Boise’s Micron Technology is laying out in detail how it will make promised investments in housing and transit as it works on a $50 billion expansion of its campus on Federal Way.
Micron promised $75 million in community investment shortly after it first announced it would add a memory fabrication plant on its Boise campus. In the four years since, the company has been relatively tight-lipped about how it would spend the funds, but did provide some details to BoiseDev last month.
The chip giant says it will go above the initial $75 million promise, and is detailing a total of $142.1 million in investments it is making in Idaho as part of its expansion.
Scott Gatzemeier, Micron’s vice president of front-end U.S. expansion, told BoiseDev that with the first of the two fabrication plants set to come online soon, they want to ensure the project is an ongoing success, and that dovetails with its investments.
Rendering of Micron’s two chip fabrication plants under construction in Boise. Rendering: Via Micron Technology/design firm not provided
“Now that we’ve got this here… how do we make it successful? And that’s in two parts,” he said. “One, how do we get the workforce? We can build the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility on the planet, but without the people to run it and operate it and make it happen, we’re not going to be successful. And then, how do we create opportunity for as many Idahoans as possible?”
Housing
A rendering of the housing project set to be built at Capitol Blvd. and Royal Blvd. in Boise. Rendering: Via City of Boise/ firm uncited
The company said it will spend $10.5 million on a pair of housing investments. The first is to provide $2.5 million in funding to the City of Boise’s project along Capitol Blvd. at Island Ave. near Boise State to build apartments geared toward residents who earn 60% of the area median income. The project, part of the city’s Housing Land Trust Program, will build about 325 apartments and include a parking garage and other services.
“Building more homes that Boiseans can afford takes partners who are willing to roll up their sleeves and invest in solutions,” Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said. “Thanks to Micron’s investment, we are one step closer to bringing clean geothermal heat to hundreds of affordable homes in Boise. This is what is possible when the city brings public, private, and philanthropic partners together around a shared commitment to Boise’s future.”
Separately, Micron will support efforts by non-profit LEAP Housing with $8 million. Half of those dollars will go to add 30 rental homes in Mountain Home, with the other half going to help with down-payment assistance for up to 200 first-time homebuyers across Ada, Boise, Canyon, Elmore and Gem Counties.
Downtown Mountain Home is about 37 miles to the east of Micron. That’s about five miles farther than Downtown Caldwell is from Micron to the west.
“Whether it’s a family looking for a rental they can afford or a young couple trying to buy their first home, Idahoans are eager for housing opportunity,” LEAP CEO Bart Cochran said. “Construction can start quickly, which means Idaho families will feel the difference soon.”
Gatzemeier notes that with 3,500 Micron jobs and as many as 17,000 jobs at other companies that support the company’s group, it will certainly increase housing demand, which has been on the rise in the area even before Micron’s announcement.
“We go out and meet with all the developers and talk to them about what (Micron’s) projects look like, who is coming and where they’re living and (discuss) how do we open it up,” he said. “We encourage them to be able to build these houses and give them assurances that if they build it, people will come because they are coming in here to work.”
Local developer Cory Barton is working on plans for 6,8000 homes in a development directly across I-84 from Micron’s campus, one example of housing growth in the area. Several developers are adding homes at Mayfield along the Ada/Elmore County line as well.
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”Idaho’s success has always been built on strong partnerships, and Micron has been a vital partner for nearly half a century,” Idaho Governor Brad Little said. “Micron’s growth means good-paying jobs for Idahoans, and I appreciate that the company is matching that growth with real investment in the things families feel every day: buying a home, driving to work, and giving their kids a strong future with opportunities here at home.”
Transit
A Valley Regional Transit bus. Photo: Don Day/BoiseDev
Micron’s initial promise also said it would help with transit. Gatzemeier said that at buildout, Micron expects to employ an additional 3,500 full-time workers for the fabrication plants, on top of its existing and long-established employee base.
In 1997, Micron funded roughly half of the dollars needed for the Isaac’s Canyon Interchange on I-84, the exit just to the east of the company’s campus. The six-lane overpass was built for anticipated future growth at the Federal Way campus, which didn’t materialize until recently.
Now, the company says it will focus a large piece of investment on mass transit, with an $11.6 million donation to Valley Regional Transit, which operates the bus system across Ada and Canyon counties. The money will be used for several initiatives, including adding a new bus route that will connect Caldwell, Nampa, Meridian, and Boise. It will also help expand VRT’s on-demand service near the campus and add additional park-and-ride hubs.
VRT has faced cuts in recent years as some municipal governments, including Nampa and Caldwell, have scaled back funding for the bus system.
“Getting people to work, school, and everyday destinations is how a growing region stays connected,” VRT CEO Elaine Clegg said. “As demand increases, transit provides a proven alternative that can reduce the number of vehicles on the road. We are grateful for Micron’s partnership, leadership, and commitment to our community.”
Clegg said the new Micron-funded services will start to hit the road early in 2027.
Micron also claimed it has spent $25.1 million in “transportation investments around our campus,” though it lists a series of improvements on its property, including parking lots and roundabouts. The company does say it is “also studying further incremental improvements along I-84,” and that it is working with the City of Boise and ACHD to “create pathways to private funding” for projects like the extension of Lake Hazel Rd. and Orchard St. on the south side of I-84.
Trump accounts
For the first time, Micron is providing additional details about a program it announced earlier this year, which will provide funding to local children through the Trump Accounts program.
Micron said it will spend $45 million to provide $250 donations to the 530A Accounts of 182,000 kids under 18 in Ada, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, and Gem counties. The company said it would spend $250 million across the country on 530A donations, including efforts in other states where it operates.
Micron has worked to curry favor with the administration, first pressing the Biden Administration for passage of the CHIPS Act, which includes significant federal tax incentives, and then the Trump administration. Micron donated $2.5 million to build a new ballroom on the former site of the East Wing at the White House, according to the Washington Post. Micron is one of the 40 largest donors to the project.
“Companies that call Idaho home have a role to play in helping our working families get ahead,” Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives Mike Moyle said. “From savings accounts for Idaho kids to housing and transportation, Micron is putting real dollars behind its Idaho roots.”
Workforce training
CWI’s Nampa Campus Academic Building. Photo: Courtesy of CWI.
The company has also focused efforts on workforce training.
For local kids, Gatzemeier said, “we want to create as many opportunities” as possible.
According to U.S. Department of Labor disclosures, Micron files between 250 and 350 H-1B applications for roles in Ada County. Those visas run for three years, meaning roughly 700 to 1,000 roles in Boise are filled by employees with an H1B.
Gatzemeier said that on an ongoing basis, 90% of technician-level employees will come from the US, including through apprenticeship and military programs. For engineers, he said that “70% new college grads is my target,” but said it will take time to get to that level.
“We’re front-loading it with experienced people so they can train non-experienced people,” he said. “This skill set, which is really disappointing, left the United States. We have not built a large-scale semiconductor manufacturing fab here that’s on the leading edge, and there are no other memory fabs. Like, less than 1% of the world’s memory is made in the U.S., and that’s in our Manassas, Virginia facility, and that’s legacy technology.”
Micron is working to help grow local kids and workers for jobs at its manufacturing plant.
“For the technician pipeline, kids today can go to the College of Western Idaho,” he said. “They could sign up for a Micron apprenticeship program, which we’re increasing capacity to 100 apprentices this year, and they can do what we call earn-and-learn. They work here, get a paycheck, then on their days off, they go to CWI, and Micron pays their tuition at CWI. So I mean that’s an unbelievable opportunity. Now, it’s hard to work full-time and go to school.”
New campus?
Gatzemeier didn’t provide additional specifics on the company’s plan for a new $10 billion research campus, but affirmed it would be built somewhere in Boise.
Micron has not said where it would be built, other than to say in Boise.
“We’re in a confidential site selection process,” he said. “As soon as we know and we have that selected, we’ll announce.”
BoiseDev asked Gatzemeier to confirm it would be in Boise, as the company said in a news release. He initially said “it’ll be in the Treasure Valley,” but when we noted the prior information was specific to Boise, he confirmed it would be in the city.
He said a timeline for when the plan could be announced hasn’t been decided, but the company has said it hopes to begin work in 2027. After a taping of the BoiseDev podcast earlier this month, BoiseDev asked McLean about the city’s engagement with Micron on the campus, and she wouldn’t comment.
In the past, the City of Boise has cited a 2004 non-disclosure agreement it signed with Micron that does not feature an expiration date.
Micron was founded in Boise in 1978. Today, the company is worth just less than $1 trillion and is one of the nation’s most valuable companies.
