Pharmacy giant CVS plans its first freestanding store in Idaho

The nation’s largest pharmacy chain intends to build its first freestanding Idaho store at the corner of Fairview Avenue and Cole Road in Boise.

CVS Pharmacy plans to build a 13,111-square-foot store at the Westgate Shopping Center, according to plans filed at Boise Planning and Development Services.

CVS has more than 9,600 stores in 49 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.  Wyoming is the only U.S. state without a CVS, according to the CVS website.

The first two CVS pharmacies in Idaho opened in April 2016 inside the Target stores in Nampa and Twin Falls. CVS purchased more than 1,660 Target pharmacies in 2015.

More CVS pharmacies are likely for Idaho.

“We’re actively looking,” said Cody Herbster, vice president of real estate at T.M. Crowley & Associates, an Indianapolis-based developer that is the largest developer of CVS stores with more than 500 CVS stores built.

CVS declined to answer any questions about the planned Boise store.

“Right now, we don’t have any new announcements to make about new locations in Boise,” said Stephanie Cunha, public relations manager at CVS Health, the parent company of CVS Pharmacy. “We only announce or confirm new store locations if there is a signed agreement in place for a site.”

Herbster did not wish to discuss the details of TM Crowley’s deal with CVS for Boise, but he said construction at Westgate ideally would start in spring 2018 with an opening four to six months later.

Kimley-Horn, a Raleigh, N.C. design consulting firm, collaborated with TM Crowley in its submission to Boise Planning and Development Services on behalf of TM Crowley. Kimley-Horn said the CVS would go on the site of the former Zions Bank branch that closed Dec. 30.

Zions acquired the 1961 building in December 2001 from Wells Fargo Bank. CVS will also demolish a portion of the former Hasting’s Entertainment space, closed in spring 2016, and a Bail Out Bail Bonds building constructed in 1954. Westgate was built in 1959, according to Ada County Assessor records.

In all, TM Crowley will demolish about 14,200 square feet among the three buildings, according to the Kimley-Horn filing.

CVS enters a Treasure Valley market with 23 Walgreens stores, nine Rite-Aid stores and several other independent pharmacies or in-store pharmacies at Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Walmart and Target.  In Boise proper, Walgreens has eight pharmacies and Rite-Aid six, according to their websites.

CVS so far has a negligible presence in Idaho, but the company has 25 stores in Utah, 18 in Oregon, 40 in Washington, 16 in Montana and 101 in Nevada.