Apartments on aquarium site near Boise Towne Square still possible - boisedev.com

Last May, BoiseDev told you about a possible apartment project at Cole Rd. and Franklin Rd. in the Boise Bench, near Boise Towne Square. The project may still move forward.

The project has not moved forward to a formal application just yet, but developers held a new pre-application meeting with the City of Boise this month. The revised project now shows a slightly shorter building with an updated configuration. The project reorients itself toward Bethel St. and away from the Union Pacific railroad tracks that run on the north side of the site.

The previous initial plan showed a six-story building with about 170 apartment units. The new plan still includes 170 units, but brings the building down to five stories. It reconfigures the number of apartment units, with slightly fewer two-bedroom units (60 versus 62), slightly fewer studios (ten versus 13), and more one-bedroom apartments (100 versus 95). The project would also slightly increase the number of parking spots provided.

A ground-level pool and resident amenity would face Bethel St., and a larger amenity space with potential retail or commercial use would sit at the corner of Cole and Bethel.

The property contains a warehouse building that dates to 1976, which has a number of tenants, including a book store and bail bonds business, and the Aquarium of Boise.

The aquarium remains open. However, a project announced earlier this year would build another aquarium. Organizers said that would happen by the end of 2022, but haven't announced formal plans.

The project is one of a number of apartment complexes proposed in the area near Boise Towne Square – though none have yet started construction. The projects include units on the former Sears site, next to the Mattress Firm store, and micro-units across a canal from the mall.