BOISE BENCH, Idaho — Plans are changing for a proposed five-story building on the Boise Bench as developers respond to cost concerns.
Hawkins Companies hosted Boise Bench neighbors Tuesday evening to address changes they plan to make to their development on the corner of Kootenai and Federal Way.
The original plan called for a five-story apartment complex with underground parking, but developers are now looking at above-ground parking due to cost constraints.
"Digging a hole, putting a part underground parking garage was really prohibitively expensive for the project, so we wanted to look at what we could do," said Ethan Mansfield, the pre-development manager at Hawkins Companies.
That's not the only change on the table. The layout is shifting and adding townhomes into the mix.
"Totally changing the layout of the floorplan, I think we're going to achieve a better unit mix, achieve a more usable amenity space," said Mansfield. "I think it's a great change for both the project itself and the neighborhood around it."
WATCH: What the proposed changes look like for the new Boise Bench development
Developers said they've worked to incorporate feedback from Bench neighbors into these proposed changes.
"When we were making those changes, we looked at that as an opportunity to incorporate neighbors' requests into the building redesign," Mansfield said.
Community members appeared receptive to the changes, with one resident noting they appreciated that their feedback was considered in the design process.
Hawkins Companies says they plan to submit their updated design before Oct. 1, with construction possibly starting within the next year.
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