtown.

Papé said that in downtown there are about 300 new high-end apartments and another 300 in the pipeline, which is high for Boise. He said the company reviews its analysis of the project fairly often, but wants to see how those units are absorbed into the market before proceeding.

“Our current projects downtown are performing well, but there’s an unknown with that many units coming online,” he said. The company is waiting “until the time is right when construction prices support it and the financial markets support it.”

Unlike some of the other developments proposed in the West End, the deChase Miksis project would include only market-rate units, though it’s unclear what that could look like. Available units at

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, the company’s nearby apartments it opened in 2023, range from about $1,400 to $1,700 per month. Available units at

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, another apartment building deChase Miksis built further downtown, range from about $1,400 to $2,300 per month.

According to Papé, there is plenty of affordable or supportive housing proposed or already in place for the West End, including the already completed Adare Manor, which added over 200 units across the street from the property.

“Having different types of owners (and) residents makes the neighborhood better, more vibrant,” Papé said.

5. Architect says 358 Greenbelt apartments could yet be built

The larger triangular property to the north of the Symposion site also attracted a development proposal in 2021. California-based Urban Capital Partners and Kal Pacific & Associates proposed 358 apartment units, offices, commercial space and structured parking in three buildings, ranging from four to seven stories, according to a

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The apartments would have spread between two buildings on the upper five floors and the offices would fit within a four-story building along the Boise River Greenbelt, according to a letter from Boise’s South Beck and Baird landscape architecture firm.

The project at 2850 W. Fletcher St. was moving forward, albeit slowly, before the Design Review Commission in November denied a time extension sought by the developers. The commission first approved the project in 2021, then approved updates to the plan in 2022. City staff then approved a permit in April 2024 to mitigate flood hazards from the Boise River along the site’s western border.

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California-based Urban Capital Partners and Kal Pacific & Associates proposed a development at 2850 W. Fletcher St. in Boise’s West End that called for over 350 apartments, offices, commercial space and structured parking in three buildings, ranging from four to seven stories, as shown in this rendering.

The commissioners said they wanted a “fresh set of eyes” on the development, since it had taken so long. They also said things may have changed with Boise’s new zoning code that went into effect in December 2023.

But this development might yet be built. The development is still on the table, its architect told the Statesman phone.

The company is still working with ACHD on some technical details around a road alignment and some problematic property lines, said Grant Seaman, the founder and CEO of Seattle’s HURAA Architecture..

“Once our friends at ACHD get everything finished then in theory we could quickly get a building permit,” Seaman said by phone. “(It) all kind of hinges on ACHD.”

Seaman said he doesn’t think the new zoning code will be a problem.

“My read of the zoning code is we’re pretty well aligned with it already,” he said. “We don’t anticipate having to make significant changes to the proposal.”

6. Whitewater and Main development stalls …

Two large, virtually empty lots on the south side of West Fairview Avenue west of 27th Street have also long been eyed for redevelopment. The larger one now seems likely to stay empty for at least a few more years.

Boise developer Roundhouse bought the larger parcel in 2016 with plans to build apartments there. The site was briefly considered for a

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, but that idea died when Boise voters in 2019 ousted Mayor David Bieter, who championed a stadium, and passed an ordinance that likely would have required voters to approve it.

Roundhouse later bought a smaller parcel next to the lot with a U.S. Bank building on it that Roundhouse demolished. The company planned to build a large master-planned area it called Whitewater and Main on the two parcels. Those plans included several buildings, about 400 apartments, a big-box retailer and several smaller shops, according to prior

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Roundhouse proposed 400 apartments south of Main Street and West of Whitewater Park Boulevard.

In 2022, the first of those buildings won approval from the city’s Design Review Commission. With 168 apartments, the Avens would have been a part of Whitewater and Main. Eleven apartments were to be reserved for those earning

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“Then the market fell out,” said Patrick Boel, managing director of development for Roundhouse.

Developments across the Treasure Valley were scrapped or paused in 2022 and 2023 as interest rates and construction costs skyrocketed and a labor shortage blazed.

More recently, President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs and immigration policies have rattled the

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, with fears they could raise costs. According to the

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, proposed new tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico are projected to raise the cost of imported construction materials by $3 billion.

7. … but these affordable apartments are promised

The Avens was scrapped. Roundhouse has since pivoted to a new building on the former bank lot called The Finch, which would consist of 40 affordable apartments at 170 S. 28th St. In August, Roundhouse applied for $1.2 million in low-income housing tax credits, which are federal subsidies to help developers build affordable housing.

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Roundhouse is planning to construct a 40-unit affordable housing building in the West End called the Finch, as shown in this rendering.

That $15 million development, Boel said, is moving fast. The company received approval from the Design Review Commission earlier in February and is now working to submit building permits.

“(We’re) hoping to have a shovel in the ground July 1 and then ideally delivering first units by fall of 2026,” Boel said.

The company is reserving most of the one-, two- and three-bedroom units for those earning between 30-60% of the area median income, Boel said.

Area median income is set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and depends on the number of people in a household.

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, 30% of the area median income for a one-person household was $20,600 and for a four-person household it was $29,400. At 60%, the area median income for a one-person household was $41,160 and for a four-person household it was $58,800.

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New Path 2.0 is under construction next to the first New Path building, which opened in 2018 providing housing in an effort to stem chronic homelessness.

Rents for affordable housing are capped at 30% of household income — which experts say is the upper limit before residents become rent burdened. That means a one-person household making 30% of the area median income would pay $515 in monthly rent.

Boel said he hoped the apartments could help catalyze future development in the West End.

“We’ve just tried to take a really thoughtful approach,” he said. “It’s been quite a puzzle we’ve had to navigate.”

The Whitewater and Main project on the larger lot is still on the table, too, but Boel said the company would need to charge rents comparable to downtown Boise to make it pencil out.

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This aerial rendering shows the site of the building outlined at center right, behind the proposed Whitewater and Main development that has been paused.

“The West End of downtown there, you just can’t get the same rents as in downtown Boise,” Boel said. “The rents don’t support the type of project we hope to deliver some day.”

Roundhouse built several high-end apartments in downtown Boise over the last several years, including the Fowler and Hearth on Broad, which has studio, one- and two-bedroom units. Available floor plans at Hearth on Broad range from about $1,600 to $5,400 per month, according to its

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But aside from access to the Greenbelt and Whitewater Park, there isn’t much in the area, Boel said. If the College of Western Idaho proceeds with plans to build a Boise campus across Main Street and next to the river, though, it could help bring some more demand that could help Whitewater and Main.

“That does nothing but help shore up our site as well,” Boel said.

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The interior of the Finch between the buildings would include a central plaza, as shown in this rendering.

8. The College of Western Idaho campus plan evolves

The CWI development would transform the former Bob Rice Ford car dealership on the northwest corner of Main and Whitewater Park Boulevard into a campus for the

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The 10-acre campus at 3150 W. Main St. has been a hope since the college first bought it in 2015 for $8.8 million. But CWI shelved the expansion for eight years after voters in 2016 rejected a $180 million bond measure to build it.

In 2024, the college entered into a public-private partnership with Meridian developer Ahlquist and its development partners. Instead of the

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CWI originally proposed at property taxpayers’ expense, this one would be built without any need for a voter-approved tax, thanks to the expected business revenue, the college’s own building fund and donors.

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The College of Western Idaho plans to build a campus on this property on West Main Street in Boise. CWI first purchased the property in 2015.

Ashley Smith, CWI spokesperson, said there would be no tax increases required to build the campus and that the college is not planning to raise tuition for it.

But the 2024 plan is already being scaled back. In 2024, plans called for an eight-story CWI academic building, apartments, a hotel, a parking garage, and space for businesses, restaurants and stores.

The first floor of the academic building would have included space for commercial tenants. Student spaces and classrooms would have filled the second through fourth floors. Other tenants could have used the fifth through eighth floors.

New plans call for halving the main academic building from eight stories to four, though the plans for apartments, a hotel, parking garage and space for businesses, restaurants and stores still remain in place.

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This rendering shows the four-story academic building that would fill the corner of Whitewater Park Boulevard and Main Street.

The academic building in these plans, Smith said, would be entirely for CWI use. And even though the overall building has shrunk, the new plan actually bumps up CWI’s square footage from about 75,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet.

“It’s going to be four stories, but it’s going to be focused on CWI and the services we provide our students specifically,” Smith said by phone. “CWI’s goal was to always have a facility in downtown Boise to serve our students in Ada County, and we’re still able to do that.”

Smith said the cost for the building increased from about $26 million in 2024 to $38 million, with the additional square footage accounting for a big portion of the increase.

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This proposed site plan shows the academic building at bottom right, with the rest of the commercial and residential spread among the other buildings.

“I think they’re going to have a legacy site here that allows them to really attract students to a downtown environment,” Tommy Ahlquist, the CEO and founder of his namesake company, told the Idaho Statesman in 2024. “This is going to be a wonderful place to live.”

Ahlquist said it would have a look and feel similar to that of the Village at Meridian but near the Boise River. Ahlquist estimated in 2024 that the whole project would cost over $250 million.

Depending on approvals from the city of Boise, crews may break ground in late 2025 with the aim of opening the campus for the fall 2027 term, Smith said.

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This 10-acre site is the future home for the Boise campus of College of Western Idaho. Currently unused, the site is located along the corner of Main Street and Whitewater Park Boulevard.

9. More apartments for those in need

The only planned building already under construction is one that’s mostly government funded. It will provide low- to no-rent apartments for people who have been homeless for at least one year.

A few blocks to the east of Roundhouse’s affordable apartments, construction crews are already working on the building, which will abut and expand upon New Path Community Housing.

New Path opened in 2018 and was the state’s first permanent supportive housing development that opened for people experiencing chronic homelessness, according to the organization’s

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The new six-story apartment building, called New Path 2, is expected to include 96 units comprising 63 studios, 32 one-bedroom units and one two-bedroom unit for the property manager, according to the city’s urban renewal agency, the

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The first and second floors would include offices and amenities, including a nearly 5,000-square foot courtyard with a garden and picnic area.

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The original New Path, as shown in this Statesman file photo, provides housing for about 40 residents. The new building is to abut the building to its immediate left.

“New Path 2.0 will create new homes for residents exiting homelessness who have long histories of homelessness and severe service needs,” according to the city of Boise. New Path would “support Boise residents by providing them with a stable home and wraparound support services, including case management, health care and mental health counseling.”

The city partnered with Eagle-based The Pacific Cos to build the new apartments, providing $13 million in funding for it.

“Permanent supportive housing is a proven model,” said Council President Colin Nash in a July

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. “Providing supports, along with housing, makes good economic sense and takes care of people by addressing the underlying causes of homelessness.”

The city anticipates that crews will finish the building in 2026.

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New Path 2, as shown in this rendering, would include 95 affordable units and one two-bedroom unit for the property manager.

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