Nampa advances downtown block with 134 apartments in draft concept

Downtown Nampa took a concrete step toward redeveloping one of its core blocks. BoiseDev reports the Nampa City Council approved a land swap on October 19 that gives the Nampa Development Corporation nearly two acres at 13th Ave. S. and 1st St. S. to move forward on what’s known as Block 2, or the Lloyd Square Block.

This matters because it’s not just a general vision statement. Meeting materials described a draft concept with apartments, retail, public amenity space, and parking on a downtown block facing Front St. between 12th Ave. S. and 13th Ave. S.

What the draft concept includes

According to BoiseDev, the draft request for proposals envisions:

• at least 134 market-rate apartments
• 18,000 square feet of retail space
• 30,000 square feet of public amenity space
• 295 parking stalls

That combination tells me Nampa is trying to add more people living downtown while still keeping room for businesses and public gathering space. It’s a different kind of project than a single-use apartment building, and that’s usually what makes a downtown area feel more active at different times of day.

The redevelopment area sits next to Lloyd Square Park, according to BoiseDev’s map. City materials also describe downtown Nampa as anchored by Library Square, with Lloyd Square Park and the Nampa Public Library as key landmarks.

The land swap piece

The city’s approved swap is what helps set this up.

BoiseDev reported that:

• NDC receives nearly two acres at 13th Ave. S. and 1st St. S.
• the city receives about 1.5 acres at 1st St. S. and 7th Ave. S.
• the 1st St. S. and 7th Ave. S. property includes four parcels about two blocks from the police department building at 820 2nd St. S.

The city will also receive lease revenue from the card lock fuel station at 702 1st St. S. as part of the swap. At the same time, city Communications Director Amy Bowman said the city does not have specific plans right now for those 1st Street and 7th Avenue parcels.

That’s worth noting because the land exchange is real, but not every piece of it has a set end use yet.

What happens next

This project is still early. NDC said it expects to publish the request for proposals in the coming months and anticipates selecting a developer in early 2027.

Before that happens, NDC says it plans more meetings with restaurant and business owners, nonprofit leaders, and other community members. So there is still room for the concept to be shaped before a developer is chosen.

The site is in downtown Nampa’s form-based code area, which the city says runs between 10th Avenue and 16th Avenue South. The city says that code is meant to make redevelopment more flexible while setting clearer design expectations.

My take

If you own nearby or you’re looking at Nampa because you want a more walkable setup, this is the kind of project to keep an eye on. Not because anything is breaking ground tomorrow, but because adding 100-plus apartments in the core can change who downtown serves day to day.

A few practical things I’d watch:

• whether the final RFP keeps the housing count and public-space emphasis
• how parking is handled in the finished proposal
• what local businesses say during the next round of outreach

For buyers, this probably matters more if your move is a year or two out rather than this winter. For downtown owners and business watchers, the bigger signal is that Nampa is still pushing toward mixed-use redevelopment in the center of town, not just edge growth.

Sources

• Downtown Nampa Plans & Progress | Nampa, ID
• Public Hearings/Meetings | Nampa, ID
• Downtown Nampa | Nampa, ID