Renovation of the Boise City Hall Plaza is set to begin Monday, April 3rd, meaning the Capitol Blvd. entrance to the building will be closed until late August.
The months-long renovation effort will repair underground structural issues and will create what officials are calling “a more pleasing and useable park-like community space.”
The construction will impact the public’s ability to use the building’s primary Capitol Boulevard entrance through at least late August, but the Main Street entrance will be open, said City spokesman Mike Journee. “The renovation was precipitated by the need to replace a water-proof membrane underneath the plaza, which prevents water from leaking into the city hall’s underground parking garage,” he explained.
“Necessary structural repairs are driving this project, but we are excited that it gives us an opportunity to complete a long-overdue refurbishment of the plaza itself to create a much more pleasing and urban park-like space for our residents,” said Mayor Dave Bieter.
The project -- which also involves the renovation of the sidewalks on the north and south sides of the building (along Idaho and Main streets) -- will last from early April to early November.
Features include:
-An elevated event plaza and seating steps
-A civic lawn
-An interactive water feature
-Integrated lighting and a grove of trees
-A public art sculpture
-100 percent storm water infiltration - achieved through the combination of permeable pavement and modular suspended pavement systems
“The construction zone also will include the sidewalk and ten metered parking spaces along Capitol Boulevard between Main and Idaho Streets,” Journee said.
Access to the main plaza and City Hall’s main entrance will be restored after the completion of the renovation, which is expected in late August.
“At this time, the construction work will shift to the sidewalk along the south side of the building, requiring the closuring of that sidewalk and the building’s Main Street entrance until approximately early November,” Journee stated.
The plaza concept was approved in the fall of 2015, but construction was delayed until this year because the large amount of downtown construction underway at the time -- ncluding the new City Center Plaza just across the street from City Hall.
The overall cost of the project is $3.8 million. The Capital City Development Corporation is funding $1.2 million of the project, while the remaining $2.6 million comes from the city’s general fund.
