BOISE, Idaho — This story first appeared in the Idaho Press.
The city of Boise is preparing to begin a project to add at least 300 homes to the Lusk District as part of a joint effort with Boise State University.
Mayor Lauren McLean made an official announcement about the project following the State Board of Education’s decision last week allowing the university to enter a joint powers agreement with the city for the project.
At a Boise City Council meeting on Aug. 29, councilmembers approved plans to re-develop the Lusk District. The city set a goal to add about 300 affordable homes in that area, as well as retail space and an increase in access to public transportation.
The Lusk District is located adjacent to Capitol Boulevard and Ann Morrison Park, near the edge of Boise State's campus.
As part of the vision for the area, the city is planning to buy the University Park Apartments from BSU for $8.1 million to create permanent supportive housing. The city council will vote on the purchase at its meeting Tuesday.
“City council shares my commitment to ensuring that we have homes that are affordable for Boiseans at every budget and have been right alongside our team as we discuss the potential that the Park Apartments has to house families that are exiting homelessness,” McLean said.
Maureen Brewer, manager of housing and community development at the city, said the types of services that will be provided to the future residents of the apartments hasn’t been determined yet. Currently, students reside in the university-owned building.
Brewer said if the council approves the purchase, the city will lease it to the university and keep its current residents in place until the summer of 2024. The families would be referred to the apartments from Our Path Home, a public-private partnership that provides homelessness prevention services.
The apartments, built in 1940, have 47 units, according to State Board of Education meeting materials. Brewer said after the city has possession of the apartments, it will determine if major renovations are needed.
For the entire district, the city aims to create at least 300 new housing units as well as retail space and improved access to public transportation. Jake Wood, of the project's developer J. Fisher Companies, said he thinks more units can be built.
“We think we can probably do even better,” Wood said. “We’re going to challenge ourselves to deliver even higher than that.”
Wood is the director of affordable housing at the Salt Lake City-based developer. The company is also involved in the affordable housing development at Franklin Road and Orchard Street.
The city council will need to agree to begin further discussions on the designs and plans before that work can begin in earnest, he said. The company hopes to start design and public outreach on the project this fall.
The area targeted for development is around 5 acres: The city owns and manages 110 affordable housing units in apartments on Capitol Boulevard and Lusk Street, but those will be redeveloped as part of the plan, the city said in a press release. The current units are deteriorating and will be redesigned in “a way that aligns with the neighborhood vision to create a space that all can enjoy, while ensuring the current tenants remain stably housed.”
City Council President Jimmy Hallyburton said discussions on redeveloping the district started about a decade ago. Hallyburton also serves as executive director and co-founder of the Boise Bicycle Project, which is located in the district.
He highlighted the location and its potential to benefit its future residents, including its proximity to Boise State’s campus, downtown, the park and the greenbelt.
“This is a place where kids are going to grow up and have opportunities to change this city and make this city better and brighter,” Hallyburton said.
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