Boise Development Thread - Part II - Page 6

Cottonwood · #**101** Posted **Mar 24, 2015, 2:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boizean

It looks like the Pennbridge Hotel is superseding the Capital Connector Building based on the rendering. Haven't been by the property but I'm guessing the informative sign is no longer there. Does the Capitol Connector Building now go to the dust bin?

The sign is no longer there. I remember when that sign first went up and then it was there for years lol.

Boisebro · #**102** Posted **Mar 24, 2015, 2:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cottonwood

The sign is no longer there. I remember when that sign first went up and then it was there for years lol.

yeah, that sign was there forever. i remember driving by and stopping the car to take a picture with my little 2GB digital camera because my cell phone's camera was worthless.

ah, memories...

BoiseAirport · #**103** Posted **Mar 24, 2015, 3:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boisebro

yeah, that sign was there forever. i remember driving by and stopping the car to take a picture with my little 2GB digital camera because my cell phone's camera was worthless.

ah, memories...

It was weird, IIRC a few years ago the sign was taken down, and then put back up, and a new website was put up so the project was active until at least 2012, but in my research a few years ago I got a sense (and I could be wrong) that the developers were retired and living life easy--so developing the parcel may not have been #1 priority in their lives.

Some news on the development front from IBR:

Gardner Co. is looking to possibly acquire Parcel B from Greater Boise Auditorium District--to build something on that space (a hotel was mentioned, but not definitively so).

http://idahobusinessreview.com/2015/...b-parking-lot/

I reckon if they do acquire that space for hotel development, their hotel will be larger than 100 rooms; or will be a major mixed use development project of some kind. That parcel is one of the largest and most readily available spaces for a large-scale development.

Bodo_business · #**104** Posted **Mar 24, 2015, 4:57 PM**

Would love to see the Hoff return to it's grand hotel roots:
http://www.boiseweekly.com/CityDesk/...ddition-houses

Boisebro · #**105** Posted **Mar 24, 2015, 7:13 PM**

and now, for a completely unrelated, off-topic post:

you know what boise really needs?

a tramway to bogus! yeah!!!

GrandTeton · #**106** Posted **Mar 24, 2015, 8:48 PM**

With all these residential proposals, I think it's safe to say that downtown Boise is booming. It seems to me that Boise will reach the goal of 1,000 new residential units by 2020, if not more.

I know it may be heresy on this forum, but for Boise I'd prefer small/medium residential infill developments over one large development. These smaller potential projects will help create more of a cohesive urban fabric.

GrandTeton · #**107** Posted **Mar 24, 2015, 10:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Architecture Buff

They are doing some of that off of Apple in SE Boise. They are in the $200,000 range. Downtown is to expensive for small homes, but just west around the Linen district may still be affordable for such projects.

The type of infill I'm talking about are projects/proposals like 951, One Nineteen, or any other project that gobbles up entire or at least partial parking lots (14th and Idaho, 5th and Idaho, the Afton, etc).

Boisebro · #**108** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 1:27 AM**

the problem i have with these expensive low-rise condos downtown is simple, and a complaint i've heard from multiple tenants of these buildings.

people don't want to pay big money to live downtown in a condo with no view and deal with traffic noise. i'd rather see taller structures with either parking or offices/retail on lower levels, and condos higher, away from the traffic, with better views of the city.

of course, those views could be fleeting if another larger structure is built close by, but that's the gamble.

at least get those expensive condos higher and away from the noise as much as possible. i know some developers insist their buildings are soundproof, but so far, i've heard otherwise from people living in some of these newer lowrise downtown condos.

jmho.

Architecture Buff · #**109** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 1:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boisebro

the problem i have with these expensive low-rise condos downtown is simple, and a complaint i've heard from multiple tenants of these buildings.

people don't want to pay big money to live downtown in a condo with no view and deal with traffic noise. i'd rather see taller structures with either parking or offices/retail on lower levels, and condos higher, away from the traffic, with better views of the city.

of course, those views could be fleeting if another larger structure is built close by, but that's the gamble.

at least get those expensive condos higher and away from the noise as much as possible. i know some developers insist their buildings are soundproof, but so far, i've heard otherwise from people living in some of these newer lowrise downtown condos.

jmho.

I remember a owner in the Aspen complaining of all the noise. Of course having all glass above Front is not a noise barrier.

Architecture Buff · #**110** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 1:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrandTeton

The type of infill I'm talking about are projects/proposals like 951, One Nineteen, or any other project that gobbles up entire or at least partial parking lots (14th and Idaho, 5th and Idaho, the Afton, etc).

Gotcha.

DonDay · #**111** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 2:11 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Architecture Buff

Here is a way to keep track of projects around downtown.

http://static.ktvb.com/development-map/

Somebody (ahem...me) needs to give that another update. So much going on it's hard to keep up!

Hawk · #**112** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 2:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonDay

Somebody (ahem...me) needs to give that another update. So much going on it's hard to keep up!

We all know that you're up to the challenge. It's a very useful app so thank you for creating it.

Hawk · #**113** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 12:06 PM**

New angles of both proposals for Fourteenth & Idaho

After seeing LocalConstruct's New rendering I'm unfortunately still not a fan of it. It's just too bland in my opinion-For once, there's actually too much of the color white, and it's lacking some detail.

Photo from: http://www.ktvb.com/

Now on the other hand, GardnerCompany's Nestle still is very eye-catching. Plus, it will finally add some much needed height to that area.

Photo from: http://www.ktvb.com/

KTVB Article Link:
http://www.ktvb.com/story/news/local...town/70412484/

trails · #**114** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 3:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrandTeton

With all these residential proposals, I think it's safe to say that downtown Boise is booming. It seems to me that Boise will reach the goal of 1,000 new residential units by 2020, if not more.

I know it may be heresy on this forum, but for Boise I'd prefer small/medium residential infill developments over one large development. These smaller potential projects will help create more of a cohesive urban fabric.

I agree, in the immediate future I'd like many small/medium infill projects that actually put more people on the sidewalks before the city's cluttered with random condo towers atop parking garages. Suppose there's some kind of temporal balance there.... once we have more residential density and the services that follow, the infrastructure and urban fabric may better accommodate larger projects. Can't help but think making Front, Myrtle, and S. Capitol Streets more pedestrian friendly (i.e. less highway like and thus quieter) is an important part of that transition.

jakor21 · #**115** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 3:55 PM**

The more people we get to live downtown the more urban the city core will become.. As for the two proposals.. Gardner's proposal has more apartment units and more of an aesthetic appeal, "but that's all relative." I favor the Gardner Co's proposal..

Boisebro · #**116** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 4:24 PM**

any of you other Boise posters ever visit the high-rise proposal forum?

i check it out regularly to see if there are any proposals for other cities that would fit nicely into our skyline, both in terms of style as well as size.

generally, i look for proposals in the 350 to 450 foot range that aren't too wide.

for example, i think this philly proposal would look great on the lot just north of Hotel 43:

this proposal is 380 feet tall, which would give us a much-needed peak in the skyline.

i also liked the style of this proposal, oddly enough also for philly:

i'd prefer a more peaked roofline, or perhaps a central spire, but i like the colors and style.

this proposal is listed at 295 feet, though to me it looks taller than that.

anyway, it's a fun way to see what other designs are out there, and think of how some of these smaller proposals in larger cities could make a significant impact here.

Hawk · #**117** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 11:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Architecture Buff

Boise Weekly article:

http://www.boiseweekly.com/CityDesk/...r-new-facility

The Idaho Statesman article:

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/0...tion.html?rh=1

You can thank one of Boise's most well known NIMBY

for that.

-----------------------------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boisebro

any of you other Boise posters ever visit the high-rise proposal forum?

i check it out regularly to see if there are any proposals for other cities that would fit nicely into our skyline, both in terms of style as well as size.

generally, i look for proposals in the 350 to 450 foot range that aren't too wide...

...i'd prefer a more peaked roofline, or perhaps a central spire, but i like the colors and style.

this proposal is listed at 295 feet, though to me it looks taller than that.

anyway, it's a fun way to see what other designs are out there, and think of how some of these smaller proposals in larger cities could make a significant impact here.

I sometimes visit that page. Although, it gets depressing when I start asking myself: why can't Boise have something like this?!
I really like the second Proposal. To me in a way it looks almost like an updated/larger version of the Hoff Building.

el conquistador · #**118** Posted **Mar 25, 2015, 11:43 PM**

It should be this proposal and it's not even close. This maintains the old art-deco building that houses Watercooler and adds a really nice bit of height to that area.

Sawtooth · #**119** Posted **Mar 26, 2015, 1:47 AM**

This town has a dozen or so washed up humpty dumpty worshipers who hate downtown, hate any growth downtown, complain that a new highrise hurts walkability

they actually hope for projects to fail downtown, and wish that downtown was like it was back in the 60's and even the 80's and I think some hang out at a coffee shop on Vista Ave probably because they hate downtown and would never to go a coffee shop there because they can't park in a parking lot and have to be urban and park in a garage or a metered spot----oh the horror. They are bitter people and will become even more irrelevant as Boise grows.

Architecture Buff · #**120** Posted **Mar 26, 2015, 3:05 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawk

You can thank one of Boise's most well known NIMBY

for that.

-----------------------------

I sometimes visit that page. Although, it gets depressing when I start asking myself: why can't Boise have something like this?!
I really like the second Proposal. To me in a way it looks almost like an updated/larger version of the Hoff Building.

I don't want to clod a post with a long explanation of what's happening here with City Center, and the hotel in Portland to be built north of their convention center. Money seems to always hang up projects. Here is part of the Portland story just opposite than ours. Judges and state laws can be interesting.
Read if you want.

http://www.oregonmetro.gov/news/hote...ll-likely-drag