A proposed Boise Hawks (Short Season A; Northwest League) ballpark project could shift sites, as the developer and Hawks co-owner pitching the project is in negotiations for another location.
Last year, Greenstone Properties–where Hawks co-owner Chris Schoen is a partner–reached terms with St. Luke’s Health System on an 11-acre site at Americana Boulevard and Shoreline Drive, with the intent of using it for a new ballpark and surrounding development. No plans for that site have been finalized to this point, and a new report suggests that Greenstone could be focusing on an alternate site.
Negotiations between Greenstone and the Los Angeles-based developer LocalConstruct are reportedly underway, with discussions centered around a 6.5-acre site owned by LocalConstruct. The site, located on the southeast corner of Main Street and Whitewater Park Boulevard, is in the city’s west end. LocalConstruct has stated that it is in discussions with Greenstone and that it could develop apartments near the ballpark if the sale goes through, but neither Schoen nor city officials have commented on negotiations. More from The Idaho Statesman:
LocalConstruct, a Los Angeles developer that’s been active Downtown in recent years, is negotiating to sell developer Chris Schoen’s Greenstone Properties enough space for a stadium on the 6.5 acres LocalConstruct owns at that intersection, co-owner Casey Lynch said Wednesday.
Mayor David Bieter’s office has been involved in the negotiations, Lynch said. Bieter’s office did not return phone calls Wednesday. Schoen also did not return a call.
The terms and schedule of the LocalConstruct’s transaction with Schoen — if it even happens — are “pretty unclear,” Lynch said.
“We’re not really in the driver’s seat,” he said.
The downtown site has long been linked to the Hawks in their ballpark search, but an alternative surfaced late last year to build the ballpark at the northwest corner of Main Street and Whitewater Park Boulevard . That plan called for College of Western Idaho (CWI) to move into a former Kmart located at Americana Boulevard and Shoreline Drive, while opening up a site on the city’s west end for a new ballpark. Greenstone Properties eventually moved forward with a rezoning application for the downtown site this spring, but Boise later decided to hold off on conducting hearings at the developer’s request. What the reported negotiations of another site mean for ballpark discussions remains to be seen.
Schoen and Jeff Eiseman co-own the Hawks through Agon Sports & Entertainment, and the pair is behind SRP Park–the new North Augusta, SC home of the Augusta GreenJackets (Low A; Sally League). SRP Park is a new ballpark positioned as the anchor of a larger development concept, while the proposed Hawks ballpark has been floated as the centerpiece of the development. In addition, it would be designed to host multiple types of events, including professional soccer.
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