BOISE -- There's a lot of growth happening in the City of Trees, and all you have to do is walk a few blocks downtown to see the proof. There are three new hotels under construction right now.
The Inn at 500 Capitol, located at the corner of Capitol Boulevard and Myrtle Street, is a boutique hotel.
The six-story, 112-room hotel broke ground in October of 2015. It's slated to open by the end of the year and is being constructed by Obie Development based out of Eugene, Ore.
Just across the street, a 10-story Residence Inn by Marriott is taking shape. Pennbridge Capital is constructing the 186-room extended-stay hotel. It's slated to open spring 2017.
Hop over to Bannock Street between 10th and 11th streets and you'll see the Hyatt Place hotel going up. PEG Development and Rafanelli & Nahas are the principal partners on the project.
The hotel will feature 152 rooms, along with a fitness center, pool and spa. It's expected to open next year.
"It's going to add 400, a little over 400 rooms to downtown Boise which will bring our total from 900 to 1,300 in the downtown core," Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Carrie Westergard said of the three hotel projects.
A downtown Boise hotel market study, conducted last year by PKF Consulting, found the city needs to add 580 hotel rooms in the next six years to meet demand and stay competitive.
Westergard says these additions will help meet that need. There are already times when area hotels reach capacity, especially during the busy summer months. Boise is a popular draw for sports tournaments and conventions.
Expansion of the Boise Centre is also driving development.
"I think what you're seeing is really happening because of a collaboration between the mayor's office and CCDC and the auditorium district because we've all worked together to find a way to have the convention center expand on the Grove Plaza and that's led to interest from the hotel developers," said John Brunelle, executive director for the Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC).
Boise Centre East will offer more meeting space, a new ballroom and a catering kitchen.
Brunelle says hotel developers saw the value in building downtown.
"They believe in the CCDC districts as a place to invest their money," he added.
People who live and work here have faith in the future, too.
Downtown business owner Marissa Krebs opened Ava Rae's Boutique last year. She's right around the corner from the construction on Capitol Boulevard.
"You know, we wanted to be in a location that we knew was going to be growing and expanding and we feel downtown Boise is just that," Krebs said.