Biz ‘Bite:’ 3 firms to pitch vision for Expo Idaho property to county commission

Following months of community outreach and engagement, Ada County Board of Commissioners has announced that three design firms will be presenting their visions on improving approximately 80 acres of the Expo Idaho property to the board 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4. The public presentations will take place in the first-floor public hearing room of the Ada County Courthouse and will also be live streamed on Ada County’s YouTube channel.

The three design firms participating in the competition are:

• The Land Group, a multi-disciplinary firm based in Eagle, which has partnered with erstad Architects in Boise.
• PORT, a public realm-focused landscape architecture and urban design firm with a local presence via NV5 in Meridian
• RIOS, a multi-disciplinary design firm with offices in Los Angeles, Portland, Austin, and Boulder in partnership with Stack Rock Group, a landscape architecture and master planning firm based in Boise.

Following Tuesday’s presentations, a selection committee made up of county staff will make their final recommendation to the board. The board will formally accept or reject the recommendation in an open meeting Tuesday, Oct. 11.

“Our decision to improve this section of EXPO Idaho first, was supported by information provided to the board by the EXPO Idaho Citizens Advisory Committee and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). It has been critically important to the board that robust community outreach and expert data be used as we move forward with revitalizing this community asset,” said the Ada County Commissioners in a joint statement. “The design competition is an important milestone in our process and allows us to see firsthand how some of the best design firms in the country envision using the community recommendations to create spaces everyone can enjoy.”