9th & Front ParkBOI Garage in Downtown Boise Gets Enclosed Stair Towers and New Elevators

BOISE — The 9th & Front ParkBOI parking garage in downtown Boise, Idaho, is getting its biggest makeover since it opened. Crews with Andersen Construction started work in September 2026 on a two-part project that will enclose the garage's two open-air stair towers and modernize its three elevators, according to the Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC), Boise's urban renewal agency, which owns the garage. BoiseDev reported on the work on Oct. 21, 2026.

The eight-level garage sits at 312 S. 9th St., across the street from the Boise Centre. It is open 24 hours a day, has 574 parking stalls and handles more than 800 vehicles a day, CCDC says. It serves the Warehouse District, 8th Street and the Aspen Loft Condominiums.

Why the 9th & Front garage needs work

Construction on the garage began in 1998, and its stair towers and elevators date to its opening in 2000. Regular maintenance has kept the structure safe, but years of exposure to the weather have caused visible wear, according to CCDC. An elevator condition assessment in early 2024 found that the three elevators are nearing the end of their service life and are due for modernization.

The open-air design of the stair towers has also sped up wear on the elevators and the stair structure itself, CCDC staff wrote in an August 2026 board packet. Enclosing the towers is meant to protect them and the elevator system from the weather.

What the new stair towers will look like

Cushing Terrell, the design firm on the project, drew stair tower enclosures inspired by downtown Boise's railroad and architectural history, CCDC says. Aluminum perforated metal panels will wrap the stair towers to give weather protection, natural ventilation, fall protection and better visibility.

Storefront glass at the elevator lobbies and main platforms, along with new overhead awnings, will help keep moisture out. Angled cutbacks at ground level will keep the sidewalk open for people walking by. Visible structural steel will be repainted, and aging rooftop elements will be removed for a more consistent look.

The elevator upgrades will replace aging equipment with new systems meant to improve reliability and accessibility across all eight levels. The City of Boise approved the stair tower enclosure design review in 2026, according to CCDC's project timeline.

Cost and construction timeline

CCDC's draft budget for fiscal year 2027 lists the 9th and Front elevator modernization and stairwell enclosure at $6.3 million. The agency hired Cushing Terrell as the design team in January 2025 and picked Andersen Construction Company of Idaho as the construction manager and general contractor in March 2025.

The work is happening in stages. Elevator modernization and the stair tower enclosures began in September 2026, according to CCDC. The west side stair tower, along 9th Street, is expected to be finished in April 2027, and the elevator work in May 2027. The east side stair tower, along 8th Street, is expected to be done in November 2027.

What parkers should know right now

The west stair tower and its elevator are closed to pedestrians for now, and foot traffic is routed to the east stair tower on 8th Street, CCDC said in its October project update. Crews have finished digging for the new footings and foundations and are getting ready to pour the concrete that will support the new steel frame. New elevator equipment is already in the west mechanical room.

The contractor is using the garage's eighth floor for construction parking, staging and materials, and plans to work with ParkBOI to limit disruptions for daily parkers, the Aspen condo residents and nearby businesses, according to the August board packet.

More changes coming to downtown Boise

The garage project is one of several CCDC jobs reshaping downtown. Across the street to the south of the new Downtown Boise YMCA, which is set to open Dec. 12, construction has begun on a new CCDC mixed-use parking structure with 446 stalls, BoiseDev reported. Elsewhere in Boise, big housing plans are in the works, like the 713-unit tower proposed at 27th and Fairview.

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