BOISE, Idaho — Members of the community are invited to share their feedback about the future of the property the City of Boise currently owns at the southwest corner of the Franklin and Orchard intersection on the Boise “bench.”
Earlier this summer, the city purchased the L-shaped 4.7-acre property that was once the site of the old Franklin School. The city hopes to develop the land into a neighborhood and community space that aligns with both the Central Bench Neighborhood Plan and the city’s Grow Our Housing and Energize Our Neighborhoods initiatives.
“The future of Franklin and Orchard is exactly the kind of opportunity we envisioned in our Grow Our Housing initiative,” said Mark Lavin, Director of Boise City Planning and Development Services. “It gives us the opportunity to involve the community in our long-term housing goals, and it encourages the public and private partnerships that will stimulate an increasingly vibrant activity center that includes public transit in an active and diverse neighborhood.”
In an effort to understand what would best serve the immediate neighborhood and the surrounding areas, the city will hold four open houses where community members can share their thoughts and preferences on what to do with the property.
Anyone wishing to provide feedback is invited to attend any one or more of the following open houses:
Tuesday, December 10, 5:00 – 8:00 PM
At the Hillcrest Library, Lemhi Room; 5246 W. Overland Road
Friday, December 13, 12:00 – 7:00 PM
On the Franklin and Orchard Property (southwest corner of Franklin and Orchard)
Saturday, December 14, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
On the Franklin and Orchard Property (southwest corner of Franklin and Orchard)
Wednesday, December 18, 5:00 – 8:00 PM
At the Hillcrest Library, Lemhi Room; 5246 W. Overland Road
Community members can also share their thoughts through an online survey available at cityofboise.org/franklin-orchard. The survey will be open until January 5.
City officials say feedback from the open houses and the online survey will be compiled, analyzed, and integrated into a Request for Proposal that the city will release in early February. Once a developer is selected for the site, the city will hold additional community meetings before the project moves into the permitting and building processes.
“The ongoing work at Franklin and Orchard represents the city’s commitment to creating housing affordability in our community,” said AnaMarie Guiles, Housing and Community Development Senior Manager with the City of Boise. “We’re excited to learn about what our community hopes to see here, and even more excited to see it finally come together.”
