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A large vacant lot was once the place where Idaho people bought Chevrolet for generations. But since 1997, large tracts of Fairview Ave. and 27th St. have been mostly vacant. Plans for the police station, recreation center, and Boise Ballpark all came and went.

Now, Roundhouse in Boise plans to develop part of the old parking lot—and a vacant Bank of America location. This is the first phase of a multi-year project that can breathe new life into Boise’s western city center.

At first glance, Whitewater Phase I is similar to many other apartment projects we reported on BoiseDev. Commercial space on the ground floor and two lower structured parking lots with five floors of apartments above. But Whitewater will include many unusual features.

[The old city center hotel gets a new life sparrow:'Most people will say'Take it down']

"This will be the first stage of the multi-stage, multi-year development of the Westend community in Boise," Patrick Boll, vice president of Roundhouse, told BoiseDev. "Whitewater is committed to providing highly sustainable and innovative mixed-use multi-family homes on the west side of the city center."

The plan calls for the construction of two buildings at the corner of Fairview Ave. and 27th St., connected by a two-story lobby structure. They will replace the current Bank of America building and on-site parking lot​​. The bank location closed in 2019, and Roundhouse later purchased the site.

The new extension of 28th St. will pass through the site. Currently, the entire website vacated on the 28th. Roundhouse acquired part of the old Roundtree land from Boise City, which at one time hoped to establish a new headquarters for the Boise Police. It traded for land in Spalding Park on the Boise bench-one of the requirements was to build a road across the site from north to south. Roundhouse negotiated with Boise City to build a new 28th Street instead of the originally planned new 29th Street.

The 11 affordable housing units are also part of the agreement reached between Roundhouse and the city government. Boise asked to lease 5 apartments to Boiseans, whose income accounts for 60% or less of the median income in the area, and 6 apartments are priced at 80% of AMI.

The first two floors of the building will use traditional manufacturing methods-with a concrete podium. Inside, the structured car parking lot will be surrounded by commercial spaces, co-working spaces for residents, bicycle storage and other functions.

Boel said that potential daycare is a key component.

"(The) 11,000 square feet of commercial space... is being planned as a daycare center," he said. "Boise is in urgent need of additional childcare facilities, and development costs are usually not economically meaningful. We want to help solve this problem, so we are building space that can be rented out to nursery operators."

As reported by BoiseDev, nurseries in Boise are often difficult to obtain, and there is a big gap between the number of children in need of care and the amount of space available.

During the construction of the podium, the Autovol factory will begin construction of independent residential units equipped with interior decoration. Trucks will transport them from Nampa to Boise, and cranes will lift them into place. Then, on-site staff will add external features such as cladding and balconies.

[2018: Robot House: A large-scale New Nampa factory produces affordable modular family units]

Roundhouse said the process will enable it to build projects in a faster and cheaper way than other methods.

"For decades, Idaho has been a pioneer in off-site construction technologies such as modular buildings, and Whitewater will showcase modular technologies above the podium," Bol said. "This will help bring housing units to the market faster and help ease labor and supply chain constraints."

The design will use many elements to meet Passive House certification.

"Boise City pledged to use 100% clean energy by 2035 and become a carbon neutral community by 2050," Bol said. Whitewater aligns with these commitments and brings Boise a project that goes beyond traditional sustainability measures. Whitewater's goal is Passive House-a certified design method and energy model that can reduce the impact of carbon emissions, significantly reduce energy costs, and provide better air quality than apartment buildings that meet baseline specifications. "

Roundhouse said that the technology not only helps solve environmental problems, but also provides residents with a comfortable indoor space.

The first phase of Whitewater requires a design review and other approvals from the City of Boise. Roundhouse said it hopes to break ground at the end of next year and begin welcoming residents in the summer of 2024.

The first phase of Whitewater may incorporate two other condominium projects in the area-including The Fletcher and another concept at 27th & Fairview. If all three are completed, it will add nearly 700 apartments in the western urban area.

Affordable housing refers to housing reserved for residents whose income is at or below the income level set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The agency sets the rent level of affordable housing projects based on the median income of the region, the size of the family, and the rent in the region. The goal is that the cost of housing does not exceed 30% of the family's income. Everyone’s housing affordability depends on their circumstances, but there are legal definitions of what an affordable housing is and how it must operate in the government. 

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