Boise's Empty Outlet Mall Is Turning Into a $33 Million Truck Hub
Kenworth's new plan points to jobs, freight and southeast Boise's next infrastructure test.
Boise's former outlet mall is being recast from a nearly empty retail lot into a working piece of the Treasure Valley freight economy.
Kenworth Sales Co. has filed plans for a $33 million truck dealership, warehouse and service center at 6850 S. Eisenman Road, the long-running outlet site south of Boise. The proposal covers more than 17 acres and would put about 105,000 square feet of new commercial space into two buildings, a major step for a property that once drew bargain shoppers and later sat with vacant storefronts, damaged roofs and shrinking foot traffic.
A retail landmark moves to industrial work
The site has been moving toward redevelopment for months. A demolition proposal submitted to Boise called for removing five of the six outlet buildings, with Idaho Ice World left out of the teardown plan. The old retail buildings also gave Boise Fire a rare training ground earlier this year before the property moved closer to a new industrial use.
That sequence matters. Southeast Boise did not just lose an aging mall. It gained a chance to put a large, well-located parcel back into productive use near Interstate 84, the airport and the city's expanding industrial corridor. For taxpayers, the difference between an empty retail shell and an active employer shows up in property value, service demand and the kind of work the city can attract.
The outlet property had been on the market in different forms for years, and Kenworth bought the larger site in 2025. Earlier filings described a roughly 24.5-acre property, with more than 22 acres expected to be disturbed during demolition work. The latest construction plan narrows the first major buildout to the truck hub itself, but the public question is broader: what kind of economy replaces old retail land when shopping patterns move on?
Jobs and trucks are following Boise's warehouse boom
Kenworth already has a Boise presence near Broadway Avenue, Interstate 84 and the airport. The Eisenman Road project would greatly expand that footprint with sales, warehouse and service operations. Company representatives previously said the concept could support about 90 jobs with average salaries around $90,000.
Those numbers are the real story behind the site change. Boise's industrial market has been growing quickly, helped by population growth, Micron's major expansion and new warehouse and distribution demand around the Treasure Valley. Local commercial real estate reporting has put the metro area's recent industrial additions in the millions of square feet, with millions more under construction around the end of 2025.
Truck sales and service follow that kind of growth because freight does not move on optimism. It needs mechanics, parts, staging space, road access and predictable local approvals. If Boise wants the jobs and tax base that come with industrial expansion, the support network has to be close enough for companies and drivers to use it.
The local test is whether public basics keep up
The Kenworth plan is not a nostalgia story about a mall fading out. It is a practical test of whether Boise can turn old commercial land into work, infrastructure and private investment without letting the basics lag behind. Roads, fire response, utilities, permitting and surrounding property impacts all become more important when a quiet retail site becomes a daily truck-service hub.
For families and small businesses, the upside is straightforward: more local jobs, more productive land and a stronger freight backbone for a growing region. For city government, the obligation is just as straightforward. Keep the public side of the deal accountable, make the rules predictable and ensure the growth pays its own way.
If the project works, Boise gets more than a replacement for a closed mall. It gets a clearer signal that old retail land can still serve productive work, as long as local government keeps the basics boring, fast and accountable.