Mark Rivers wins battle for rights to build River8 

Capital City Development Corp. commissioners unanimously chose Mark Rivers to develop its property at Eighth and River streets.

Rivers’ plans for his project, called River8, call for glassy oval- and U-shaped buildings with balconies staggered in a nontraditional pattern.
 
It would contain street-level retail, a parking garage and 218 residential units, 40 of which would be priced at $196,000 or below to provide “workforce housing” for people who make 80 to 140 percent of Boise’s median income.

River8 would be one part of Rivers’ planned Library Blocks development, which would include the land between Capitol Boulevard, Ninth Street, Myrtle Street and the Boise River.

If the city of Boise signs on, the Library Blocks would include a new public library building on the current Boise Public Library site. Rivers said in his proposal that it would be America’s greenest library. He has asked the city to sell off some of the land it owns to help him rebuild the library.

The Library Blocks would also include more housing and retail on property owned by Rivers and his contractor, Jordan-Wilcomb Construction, including land now occupied by the Foothills School of the Arts and Sciences. Rivers has said he hopes to relocate the school to the new library building.
“I think we have the opportunity … to create a flashpoint project that will lead to much more,” Rivers said. “I’m not interested in building buildings, I’m interested in creating communities.”
CCDC commissioners praised Rivers’ design.
“This is a critical set piece in downtown Boise,” Commissioner Alan Shealy said. “It is necessary for us to depart from the norm. Whatever we do in downtown has to reek of imagination.” He said he liked Rivers’ design for that reason. “I like the impetuosity of the design.”
An evaluation report by CCDC staff members and consultants liked the broad range of floor plans in Rivers’ proposal, which could insulate him from market forces, and the wide residential units, which would allow in plenty of sunlight.
Rivers plans to pursue silver LEED certification for River8, which would have a rooftop garden and a geothermal heating and cooling system. In his initial proposal to CCDC, Rivers said he would give free bikes to all residents to cut down on driving.

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To contact the author of this story, send e-mail to:  lora.volkert@idahobusiness.net.

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