The YMCA at 1050 W. State St. has been part of downtown since 1969. On the other side of the street, a newer building is nearly done. When it opens, the Y's downtown front door moves across the street. As BoiseDev reported on Oct. 22, the new building is an $82 million, 109,395-square-foot facility. The current Y has about 86,000 square feet, so the new one adds roughly 23,000 square feet.
The ribbon-cutting is Dec. 12, but that's only the first step. The parking garage is due in late 2027 and will hold the Y's expanded childcare on its ground floor. The old building is slated for demolition, and no one has decided what goes on that land. For people who live and work downtown, the move happens in three stages, and only the first one lands this December.
The Week the Downtown Y Goes Dark
Members will feel the move first as a five-day closure. According to the YMCA's project FAQ, the current building closes Dec. 7 through Dec. 11 while staff move over. During that week, members can use the other Treasure Valley Family YMCA locations.
Date | What happens |
|---|---|
Sunday, Dec. 6 | Last scheduled day before the transition closure |
Dec. 7 to Dec. 11 | Current Downtown Y at 1050 W. State St. closed; other Treasure Valley Ys open to members |
Saturday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m. | Ribbon-cutting at the new CapEd Downtown Boise YMCA, then tours and full facility use |
Sunday, Dec. 13 | Classes and programming begin |
Late 2027 | CCDC parking garage and Kissler Family Early Education Center scheduled to open |
The Y says that after the Dec. 12 ceremony, the building opens to the community for tours, program information and membership sign-ups. Members and guests get full use of the facility that same day. Non-member guests 18 and older need a valid driver's license or government-issued photo ID every time they come in. BoiseDev reported that classes and programming start the next day.
Many members will ask about cost first. The Y says new capital projects are paid for with donations and partner funding, so the building won't affect its membership pricing. CapEd Credit Union is the naming sponsor and gave $5 million toward construction. According to BoiseDev, the Y has raised $42 million in total and is still taking donations.
What the Extra 23,000 Square Feet Holds
BoiseDev toured the building in October and described how the floors are laid out.
- Ground floor: a six-lane lap pool, a warm-water recreation pool with a beach entry for wheelchair users, the Kid Zone, and a Family Adventure Zone with a two-level play structure.
- Lower level: teen space with a podcast and music sound booth, 3D printers, sewing machines and computers, plus a multi-wall mural by Boise artist Bobby Gaytan. This level also has the Thrive High and Thrive Low adaptive spaces and a cycling studio with 32 Stages bikes and its own stage.
- Upper floors: a yoga studio with large windows and blackout curtains, a Pilates studio with eight reformers, free weights, squat racks, adaptive machines including hand-cycling stations, and a sports court for basketball, volleyball and pickleball.
- Top level: a three-lane indoor track where 17 laps make a mile.
Some features cost extra. BoiseDev reported that an EGYM circuit, which tracks workouts and form, and recovery equipment such as a cryotherapy machine and a dry cold plunge carry an additional fee.
The building also does more than fitness. St. Luke's will occupy 8,000 square feet, with clinical and non-clinical care for adults and children. CapEd will run a 1,600-square-foot branch there, its first that isn't in a standalone building, and will offer financial literacy courses. There's a community pantry, meeting rooms and a kitchen classroom. In BoiseDev's coverage, the Y's Kathryn Hunter said the lobby is designed to work as a bus stop.
Together, the clinic, credit union branch, pantry and transit-friendly lobby mean people will have reasons to visit the block without a gym membership.
Parking and Childcare Arrive in 2027
The new building doesn't come with its own garage yet. Directly south of it, Capital City Development Corp. is building a mixed-use structure at 1010 W. Jefferson St. with 446 parking stalls. CCDC lists completion as fall 2027, and the Y says late 2027.
Until then, the Y says it will keep using the current Downtown Y parking lots and has arranged temporary parking in several nearby lots. So for about a year after the new building opens, parking for the new Y stays in the lots that already serve the old one and in the temporary lots around them.
The garage also matters for families. Its ground floor will house the Y's Kissler Family Early Education Center, which the Y says will double its childcare footprint downtown. The building's Child Development Center serves children from 6 weeks to 5 years old, plus before- and after-school and summer care for ages 5 to 15. Downtown households waiting on that extra childcare capacity should plan around the garage's 2027 timeline, not the Dec. 12 opening.
The 1969 Building's Land Has No Plan Yet
After the move, the State Street building is set to come down. The Y's FAQ says it plans to demolish the building "in the near future," that plans for the land "are still being determined," and that it is talking with community stakeholders about "the highest and best use of that property."
This block has a history of plans changing. In 2022, CCDC and the Y agreed to a land exchange, and CCDC described a 220-apartment project for Block 69. In November 2024, CCDC announced that the developer projects for Block 69 North and Block 68 South would not move forward. As of April 2026, CCDC said the vacant parcel it owns at 1111 W. State St., the former Block 69 North, was being used for construction staging. That parcel is separate from the current Y building.
So after December, this part of downtown will have a new Y building with tenants inside, an old Y building waiting for demolition, a CCDC-owned staging lot down State Street, and a garage going up to the south. Not every piece is decided yet, and the old building's site is the one with the least settled future.
Where the Rest of Downtown's December Fits
The Y's closure week falls during a busy stretch on the downtown calendar, and a few dates line up with it.
First Thursday is Nov. 5 and Dec. 3, from 5 to 9 p.m. The Downtown Boise Association publishes the listings, and each participating merchant plans its own activities. The December First Thursday comes three days before the old Y closes.
The Capital City Public Market runs its regular Saturday market on The Grove Plaza at 827 W. Main St. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the season ending Dec. 19. That makes Dec. 12 a Saturday with both the Y's ribbon-cutting and a market day, a few blocks apart.
A handful of new spots have opened or are on the way:
- Capitol Corner Bar opened Oct. 7 at 701 W. Fulton St., in the former Gas Lantern space.
- The Blue and Orange Store, a Pro Image Sports shop, opened in early September at 180 N. 8th St., where Rediscovered Books used to be, according to BoiseDev.
- The Alley Lounge plans to reopen at 113 S. 5th St., less than a block from its old location. BoiseDev reported a target of the end of 2026.
- Darling Don't Feed the Wolf, an Asian-inspired bar and restaurant in the basement of 620 W. Idaho St., is aiming for early December. Its owners told BoiseDev the opening could slip into early 2027.
- Cactus Southwest Kitchen & Bar is planned for the former P.F. Chang's space at 391 S. 8th St. The Idaho Statesman reported a target of late fall, with no confirmed opening day.
Of everything on this list, only the Y has a confirmed date and time, 10 a.m. on Dec. 12. Cactus, Darling Don't Feed the Wolf and the Alley Lounge have only target windows, and the Y has not yet said what will follow the old building on State Street.
The Y's move affects how people get around this part of downtown, from where they park to how long the old building stays standing. If you live near State Street and want to talk through how the garage and the old Y site might affect your block over the next couple of years, Tina Richards Real Estate is glad to help. Let's Connect.
