GARDEN CITY, Idaho — This story was originally published by Autum Robertson in BoiseDev.
A master plan for the Garden City Parkway District Specific Area Plan is in the works.
The Garden City City Council heard more about the project in June.
Galena Equity Partners is studying the area north of Osage to River streets stretching from 40th to 48th street for the Parkway District. This project would bring new development to Garden City.
“The goal of the Parkway District Master Plan is to create a culturally significant place that people love, nestled along the river in Garden City. A simple, distinctively branded neighborhood with a defined sense of place,” a memo to the council said.
Parkway would give Garden City a “diverse” mix of residences and commercial uses that complement the nearby Downtown Boise, Galena said.
The desired outcomes of the project include creating a bike and pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, adding more “healthy” outdoor space, highlighting river activities and the greenbelt, and making opportunities for water concessions, cafes, bodegas, and more.
“The vision is to get people interacting with their neighborhood as much as possible—shorten commute times, provide alternative commuting options, and make activity part of the social fabric. Health and happiness are built-in amenities,” the memo said.
The project is still in the early phases but within the packet is some detail about various zones and opportunities for each.
The Parkway Urban Zone could create access to water, make connections across the river, and have some mixed-use, industrial and high-density living. Adams Street Zone could have a mixed-use Main Street and a newly landscaped street. The Parkway Garden Zone could offer trails along the canal and a medium-density development. And then there would be the commercial zone.
Project partners
Galena Equity has already employed Stack Rock, a landscape architect group based in Boise, to spearhead the effort and help create the master plan. Galena has reached out to the city in order to make a more formalized document where the city can become a “true partner” in the project.
Galena is also engaging with Urban Land Institute, or ULI, an international company that provides advice programs and technical help for communities.
Galena is asking that the city commit $20,000 to $60,000 while they commit anywhere from $75,000 to $115,000 to have ULI come in for an informative panel during the week of July 24th.
The plan is still “fluid” so Emily Voges of Stack Rock said bringing in the Urban Land Institute would help create a solid plan.
“We feel like it would be very beneficial to have that input from an international level to compare similar cities and situations instead of just working with the smaller bubble and be able to get that input from other entities throughout the country,” Voges said.
Right now, the team is studying 40th to 48th streets and has been in contact with the Ada County Highway District, the fire department, and other stakeholders to get feedback and workshop ideas pertaining to the master plan.
The city has not made a decision on participation. More information will come to council in the coming weeks.
