Invest in Garden City? Come on….

Several years ago when I first arrived in Boise I cruised Chinden Boulevard and thought to myself “why does this place exist? It is so ugly!” Perhaps the name Boulevard had enhanced my expectations. But later as I learned of the rich community heritage and of the diverse families that years ago raised fresh vegetables along the Boise River, I cultivated an admiration for the ingenuity of the people and the beauty of the gardens that had once thrived there. “But where did those suburban gardens go?”

Times have changed. Most of those industrious people are gone and their families have grown up and relocated. Now we see rows of mobile homes and area ‘service’ businesses hidden in a vast parade ground of cluttered industrial park buildings, used car lots, security fences everywhere and countless non-descript buildings. And after dark, cruisers beware…. or so it use to be.

More recently Garden City is changing its image. Its functions as a support community have evolved; the local government has stepped forward; land is being revitalized; nicer, new affordable homes and apartments are rising along the river front. Bright, new convenience stores are on many corners. A lot is happening. Interesting, fresh buildings are popping up along Chinden. Outdated and exhausted trailers are being moved out. Adams Street has been repaved and tasteful brick sidewalks on both sides encourage what the city government now calls “pedestrian-oriented mixed-use development.

Many of the changes have originated with a growth-planning oriented City Council and city staff. The city has adopted and circulated a new comprehensive Land Use Plan that mandates a revitalized community with an emphasis on landscaping to recall the beauty of the earlier community gardens. Priorities such as a waterfront orientation capitalize on the beauty of the Boise River. In July of this year the City Council selected a consultant planning firm to bring in Public Policies for their formal deliberation to encourage and implement city wide improvements. The city is committed to work aggressively and cooperatively with developers and their new ideas that meet their Land Use Plan Criteria.

Yes, Garden City is changing rapidly now and as passers through we can expect to witness that pace accelerate. As a concerned citizen or, perhaps business owner in the community, you likely have already experienced increased security with increase in number of Police patrols and the enhanced lighting systems. Smaller businesses are already showing signs of newfound community pride.

As a potential investor there are countless opportunities….. new housing incentives, designated areas for reinforcing the existing area support businesses… all while encouraging areas for concentrated retail opportunities.

With a total area of only 4.15 square miles and 11,500 residents, we should not expect to see the big box stores move in along Chinden Boulevard. Those are already convenient and many of the major commercial chain stores are less than 2 miles distant. What we can anticipate is smaller, pedestrian-friendly, retail corners for that mid-morning coffee, new locally owned businesses and restaurants to offer a wide variety of local epicurean delights. Epicurean…. in Garden City? Why not? After all it began that way.

Should a major health-oriented grocery seek to take advantage of the reduced land cost currently available, they will have numerous locations from which to choose, and readily capitalize on the very high traffic counts. Literally thousand of daily commuters travel from points west to downtown and then return in the evening to complete those many “honey dos” we find on our kitchen counter post-its. More people will be stopping and shopping in Garden City.

For several years the Boise area has listened to possibilities for the existing Fair Grounds acreage. Should the Fair Grounds be relocated further west leaving that vacated space for some undisclosed community feature? Will Garden City actually cooperate with a larger developer to construct a new 21st Century City Center? Or will some creative, well-financed developer move in and offer a new lifestyle center, or even a futuristic, glass-encased, urban mall? Be forewarned Boise Town Center!

Take your best guess but be creative. With Garden City the geographical center of the greater Boise Metropolitan area, there are many options on the table and the only limit is the imagination of those creative investors and developers.

Garden City is now poised for a future of sound community development in southwest Idaho. It would be ideal if this new development is initiated by a local retail developers. One thing is for certain, Garden City is ready to take a joint step forward. It is your turn to ask…. “May I?”

Joel “Tick” Vicars is an Associate Broker with Selequity Real Estate - Boise, ID. Trained as an architect with experience in Urban Design, he has substantial background in working with governmental agencies on issues ranging from growth management to private entitlement projects for Corporate entities in Washington, California, New Mexico and Idaho. His areas of personal interest include evolution of urban form, cultural migrations and cooperative entitlements planning.

“Tick” may be contacted at 208.853.9412 or e-mailed @ JVicars@selequity.com