Downtown Lifestyle: The Afton promotes urban living in Boise

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Stroll down 8th Street in Boise’s BoDo district and you’ll pass a mix of busy shops, restaurants and other commercial spaces. A little farther south, at the intersection with River Street, is the yellow, multi-story condominium development The Afton, which was nearly sold out by the time its second and final phase was completed in late 2019.

The Afton has the convenience of having many necessities and niceties within walking distance, said developer Michael Hormaechea. The first floor of the development itself includes a restaurant, Kiwi Shake and Bake, which specializes in New Zealand cuisine.

Hormaechea adds that from what he is told, The Afton’s residents in Phase 1 are thrilled by their location. He has no reason not to expect the residents of Phase 2, who started moving in in November, won’t feel the same.

“I hear overwhelmingly positive feedback from them about their choice to live downtown,” he said of the Afton’s residents. “They’re loving it. I see them walking around downtown all the time. They’re going out to events, they’re enjoying the reason they bought here, which I think is cool. And there’s demand for more of that.”

As one of several new condominium and apartment projects to be built in downtown Boise in the past five years, The Afton is part of a growing local urban lifestyle where the elements of live, work and play are gathered together.

Renewed Residential Growth

The Afton’s story began in 2013 when Boise was recovering from the Great Recession. New housing construction had generally stalled during the economic downturn, and the Capital City Development Corporation looked to a new project at the corner of River and 8th Streets as a way to jump-start downtown development.

“One of our goals is to catalyze development and investment,” explained Laura Williams, assistant director for economic development at the CCDC.

As the redevelopment and urban renewal agency of the City of Boise, the CCDC can purchase land and issue requests for proposals for strategic projects. The CCDC’s RFP for this property was fairly broad to see what developers would envision going in such a location, Williams says. In the end, Hormaechea’s proposal for a for-sale condominium development was chosen. Ground was broken in 2015.

Hormaechea, whose family has an office park nearby, loved the location and thought it would be a good fit for a housing project.

“At that time, we were out of the Recession, but it was still pretty top-of-mind to most people,” the developer said. “Looking around, most of the condos that had been built in the past had been reasonably absorbed, so there was very little new choice for people to look at, and nothing new had been delivered for a long time, so I was hoping there would be demand for something.”

Hormaechea’s team named the development The Afton as a nod to former property owner Emory Afton, president of Wholesale Electric Parts Company.

While a variety of economic factors and initiatives also contributed to the revitalization of downtown Boise, Williams said The Afton’s construction was a turning point for the area and was followed by other residential projects, including the Fowler Apartments at 401 S. 5th St., the Ash Street Townhomes at 503 S. Ash St., 119 Condos at 117 S. 10th St. and the Watercooler at 1401 W. Idaho St. Each project has had some sort of backing from the CCDC.

Some of the aforementioned developments are higher end, like the Afton, while others are not. The CCDC aims for developments of varying price points, Williams said. Having a mix of housing types helps ensure healthy inventory. For example, when a family living in entry-level housing moves into more expensive housing, it enables another family to move into their first home.

Urban Lifestyle

The pick-up of new housing developments in downtown Boise has helped turn it into the vibrant community it is today, Williams said. You might walk up Capital Boulevard, for example, and pass someone carrying a bag of groceries from Trader Joe’s, a person walking their dog or another person heading to their yoga class.

Having such a variety of offerings in downtown has created “that type of community where you can enjoy all things, all times of the day,” Williams said.

Residents have also created a community for themselves, with the monthly meeting of the Boise Downtown Neighborhood Association, local Facebook groups to track downtown happenings and neighborhood potlucks, Hormaechea said. Such community gatherings were intended by the way The Afton and many other downtown residences are designed. The Afton sports a variety of amenities: outdoor patios, rooftop decks and common areas, charging stations for electric vehicles and a homeowner’s association to handle landscaping and other similar needs.

To Hormaechea, such amenities are a necessity for urban housing, regardless of age group. While younger couples live at The Afton, many residents are older working professionals or retired; they are empty-nesters looking to downsize.

“It’s a lifestyle purchase; they’re sort of done with the big home,” the developer said. “This is an easier lifestyle. They can lock and leave this and travel, do whatever. They may have a second home and don’t want to mess with a yard and a deck and a roof and the things that come with single-family home ownership.”