Former Rite Aid Redesign on Boise's State Street Seeks Delay to Dec. 9 for Revised Plans

BOISE — The owner of the former Rite Aid at 1515 W. State St. in Boise is reworking its plan to redesign the building, the 1963 former Safeway with the arched glass roof at 15th and State streets on the edge of the North End. City planning staff now recommend that the Design Review Commission defer its Nov. 18 hearing on the facade redesign to Dec. 9, 2026, at the applicant's request, so the owner can bring a revised design, according to a staff memo added to the city file on Nov. 12. Idaho News 6 reported that the developer is revising its plans and that neighbors can still testify before the commission on Nov. 18.

What the former Rite Aid redesign proposes

Plans filed by ALC Architecture of Eagle would wrap the building in stucco in three shades of gray, add horizontal metal siding and a black storefront, and raise flat parapets across the front, the tallest about 47 feet high, which would also hide the rooftop heating and cooling units. The architect wrote that "the current finishes are dated and in need of repair" and that the changes "will modernize the building façade." A notice to neighbors said the work would allow multiple tenants in the building. No tenants have been named. The rendering above shows the proposed State Street front, where the arch survives only as a curve over the center windows.

The remodel keeps the existing footprint of the roughly 24,000-square-foot store and the 90-space parking lot between the building and State Street. The 1.79-acre lot is zoned MX-3, Boise's mixed-use active district. The design review case is DRH26-00183, filed July 14, 2026.

Why the facade is getting a public hearing

The building opened as a Safeway in early 1963, later became a Rite Aid, and has stood mostly empty since the pharmacy chain closed the store in 2025. A Spirit Halloween moved in temporarily this fall. Its long, low arch of glass and laminated wood, wide glass bays and river-rock walls follow a Safeway prototype designed by the San Francisco firm Wurster, Bernardi and Emmons. Across the intersection, Joe Albertson opened his first grocery store at 16th and State in 1939.

The site is not in a historic district, but the city told Idaho News 6 the building was surveyed and found to contribute to a potential historic district. Because the redesign could alter that character, the city moved the application to a public hearing. Boise Builds counts 32 public comments in the file, 21 opposed and 11 raising concerns, with most asking that the arched roof and river-rock walls be kept. "We can embrace revitalization and modernize without losing the history, without losing the architecture," neighbor Michael Wilson told Idaho News 6.

What happens next

If the commission agrees to the deferral, the revised design would be heard Dec. 9. Neighbors can still speak at the Design Review Commission meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. at Boise City Hall, 150 N. Capitol Blvd., third floor. Written comments go to the city planner on the case through Boise Planning and Development Services by searching the case number at permits.cityofboise.org.

More on State Street and Boise homes

Treasure Idaho has also covered Westlock Village, 256 homes on State Street and new homes on Roe Street near State Street. See the Boise city guide, browse new home communities in Boise, check homes for sale in Boise, or read more Boise growth news. Thank you for reading Treasure Idaho.