New Twin Falls buildings in the works

TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The tallest building in downtown is beginning to have a more finished look as the exterior is being clad with metal siding along its 6-story frame.

At 160 Main, the Main Avenue Lofts will feature mixed commercial and residential rental spaces. The lofts building is 85 feet tall and will feature 44 residential rental units, 11,000 square feet of offices, and ground level restaurant or commercial space. The project is anticipated to be completed this fall.

More tall buildings are planned for the block, as Galena Opportunity Fund is finalizing plans and permits for two additional buildings of similar size, and a parking structure to round out the 100 block of Second Ave South.

There are still permits and approvals to be issued, but Galena Fund’s Chief Investment Officer Dan Fullmer said the buildings are all but guaranteed to go up.

“They are 95-percent going to happen,” Fullmer said.

Currently, the real estate along Second Avenue South between Shoshone and Hansen streets are parking lots. The area is made up of three parcels, two of which are owned by the city.

Under the auspices of the Urban Renewal Authority, the city has been in exclusive negotiation with Galena to transform the lot at the corner of Second South and Hansen into multi use residential and commercial building, with a similar in appearance and function as the current building nearing completion at 160 Main.

The building at Second Avenue South and Hansen will have 47 units and will feature a 2,000 square foot bodega on the ground level, and another 1,400 square feet of different retail space.

A third, privately owned parcel at the corner of 2nd and Shoshone is also under negotiation with Galena for a third multi-use residential and commercial building with 48 units.

Between the two buildings, Galena plans to build a multi-story parking structure with parking space for 325 vehicles. Thanks to a $2 million investment from the Urban Renewal Authority, 100 of those parking spaces will be for public use.

The parking structure will be the next structure to go up, with work expected to begin in November, Fullmer said.

Fulmer said the two mixed-use buildings will follow the parking structure, and both will go up at about the same time.

“We really like Twin Falls, they’re great to work with,” Fullmer said. “In Idaho, (the city) has been the best we’ve worked with for sure.”

The initial concept for the parking structure calls for a six story, 85-foot structure with 325 parking stalls, of which 100 spaces dedicated to public use into perpetuity.

At a meeting of the Urban Renewal Authority, City Manager Travis Rothweiler said the Galena Group plans to build the parking structure first.

“Their construction plan is to build the parking structure, they believe that is a build that can occur within a six month window of time, and then they will use the top deck as a space in which they would store their materials,” Rothweiler said. “Public parking would be open, parts of it would be accessible, parts of it would be used as a platform for building materials as they move forward with the construction of the building on second and Hansen and probably use that same thing for second and Shoshone.”