BOISE, Idaho — Boise Mayor Lauren McLean made a big announcement Friday to address one of her top priorities of her administration.
She said the city is moving forward with an affordable housing development at the southwest corner of Franklin Road and Orchard Street. Last July, the city purchased 4.7 acres next to Franklin Park.
"Everyone deserves a home. And we're going to do everything we can to ensure that there's a place to live for every resident, at every budget," the mayor said in a prepared statement.
The project will feature a mix of housing types for a range of household incomes. It is intended to grow with the neighborhood into a community activity center. An anchor building at the corner of the intersection will provide retail and multi-family rental units.
The proposed housing includes one to three-bedroom multi-family units (ranging from 500-1150 square feet) and townhomes. The project is designed to integrate with Franklin Park with the goal of bringing Central Bench residents together.
Mayor McLean unveils layout for affordable housing units in Boise
“This innovative, collaborative solution for Boise creates more housing options for all our residents, at all income levels. The entire community will benefit greatly from this cutting-edge development. The Franklin and Orchard Project provides for urgently needed housing options for our residents, and, with neighborhood association input, the project includes a beautiful city park, is located on city property and the selected developer has extensive experience with affordable housing developments,” said McLean.
Five development teams submitted proposals for the site and were reviewed by 15 committee members representing various city departments and Central Bench neighborhood residents.
J Fisher Companies, headquartered in Centerville, Utah was chosen as the development team.
"We are ecstatic at the chance to partner with the City of Boise on this project. The Franklin Park site offers a unique opportunity to create an asset that will provide affordable housing, community-based spaces, and enhanced experiences for the future residents, neighbors, and the city as a whole," said Jake Wood of J Fisher.
The city will be holding further conversations about the proposal submitted. Upon completion of these, a formal Memorandum of Agreement will be executed between J Fisher and the City of Boise.
