BOISE, Idaho — Redevelopment plans for the Lusk District will now include geothermal heat following an announcement Monday by Micron.
The Boise-based company announced a $2.5 million gift to the Lusk Housing District. The gift will bring geothermal heat to more than 300 new affordable homes in the district.
The plans mark the first time a U.S. city will use geothermal heat in a multifamily affordable housing district.
"Building more homes that Boiseans can afford takes partners who are willing to roll up their sleeves and invest in solutions," Mayor Lauren McLean said. "Thanks to Micron's investment, we are one step closer to bringing clean geothermal heat to hundreds of affordable homes in Boise."
Earlier this year, the project received $1 million from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge to expand Boise's geothermal system.
Idaho News 6 neighborhood reporter Brady Caskey covered the $1 million grant in March. You can watch his coverage in the video player below.
"Boise is showing that affordable housing can lead on clean heat, not wait for it," Jake Wood, J. Fisher Companies managing director of Affordable Housing Development, said in a press release Tuesday. "No other U.S. city has tried this, and we're proud to build it alongside a city willing to go first and partners like Micron willing to back it."
Groundbreaking on the project is expected next spring.
"Boise has been Micron's headquarters for 48 years, and investing in this community means investing in the people who call it home," said April Arnzen, executive vice president, chief people officer and president of the Micron Foundation. "This is an opportunity to build homes that working families can afford, and the Lusk Housing District will add more than 300 of them."
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