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Boise Pushes Development Deadline Back Amidst Ballpark Discussions

Boise Hawks logoTo allow more time for Boise Hawks (Short Season A; Northwest League) ballpark discussions, the City of Boise is pushing back a deadline in its agreement with a private developer. 

Greenstone Properties–where Hawks co-owner Chris Schoen is a partner–has been in negotiations with Los Angeles-based developer LocalConstruct to secure a 6.5-acre site on the corner of Main Street and Whitewater Park Boulevard in Boise’s West End. LocalConstruct first obtained that property in a 2016 land swap with the City of Boise, with the agreement requiring it to convert the site into a mixed-use area that would include housing under a specific time frame.

However, now Greenstone is targeting the site for a project that would include a new Hawks’ ballpark and surrounding mixed-use amenities. Unless the ballpark project is underway by January 1, 2020, the current agreement between Greenstone and LocalConstruct will expire. With those discussions continuing, the city has agreed to push back the deadline in its development agreement with LocalConstruct. Ultimately, the decision by the Boise City Council on Tuesday gives LocalConstruct until 2023 to fulfill its end of the land swap deal. More from the Idaho Press:

Local Construct obtained the 6.5-acre parcel in a land swap with the city of Boise in 2016 in exchange for Spaulding Ranch in the West Bench. The plan was for Local Construct to develop a mixed-use parcel with residential units, office space, retail and walking trails, but that’s in flux now that Greenstone is working to build its proposed baseball and soccer stadium and mixed-use development in the area.

Because the Whitewater Park Boulevard property and Spaulding Ranch were not equal in value, the city put requirements on Local Construct to make the swap equitable, as required by Idaho code. The agreement mandated the company construct a road through the parcel to improve connectivity in the area and build 10 affordable housing units, city spokesman Mike Journee said.

Under the original agreement, Local Construct was supposed to have completed construction on the road extension by April 1, 2019, which has now been extended to June 30, 2020. The other deadline for the project was if the company had not built the street, 50 residential units, and 10,000 square feet of office and retail space by April 2021, then the city could repurchase the property at market value. The deadline for those projects has been pushed back to Jan. 1, 2023.

The new Hawks ballpark is expected to anchor a larger development project and be designed to host multiple types of events, perhaps including professional soccer. It was originally envisioned for a site in downtown Boise, but has since shifted to the site on the city’s West End. For the Hawks, a new ballpark would replace their current home, Memorial Stadium.

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