Harris Ranch seeks 191 more homes and far less commercial space

Harris Ranch’s town center plan is being reworked, with less commercial space and more housing than the long-range plan originally allowed. The Idaho Statesman reported this week that the shift affects the 6-acre mixed-use site in east Boise’s Barber Valley, on the three-block stretch between Warm Springs Avenue and Wolf Tree Street near Marianne Williams Park.

What stood out to me is that this isn’t a small tweak. BoiseDev reported the developers asked the city to cut allowed commercial space from 843,998 square feet to 310,498 square feet, while increasing the total number of allowed homes across Harris Ranch from 2,439 to 2,630.

What’s changing

According to BoiseDev’s October reporting on the city filing, the request includes:

• reducing allowed commercial space by more than 500,000 square feet
• adding 191 housing units overall in Harris Ranch
• creating nine additional lots on the north side of E. Barber Drive

BoiseDev also reported those E. Barber Drive lots were previously designated as open space or conservation area in the original plan.

The Statesman’s earlier May 2026 coverage gives a clearer picture of what the town center itself had looked like before this latest change. At that time, the concept showed:

• 316 apartments
• 66 townhomes
• a 100-room hotel
• a specialty grocery store of about 12,000 square feet near Warm Springs Avenue
• roughly 75,000 to 90,000 square feet of commercial space, depending on market response

The hotel concept was planned along Warm Springs Avenue on the south side of the site, and the project also included public open space. The developer had also told the Statesman the design moved away from one long central green, in part because Marianne Williams Park is already nearby and Alta Harris Park is coming.

The traffic and daily-use piece

One reason the developer gave for the change is traffic. BoiseDev said the application letter argued that the added housing would create 1,910 daily vehicle trips, while the reduction in commercial space would remove 4,264 daily trips.

That doesn’t answer every neighborhood question, but it does tell me the project is being repositioned around living there rather than working there. That’s a meaningful shift if you bought in Harris Ranch expecting a more office-heavy town center.

It also matters because the area’s closest grocery store was about a 2.5-mile drive away, according to the Statesman’s earlier report. So for residents, the practical question is less about whether there will be a big office component and more about which everyday services still make it into the final mix.

What happens next

This is not final yet. BoiseDev reported Boise City Council will need to approve the proposed Harris Ranch plan changes.

The broader town center concept has already been under way in some form. The Statesman reported in May that site grading on the northern block was underway, with broader work expected to follow. At that time, High Rhodes said openings could come in late 2028 or early 2029, depending on schedules.

So if you’re trying to figure out when life changes on the ground, this is still more of a medium-term story than an immediate one.

My take

For buyers, I’d pay attention to the mix, not just the headline count of more homes. More housing over retail can mean more options in the area eventually, but it can also mean the town center functions more like a residential hub with some services instead of a bigger employment and shopping center.

For nearby owners, I’d want to know two things before drawing big conclusions:

• what Boise City Council does with the requested plan changes
• whether the grocery, hotel, and street-level retail pieces remain substantial as the concept evolves

If you’re buying in Harris Ranch or nearby east Boise because you want walkability and daily convenience, this is worth following closely. And if you live near E. Barber Drive, I’d read the application details carefully, especially where land use is changing from earlier open-space or conservation designations.

Sources

• Harris Ranch developers ask to increase housing units, decrease commercial space - BoiseDev
• In Boise, Idaho, Harris Ranch town center plans take shape | Idaho Statesman
• MASTER PLAN — Harris Ranch