The CCDC System
The Grove Plaza, Main Street Station and a network of parking garages illustrate how Boise’s urban renewal agency works. Capital City Development Corporation, or CCDC, uses district plans and locally generated funds to build public improvements, prepare sites and partner on private projects. Its work ranges from sidewalks and utility lines to parks, housing, transit and major downtown developments. Since 1987, the agency has applied that approach across successive districts, each with its own boundaries, goals and end date.
CCDC’s predecessor, the Boise Redevelopment Agency, was created in 1965 during the federal urban renewal era. After plans for an enclosed downtown shopping mall were abandoned and federal urban renewal funding ended, Boise changed course. The Central District, established in 1987, used revenue allocation, Idaho’s term for tax increment financing. When a district begins, the assessed value of its property is recorded as a base. Taxes on that base continue to support the regular taxing districts; property tax revenue generated by growth above it can fund eligible work within the urban renewal district. CCDC also receives parking revenue and outside grants. A district does not impose a separate property tax.
The agency’s role is to carry out an adopted district plan. CCDC plans and manages capital projects, such as streets and public spaces. Its Participation Program can reimburse eligible public improvements associated with a private development, including sidewalks, utilities and pedestrian amenities. It can also acquire property, seek development proposals and enter agreements governing how a site is used. Projects proceed through budgets, agreements and Board decisions, often alongside work by Boise, the Ada County Highway District, transit agencies and private partners.
CCDC is governed by a nine-member Board of Commissioners, whose members are appointed by Boise’s mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The board directs the agency and approves major actions; staff and the executive director manage its day-to-day work. Boise’s elected officials also have a distinct role in the creation and approval of urban renewal districts and their plans.
The Central District established the locally financed model. Running from 1987 until its 2018 sunset, it helped remake the heart of downtown through The Grove Plaza, improvements to Eighth Street, public parking, a convention-center site and partnerships that supported new buildings and the reuse of older ones. The agency invested in places and facilities that could serve many businesses and developments. When Central closed, its tax increment period ended and its increased property value returned to the regular tax rolls.
The River Myrtle–Old Boise District, established in the mid-1990s and sunset in September 2025, extended the work south and east of the original core. Its projects included the Basque Block, investments around JUMP and the Simplot headquarters, housing, streets and public spaces. CCDC’s role in Main Street Station shows the range of an urban renewal partnership: the agency provided local matching funds for a federal transit grant, contributed underground space beneath the Grove Plaza, supplied easements and assisted with environmental remediation. Valley Regional Transit owns and operates the underground station. The district later included the Old Boise Blocks and improvements along Grove Street.
Immediately west of downtown, the Westside District was established in 2002 and is scheduled to finish its revenue allocation period in September 2026. Its plan called for more housing, a mix of uses, walkable streets, historic preservation, public space and alternatives to spreading surface parking. Cherie Buckner-Webb Park replaced a parking lot at 11th and Bannock. CCDC also invested in 11th Street and Bannock Street, supported projects such as Hotel Renegade and North End Lofts, and began construction in July 2026 on 1010 Jefferson. That project is planned to combine approximately 446 public parking stalls with commercial spaces and an early education center.
The district network then spread beyond the original downtown core. The 30th Street District, also called the West End, was formed in 2012 and began its revenue allocation period in 2014. Between downtown and the Boise River, its work addresses housing, transportation connections and infrastructure, including transit stops and water-system improvements. The Shoreline and Gateway East districts were established in fiscal year 2019. Shoreline connects riverfront areas and neighborhoods near downtown and addresses infrastructure and mobility needs. Gateway East, southeast of the airport, applies the urban renewal tool to industrial land, infrastructure and job growth rather than to a traditional downtown neighborhood.
The State Street District, established in October 2021, extends the approach along a corridor reaching toward northwest Boise. Its plan supports compact, mixed-use and mixed-income development tied to transit and other travel options. Together, 30th Street, Shoreline, Gateway East and State Street show that CCDC’s current responsibilities reach beyond downtown, even as downtown redevelopment remains central to the agency’s history.
Executive leadership has changed along with the program. Bob Loughrey led the redevelopment agency during the late 1980s transition. Phil Kushlan, executive director from 1999 to 2011, oversaw years when downtown parking, public spaces and redevelopment partnerships expanded. Anthony Lyons succeeded him in late 2011 and departed before John Brunelle took the position in 2013. During Brunelle’s tenure, CCDC expanded its Public-Private Partnership activities and is Participation Program, advanced major infrastructure and development public-public partnerships, formed newer districts and closed Central and River Myrtle–Old Boise. In 2026, as Brunelle prepared to retire at the end of September, the board selected Robyn Sellers as the next executive director.
The projects vary by place and decade, but the operating method has remained recognizable since 1987: adopt a plan for a defined area, direct locally generated revenue toward improvements there, and coordinate those investments with public agencies and private development. Each district has a limited life, but the CCDC effect continues for many years after the revenue allocation period ends.