Project Background:

Boise, Idaho has experienced an increase in the number of people interested in living downtown, but the demand far 

exceeds the supply of downtown living options. The Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC), Boise’s urban 

renewal agency, developed the Urban Housing Initiative to help attract development partners and create new living 

opportunities in the downtown area. One such project located in the heart of Boise was a 0.87-acre urban brownfields 

property; the property was owned by CCDC and viewed as a catalyst for badly needed downtown residential development. However, concerns about the possibility of environmental contamination needed to be addressed before CCDC 

could offer the property as leverage to potential developers. To address this concern and at the request of CCDC, EPA 

completed a Phase I Targeted Brownfield Assessment (TBA) in February 2004 that found no contamination; as a result, 

the vacant property was ready for reuse. 

key accomPlishments:

	 Phase I TBA removed a key barrier impeding the reuse of the property 

for needed downtown affordable housing.

	 CitySide Lofts is CCDC’s first Urban Housing Initiative project and the 

first owner-occupied multi-family project in Boise in over 20 years. 

	 The vacant brownfield property had no taxable value; the redeveloped 

property now has an estimated value of over $21 million. 

	 The CitySide Lofts project served as a catalyst for additional downtown 

residential condominium projects, including four large-scale and two 

small-scale condominium projects in downtown Boise. 

outcome:

CCDC worked with the Hosac Company—a local commercial and residential developer—through a development and 

disposition agreement to create the first owner-occupied multi-family project in Boise in over 20 years. The CitySide 

Lofts, a 77-unit condominium project, was completed in 2008 on a former downtown brownfield. Most of these condominiums have already been sold. In 2009, the CitySide Lofts project received an Idaho Smart Growth “Grow Smart” 

award due to its urban scale, attractive design and pedestrian-friendly amenities. The success of the CitySide Lofts project has also served as a catalyst for additional residential housing projects in downtown Boise, including four-large scale 

and two small-scale condominium developments.

address: 13th and Myrtle St., Boise, Idaho

ProPerty size: 0.87 Acres

Former use: Vacant Lot

current uses: Downtown residential housing

An Urban Brownfields Property Creates 

Smart Residential Living Choices in Downtown Boise

brownfields

at-a-glance

CITYSIDE LOFTS Boise, Idaho

Targeted Brownfields Assessment Program

ePa technical assistance reciPient:

Capital City Development Corporation 

utilized $5,000 in EPA Targeted Brownfields 

Assessment funding.

Project Partners:

The Hosac Company, 

Boise, Idaho

For additional data and geographic 

information for this and other 

Brownfields Grants, please visit 

EPA’s Cleanups in My Community - 

http://iaspub.epa.gov/Cleanups/

FOr MOrE InFOrMATIOn: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields or call EPA Region 10 at (206) 553-7299

The CitySide Lofts, after redevelopment.

EPA 560-F-10-216

June 2010

For additional data and geographic 

information for this and other 

Brownfields Grants, please visit 

EPA’s Cleanups in My Community

http://iaspub.epa.gov/Cleanups/