BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — On Monday the Travis Apartment building in Boise was demolished, and some see its destruction as a continuing trend.
Travis Apartments stood on the corner of 17th and Bannock for 83 years. Now, it's being replaced by more expensive housing.
And that's concerning to folks who live around the area. The demolition of the Travis Apartment building immediately started drawing attention from people living nearby.
Ashley Peterson has lived on 17th Street for the past two years. He's a Boise State student who searched high and low for affordable housing in the city.
"With the help of financial aid and those kind of things I was able to finally find a place that I could afford to be in on my own," Peterson said.
But now that more expensive housing is being built across the street from him, he's worried it will speed the increase of his rent. And he's not the only one concerned about rising prices.
"Houses in this neighborhood and existing apartments are at risk of the same kind of thing happening," Katie Fite, a Boise city council candidate, said. "They change hands and the property taxes go up more, and it's almost like a domino effect."
Back in 2019, the Boise city council unanimously approved the construction of the five-story condominium building that will be taking the place of Travis Apartments.
"Piece by piece, rezone by rezone, we are demolishing affordable housing in Boise," David Klinger, a member of Boise Working Together, said. "We are throwing renters out on the street, and we are losing our historic heritage."
For people like Peterson, the future is uncertain. But one thing is clear, there is no easy answer to Boise's housing crisis.
"I don't know what the answer is," Peterson said. "I don't know if there is one answer to any of it. But I don't think that the answer is constantly getting rid of everything that is affordable."
CBS2 reached out to the City of Boise about the demolition of Travis Apartments and the upcoming construction project. So far we've not heard back.
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