Central Caldwell plan expands to 1,500 acres; consultant proposes Indian Creek promenade and parking strategy

Roger Brooks, consultant on the Central Caldwell master plan, updated the City Council on outreach, feasibility work and early design concepts and said the project area has been voluntarily expanded from roughly 905 acres to more than 1,500 acres to better connect downtown, the fairgrounds and other nearby assets.

“We really feel like it's really integrated in this process,” Brooks said of the expanded study area, adding that the team wants to connect downtown to the fairgrounds, Rotary Ponds and the Boise River corridor.

Brooks described a proposed “Indian Creek Promenade,” a roughly 12-foot pedestrian corridor that would run from the Canyon County Fair Event Center to the Rotary Ponds, and said the planning team has completed extensive outreach with city officials, Canyon County, Destination Caldwell, the College of Idaho, hotel developers, downtown business owners and other stakeholders. He said the team analyzed 30 comparable cities to test feasibility for retail, hotel and office demand.

“As far as timeline goes, we have been working this day and night, and in December we're going to start mapping out the whole thing,” Brooks said. He told council the firm and its planning partners have been coordinating feasibility work with urban renewal and the city’s economic development staff.

Brooks said the plan’s analysis shows demand that could accommodate approximately 60,000 square feet of additional retail and about 60,000 square feet of Class A office space in the downtown core — figures he framed as feasibility-based estimates rather than commitments — and that the team has identified opportunities to add roughly 700 downtown parking spaces through structured parking and shared parking strategies.

Brooks emphasized private-sector-led investment and public-private partnerships, including potential use of urban renewal tools to reduce development barriers. He said consultants have been coordinating closely with Architectural Nexus (ArcNexus) on feasibility, and that specifics about block-level redevelopment will be ready for a council retreat early next year.

Council members asked practical questions about repurposing older buildings and parking. Brooks said some neighborhoods in the study area — which the consultants call the Garden District, the Plaza District and the Stockyards District — will likely need different strategies; some corridors will benefit from public infrastructure upgrades such as sidewalks and pedestrian connections, while other areas will be targeted for private investment.

Brooks asked for a January retreat where consultants would present block-by-block development concepts and implementation options. He said the plan’s goal is to provide a clear, coordinated development blueprint so private investors can identify suitable parcels and the city can target infrastructure and policy interventions. No formal council action was taken at the workshop; council members expressed interest and appreciation for the outreach and asked consultants to continue work toward the planned presentations and public engagement phases.

Brooks said the team will continue outreach with the fairgrounds, the College of Idaho and other stakeholders and will finalize feasibility and mapping tasks over the coming months before presenting detailed recommendations to council.