(June 24, 2026) —The Greater Boise Auditorium District (the District) announced today that its board approved the purchase of 615 S. 9th Street (formerly The Mardi Gras on 9th & Lee) in downtown Boise. Securing this third parcel completes the District’s exploratory committee’s initial discussions and evaluations to secure land for expanding facilities to meet demand in a growing and evolving Boise.
“As we look to the future of the District and the needs it can serve in the next 10 years and beyond, this collection of properties expands the opportunities to build something that serves the Boise community across multiple facets and invests in the future of downtown Boise,” expressed Kristin Muchow, Board Chair.
Collectively, all three parcels provide the District with 6.46 acres of contiguous space and flexibility for a future facility layout with ample space for the full scope of a future facilities layout to address space requirements for a 100,000 square foot exhibition hall, alongside considerations of a multi-use event center or an indoor sports facility, as outlined in the District’s feasibility study.
- 11th & River: 4.13 acres / 180,000 square feet
- 9th & River: 1.84 acres / 80,542 square feet
- 9th & Lee Street: 0.49 acres / 21,344 square feet
The land acquisition and future development planning are possible thanks to the District’s responsible fiscal management, allowing the use of cash reserves to move- forward on each land purchase.
“A key attribute we are looking for with this future project is avoiding becoming landlocked as we are with our current facility,” said Cody Lund, Executive Director of the District. “Through the purchase agreements with all three parcels, we now have the flexibility to imagine a second property that not only expands our current book of convention business but opens up the possibilities for further community collaboration and engagement.”
While there is currently no final design plan or development timeline, the District will issue RFQs this summer for a Site Test Fit Study and a Financial Affordability Study. This is the first step in the site evaluation process to determine how different components of a multi-use event facility could best fit on the 6.4 acres. Components under consideration to support event programming include lobby spaces, kitchen, back of house storage, loading docks and a parking structure. Layout considerations will include maximum efficiency, usage and financial viability. The District is working with
Paradigm of Idaho to facilitate the RFQs and studies. Study results are anticipated in late fall to winter 2026.
Boise Centre will continue to operate without interruption throughout this process. Future project development for the District is an investment in growth alongside current facilities.