The Jackson Street property where Silos and Social currently sits has been purchased by the University of Idaho as part of a plan to connect downtown Moscow with the university campus via a ‘Legacy Crossing.’
According to an article written by the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, the university acquired the plot of land in a $1.625 million deal from the previous owner, Andrew Crapuchettes.
Crapuchettes, a Moscow local and the founder of job board-based company Red Balloon, has owned the land since 2017.
In an email to the Daily News, the university’s director of communications, Jodi Walker, noted there are no plans for new development in the immediate future. The three businesses currently operating on the space – Silos and Social, KnoxBox Coffee and Taqueria Las Torres – will remain up and running for the time being.
While UI now owns the 625 S. Jackson St. property, the Moscow Urban Renewal Agency retains ownership of the empty lot that sits directly next to it on the corner of 6th and Jackson Street.
In acquiring this new property, the university adds to the 20 acres it previously purchased between campus and downtown.
Walker said that the property is meant to connect campus to downtown “in a physical way that matches the deep connection the two already share.”
While the ‘Legacy Crossing’ is a vision driven by UI, a larger district dedicated to the idea was established in 2008. According to MURA, the Legacy Crossing District covers approximately 163 acres.
The MURA website says the district was established to “eliminate conditions impeding the city’s economic growth in the area.”
Despite the broader goals for the area, the university intends to use what acreage of the district it currently owns to foster further community connection.
MURA’s website also says, “A future developer has been selected through a public Request for Proposal process and is currently planning a $15 million mixed-use development for the site.”
There have been multiple previous attempts to build on the land since MURA acquired it in 2010, but it was reported previously by the Daily News that, due to unstable soil conditions and rising building costs, all attempts to develop have fallen through.
Paige Wilton can be reached at [email protected].