Revitalizing a part of Boise that needs a little love

Covering construction, real estate, and development really is a perfect fit for me. I say that, because years before I started working at the Idaho Business Review, I was interested in development and revitalization in the various cities I have lived in.

For instance, I have always wondered why, with such an awesome downtown core, Boise leaders were seemingly ignoring the rundown, abandoned, and in my opinion, blighted area in and around 30th, Main and Fairview streets. I couldn’t understand why in the years I have lived here, the area was falling into a further depressed state with empty car lots and a slew of abandoned or vacant buildings.

Little did I know, but leaders have been working since 2006 to create a 30th Street Area Master Plan that has been discussed, revised, updated, and again discussed, that addresses every facet of how the area could be revitalized, spurring new development opportunities.

Hearing and learning more about all the possibilities that redevelopment could offer in that corridor was music to my ears during a recent chat with Boise’s Planning Director Hal Simmons, Economic Development Director John Brunelle and Mayor’s Office Spokesman Adam Park.

I think reviving this part of town (thoughtfully) is essential and will again prove that Boise knows how to revitalize “disinvested” areas, as Park referred to this part of the city. Creating a sustainable, walk able community, with some blocksdesigned to look like Hyde Park or Bown Crossing, as Simmons pointed out, is just another example of smart planning. I am pro-development, but at the same time, I don’t want random buildings slapped together without any cohesive design element. I encourage you to take a look at the master plan draft and see for yourself.

For a closer look at how the 30th Street area will be revived, transforming the way people live, work, and recreate around this part of Boise, check out the next Idaho Business Review.

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Jennifer Gonzalez writes about construction in the Idaho Construction Review, a monthly news magazine produced by the Idaho Business Review.