In Boise, New Library Proposed for Downtown Development

-- Library Journal, 08/17/2006

In Boise, ID, the local urban renewal area has sought proposals for a seven-acre downtown parcel of land, and one of three competing bids is called Library Blocks, a $130 million plan for a $42 million library and new homes, stores, and offices. The two other projects are focused on condos, with one including 40,000 square feet of space for the Foothills School of Arts & Sciences. A decision will be made later this year. Library Blocks developer Mark Rivers told the Idaho Statesman that "We need public-private partnerships to solve hamstrung public challenges."

However, the funding plan for the library is controversial—the agency would buy the library, then lease it to the city using renewal bonds, a practice that has drawn a lawsuit over construction of a new county courthouse serving Boise. The three-story library would replace the current building, though it would be reoriented; stores and offices would be built around the buildings' sides and back. "The central library has a limited lifespan," Rivers he said. "It is outdated, undersized and an expensive building to operate. Whether in two years or five, it will need to be replaced. Why not replace it now, without raising taxes, in a public-private way?"