Boise’s only full-service climbing gym is being forced to close to make room for the city’s plan to build affordable housing.
Since its opening in 2004 the gym has had a long-term lease with the city which owns the land the gym sits on. The Boise metro area is in desperate need of more affordable housing and contracted with a developer to work out plans for the site. Tom Mannschreck, CEO of Thomas Development, said he paid Steve Lampkins, owner of Urban Ascent for the lease, building and improvements Lampkins had made.
Mannschreck said his company “looked at it from every angle we can” and determined the late April closing date was the best option.
Hello,
This is Clint writing on behalf of Steve.
I know everyone has heard Urban Ascent is closing. This has been an…
Posted by Urban Ascent on Friday, March 16, 2018
Colwell and Mannschreck said much of the gym’s equipment will be “salvaged and reused” before the building is demolished (or dismantled and reused, which is Mannschreck’s preference) in early May.
Lampkins said he has no plans to reopen Urban Ascent elsewhere.
The climbers of Boise won’t be left without a climbing gym for long. A new project called Vertical View hopes to open the doors on a 23,000 square foot full-service gym in late fall of this year.
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