# The Quest for a New Boise Hawks Stadium: Navigating Urban Renewal & Funding Challenges
The Boise Hawks, a beloved minor league baseball team, have been on a decade-long journey to secure a new stadium. Despite the passage of time, the proposed stadium project remains embroiled in the complexities of urban renewal efforts, funding obstacles, and political hurdles.
## A Long-standing Dream
Since 2006, the Hawks have aspired to play in a modern ballpark. The ownership change in 2014 reignited hopes for a 2017 opening, but achieving that ambition has proven formidable. The envisioned location is the West End area of Boise, a designated urban renewal district under the stewardship of the Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC).
## Urban Renewal and Financial Hurdles
CCDC’s innovative use of tax increment financing propels various infrastructure undertakings, yet allocating funds for a stadium has met with limited success. Early attempts to finance the stadium through the Greater Boise Auditorium District, which relies on hotel tax revenues, faltered due to competing priorities like the Boise Centre’s expansion.
Furthermore, the proposed stadium project faced political pressure, especially when over 7,000 citizens signed a referendum petition seeking a public vote on its funding.
## Future Plans and Possibilities
As the clock ticks toward 2025, there’s still no clarity on the stadium’s fate. Boise’s Annual Action Plan for 2025 outlines funding for neighborhoods and affordable housing, but it lacks explicit provisions for a baseball stadium. The CCDC’s 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan echoes this omission, detailing street enhancements and park upgrades without highlighting the stadium project.
## A Detour or a Destination?
The Hawks have maintained a stable relationship with the Chicago Cubs through a renewed Player Development Contract, ensuring the growth of young talents.
With the community divided over public funding and priorities shifting, the road ahead for the Boise Hawks’ new home remains uncertain. Could this be a story of determined persistence leading to ultimate success, or will it remain a tale of dreams deferred?
### Join the Conversation
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