Downtown Boise to get new parking garage 

Owners of the former Boise Cascade headquarters in downtown Boise plan to build a five-story, 650-space parking garage.
Early this year, Boise-based Rafanelli & Nahas acquired the five-story, 320,000-square-foot headquarters at 1111 W. Jefferson St. The firm bought the building from Boise Cascade, which remains the largest tenant. The new owners changed the building name to Boise Plaza and started remodeling it for use by multiple tenants.
Scott Schoenherr of Rafanelli & Nahas said the private garage is planned for a lot west of the building, next to the Greyhound bus station.
“For downtown office space, it’s important to control your parking,” he said.
Rafanelli & Nahas controls about 4.5 acres around Boise Plaza. The land is currently used as surface parking.
Schoenherr said the garage development should occupy about an acre. Rafanelli & Nahas is working with Portland-based KPFF Consulting Engineers on the project.
The final cost has not been determined, but since parking garages are about $15,000 per space to build, the project will approach $10 million, Schoenherr said.
The nearby Boise Plaza building is starting to fill up. Schoenherr said it is 75 percent leased after the Eberle Berlin firm reserved 12,000 square feet on the top floor. The Boise law office plans to move about June 1, 2007, from 300 N. 6th St., Schoenherr said.
Renovations are under way, and plans include new sprinkler systems and ceiling tile, as well as new lights, light fixtures and occupancy sensors that turn lights on and off as people come and go.
Lighting upgrades could reduce energy usage in the building by 50 percent, Schoenherr said. Owners are working with Idaho Power, which offers incentives.
ZGA Architects, Boise, designed the internal upgrades. The San Francisco office of Skidmore Owings and Merrill, which designed the building in the 1970s, is working on cosmetic improvements as well as a high-profile, east-facing entry to be built starting next spring, Schoenherr said.
Boise Cascade LLC occupies about 225,000 square feet on various floors of the Boise Plaza. Following renovations to the building, the company plans to occupy the lower plaza and the first, second and third floors, Schoenherr said.
Rafanelli is negotiating to have Boise Cascade be responsible for long-term operation of the building’s fitness center and cafeteria.
An Office Max legal group plans to occupy 8,000 square feet on the fifth floor, Schoenherr said. The group is elsewhere in the building now, having stayed in Boise after the old Boise Cascade merged with Illinois-based OfficeMax about two years ago, he said.
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To contact the author, send email to: brad.carlson@idahobusiness.net.

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