Press Releases and News Items

Listed here are news releases from CCDC and stories from other sources.

6/23/08: CCDC approves Parking Reinvestment Program [press release] [Parking Advisory Committee recommendations, materials] [Phil Kushlan's Reader's View in Idaho Statesman]

5/28/08: CCDC Adopts Sustainable Development Policy [press release] [policy document] [Idaho Business Review article]

3/11/08: City and CCDC collaborate on new fire truck

3/12/08: City creates new Department of Arts and History

City launches events Web site with CCDC support: www.experienceboise.org

"Urban Sprawl is a Problem, Urban Renewal is the Answer"

CCDC Chair Cheryl Larabee's opinion piece in the Idaho Statesman.

"Urban Renewal 101"

A new guide produced by the Association of Idaho Cities.

"Urban renewal and revenue allocation financing are the most significant tools available to Idaho communities for attracting and retaining businesses, generating economic development, promoting job creation and encouraging development of deteriorating and underutilized areas."

"Municipal Forest Resource Analysis"

A new report from US Forest Service and Boise's Community Forestry Division evaluates the cost/benefit analysis of Boise's street trees.

"Boise's [street] trees are a valuable asset, providing over $1million in annual gross benefits."

Also: "Downtown Tree Guide"

For Immediate Release:  Downtown developments garner Grow Smart Awards

Date:  11-14-07

Contact: Scot Oliver , CCDC, 384-4264

Deanna Smith, Idaho Smart Growth, 333-8066.

Boise - Two developments in downtown Boise will receive 2007 Grow Smart awards at the annual event presented by Idaho Smart Growth. The Linen District will receive the award in the Commercial category and CitySide Lofts Phase I will receive the award in the Attached Residential category. The awards presentation and reception will take place on Thursday, November 15, from 5-7 p.m. in the Rose Room , 718 Idaho Street in downtown Boise .

  Capital City Development Corporation, Boise 's redevelopment agency, played an advocacy role in both projects and a significant partnership role in CitySide Lofts Phase I, which CCDC nominated for an award. CitySide Lofts, a 77-unit condominium at the southeast corner of 13 th and Myrtle streets, is the first major owner-occupied multiunit residential development to be built in downtown Boise in two decades. This location, the primary gateway into downtown from the west, was owned by CCDC and held for use as leverage assistance to bring new living opportunities into downtown as part of the agency's Downtown Housing Initiative. Boise , like many other cities, has experienced a rise in the number of people interested in living downtown, but in Boise 's case the supply was far below the demand. CCDC partnered with local developers The Hosac Company to create the CitySide Lofts to help meet that need.

  CitySide Lofts represents other Smart Growth tenants, including pedestrian-friendly design, full use of the site, underground parking and urban brownfield infill redevelopment. The site was considered a brownfield and CCDC requested a targeted brownfield property assessment from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that resulted in a clean bill of health.

  CitySide Lofts is the first use in Boise of a new building code amendment allowing five floors (an increase of one floor) of Type V-A wood-frame construction above concrete parking. This allows builders to achieve an urban density at a lower cost per unit, ultimately encouraging the development of more downtown housing options.

  CCDC also was an early advocate of the Linen District project, developer David Hale's leading-edge urban redevelopment along Grove Street in Boise 's Westside Downtown Urban Renewal District. Hale's leadership and vision has led to a remarkable turnaround in the commercial sector in that area, and his plans include further commercial redevelopment as well as new multiunit residential projects. The cornerstone of the Linen District, the American Linen Building , a former dry-cleaning business, had been for sale for years before CCDC sponsored a targeted brownfield assessment from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality at Hale's request. That assessment returned a no-action finding, allowing Hale to close on the building and begin work.

  The public is encouraged to attend the awards reception. Appetizers and no-host bar will be provided. Tickets are $10. For more information on the reception, contact Idaho Smart Growth at 333-8066.

CCDC Issues Clarification on The Aspen Articles

8-2-07

Recent articles in the local press have suggested that CCDC called a "halt" to construction of the Aspen project due to a "dispute" between CCDC and developer Scott Kimball over liability insurance for the adjacent City Centre garage, which the agency owns. CCDC did not request an end to construction, nor does CCDC have the ability to stop construction based on insurance issues cited. In fact CCDC remains fully supportive of the Aspen project. Staff and Scott Kimball continue to renegotiate an access agreement which will allow Aspen condominium owners to enter their property through CCDC's public parking garage.

As has been reported, Kimball had agreed to purchase the general liability policy CCDC requested covering the agency's garage structure and the safety of the public using it. "We're already 90% there," Kimball said during a meeting with CCDC staff on Monday. The apparent misunderstanding arose regarding details of incidental liability insurance CCDC was stipulating. These incidental coverages-related to workers' compensation coverage and employee vehicle liability-are the equivalent of the fine print in any insurance policy. Depending on the form of insurance purchased, individual coverages can vary with separate or combined limits; however CCDC did not expect nor require these to be above conventional limits. Insurance representatives for both parties have been on track to sort out these details in time to present a new access agreement to the CCDC Board at its August 9 meeting.

Again, the important point is that the general liability coverage has already been agreed to. The structural soundness and public safety associated with the garage will be ensured. These other details are expected to be satisfied shortly. CCDC and Scott Kimball anticipate completing the access agreement in time to present to the CCDC Board as intended. Execution of the access agreement will allow The Aspen to continue at full speed. We all look forward to seeing this important downtown project completed.

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5/24/07: The Boise Weekly takes a comprehensive look at the workforce housing crisis in Boise, including CCDC's efforts to help solve the problems.

For Immediate Release : CCDC-supported Developments Featured in New Book

Date: 5-10-07

Contact: Scot Oliver , 384-4264

Two recent Boise developments with Capital City Development Corporation support are highlighted in "Building from the Best of the Northern Rockies ," a new book published by the Sonoran Institute. The BoDo district and the Front 5 Building, both on Front Street in downtown Boise , are cited as examples of how "visionary architects and developers are designing and building a new West that honors the region's traditional designs and patterns of growth." CCDC, Boise 's redevelopment agency, participated in both projects with streetscape investments and in BoDo with the purchase and operation of the 380-space Myrtle Street garage.

The BoDo project, a four-block former brownfield warehouse district, is featured as a "Best Practices in Action" for its transformation "into a regional destination with uses and amenities that bring pride of place to downtown Boise ." The study said BoDo's "high quality architectural and urban design has led to profitable co-tenancy between national chains.and local businesses." The study also applauds the way new uses "were integrated into existing structures and appropriately scaled additions to insure that the character of the historic buildings was retained." Developer Mark Rivers points out that the public/private partnership created a "new neighborhood in the middle of a great downtown." Of that partnership, Rivers has said in the Idaho Statesman, "if it wasn't for CCDC, BoDo would not exist."

The Front 5 Building is the first building in Idaho to be LEED-NC certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, achieving this level of sustainability through substantial reuse of materials from the original railroad warehouse. The office building, built by Boise developer Oaas Laney LLC, experienced a 15 percent savings in first-year energy costs, and among the "Lessons Learned" the study noted "the construction cost for adaptive reuse of the building was less than that of comparable new construction." The Front 5 Building proves that reusing historic buildings is an excellent alternative to tearing down and rebuilding.

Another Boise Valley project featured in the book is the Indian Creek Daylighting Project, sponsored by the City of Caldwell and its urban renewal agency. The project is to restore a year-round creek that the city had long ago buried underground. According to the book, "the re-emergence of Indian Creek has linked the rich natural habitats upstream with the historic downtown and served as the catalyst for investment."

The Sonoran Institute is a nonprofit corporation with offices throughout the West whose mission is "promoting community decisions that respect the land and people of the West." The 130-page book "Building from the Best of the Northern Rockies," was published in late April by the Northern Rockies office of the Sonoran Institute in Bozeman , Mont. , in partnership with the School of Architecture at Montana State University . Copies are available from the Sonoran Institute at 406-587-7331 or www.sonoran.org .

For Immediate Release: CCDC Announces Pioneer Corridor Open House

Date: 5-1-07

Contact: Scot Oliver, 384-4264

Capital City Development Corporation, Boise 's redevelopment agency, will hold an open house to present revised designs for the Pioneer Corridor project, on Wednesday, May 2, from 5-7 pm, at the Pioneer Community Center on Ash Street in downtown Boise .

The Pioneer Corridor is a redevelopment vision building on the existing Pioneer Walkway which runs from Myrtle Street near 11 th Street diagonally to the Boise River .

The vision grew out of the Pioneer Corridor Design Competition, held by CCDC in 2001, which resulted in the selection of Portland landscape architects and planners Walker-Macy, with team members in Boise , to refine their design and work on implementing the plan. The design concept builds a strong linkage between the downtown core and the Boise River based on a promenade designed for pedestrians and bicyclists. This central spine will create a unique urban neighborhood, anchoring a mix of residential, office and retail development with amenities such as of open space and public art.

Wednesday's open house will feature some of the latest designs created by the Walker-Macy design team and nearby landowners, neighbors, utility providers and other agencies. Members of the design team will attend to discuss the plans, answer questions and take input from the community.

In 2006, CCDC was awarded a federal transportation enhancement grant from the Idaho Transportation Department to improve bicycle and pedestrian connectivity via the Pioneer Corridor. Concept design for the ITD grant is just beginning, and will be also be addressed at the open house.

Business Boom Reinvigorates Downtown

With 150 new businesses added in last five years, association director says Boise ‘has been discovered'

By Joe Estrella - Idaho Statesman
Edition Date: 04/19/07

Downtown Boise added 150 new businesses over the last five years, resulting in a corresponding increase in the number of consumers visiting the area.
The figures were released Wednesday to a sold-out audience attending the 20th annual Meeting of the Downtown Boise Association.

Association Executive Director Karen Sander said 110 of the new additions were retail outlets drawn to Boise's reinvigorated Downtown.

As a result, 844,762 vehicles visited Downtown parking garages in 2006, a 29 percent increase from 2005. That did not include Downtown workers who rent their parking spaces by the month, she added.

"That's a lot of people. I think Downtown Boise has been discovered," Sander said, adding that over the last 15 months only 29 Downtown businesses have closed their doors.

The influx of new businesses has coincided with the emergence of Downtown as the place to live in Boise.

Sanders said 219 of the 299 planned housing units approved by the Boise office of Design and Review already were under construction.

Outgoing association President Tom Ryder said that Capital City Development Corp., the city's urban renewal agency, deserved much of the credit for creating "a clean and safe Downtown."

"Many of us who are here today are standing on the shoulders of those who came before us," Ryder said.

BoDo developer Mark Rivers, whose $130 million Library Blocks redevelopment project for lower Downtown sponsored the DBA meeting, defended CCDC against a recent call for an audit of the urban renewal agency.

"First, CCDC puts out a very detailed annual report," Rivers said. "Second, if it wasn't for CCDC, BoDo would not exist, and all of these national retailers in the Downtown area wouldn't be here."