Walmart plans nearly 20-acre supercenter site at Hwy 16 and 12th in Emmett

BoiseDev reports Walmart plans a new supercenter-like store in Emmett on nearly 20 acres between Highway 16 and East 12th Street. The store would anchor Rocky Mountain Companies’ Longhorn Station development, and BoiseDev says it would be Emmett’s first Walmart.

This is the kind of project that reaches beyond retail. When a large anchor lands at a major intersection, it usually brings road changes, more smaller commercial pads, and a different feel to that part of town over time.

What’s planned

According to BoiseDev, Walmart recently bought nearly 20 acres for the project. The site is part of Longhorn Station, and Rocky Mountain Companies lists the Emmett pads site at Highway 16 and East 12th Street with C-Commercial zoning.

BoiseDev says the plan includes:

• a new supercenter-like Walmart store
• a Walmart fuel station
• nine other retail pads in the broader site
• a Cobblestone Car Wash
• a Washington Trust Bank

Rocky Mountain Companies also lists co-tenants and uses for the broader project that include Walmart, Washington Trust Bank, a car wash, coffee, and oil and lube uses.

Roads and phasing to watch

For me, the road piece is one of the biggest parts of this story.

BoiseDev reports the Walmart project starts phase two of Longhorn Station. Rocky Mountain Companies says Phase 1 lots 1 through 7 are already delivered and ready for development, while Phase 2 includes lots 8 through 12.

Phase 2 is also supposed to bring a new traffic signal connecting Highway 16 and 12th Avenue in Q4 2027, according to Rocky Mountain Companies.

BoiseDev also reported:

• the first 300 feet of Foxfire Road will be built with Longhorn Station
• property owners to the north are expected to extend Foxfire Road to 12th Street as their land develops

That matters because access and circulation often shape how usable a commercial area feels long before every building is finished.

Why this location matters

The site is already in an active retail area. Rocky Mountain Companies says it sits by Albertsons and near Walgreens, D&B, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Maverik, O’Reilly, and Starbucks.

BoiseDev also notes that the next closest Walmart is in North Meridian off Ten Mile Road. So for Emmett, this is not just another store in a saturated corridor. It would fill a gap for local shoppers while also reinforcing Highway 16 and East 12th Street as a bigger commercial node.

My take

If you’re buying in Emmett, this is the kind of project I’d put in the “quality of daily life and future traffic” bucket. A large store can mean shorter errand runs for some households, but it also usually means busier intersections and more activity around the site.

If you already own nearby, I’d pay close attention to the transportation pieces, not just the Walmart headline. The signal timing in Q4 2027, the Foxfire Road connection, and the phasing of the surrounding pads tell you more about when the area actually changes than the land purchase alone.

For someone moving this year, the main value of this news is understanding direction. For someone planning a move a few years out, the bigger picture is that this part of Emmett is being set up for a more built-out commercial pattern centered on Highway 16 and East 12th Street.

Sources

• Longhorn Acres | Rocky Mountain Companies
• Emmett Pads | Rocky Mountain Companies
• Emmett Multi Tenant Building | Rocky Mountain Companies