The City of Star is moving closer to a vision for its downtown and neighbors are getting their first look at what could come next.Nearly 100 people turned out to a follow-up open house at the Star Riverhouse, hosted by the mayo r, city council, and city staff. The event gave neighbors a first glimpse at updated revitalization plans shaped by months of community input.WATCH: Learn more about Star's downtown plans Star unveils updated downtown revitalization plan with five unique districts and a walkable coreIn August 2025, the city received more than 500 online survey responses, held an open house that drew over 500 attendees, and gathered another 500 responses after the event. Those comments helped shape five distinct districts for the downtown area: the Art District, Village District, River District, State Street/Highway Corridor District, and Star Road Corridor District. Mayor Trevor Chadwick said each district will have its own identity."Each of those districts has a different, unique set of what that is gonna look like and what's gonna be in those districts," Chadwick said.Walk-ability is a key priority for the plan. The city is focused on avoiding development along Highway 44 and instead directing new spaces toward Main Street to keep the area safer for families and bicyclists."Part of our thing is, it's gonna be walk-able," Chadwick said.Chadwick said the vision for Star's downtown will stand out in the Treasure Valley."I think it's going to be very cool and unique to anywhere here in the valley with these different districts like that in our downtown," Chadwick said.The city's plans describe the Art District as a mixed-use, arts-focused district intended to support creation, exhibition, living, learning, and small-scale commerce, while fostering walk-ability, community gathering, and economic revitalization through creative design.The Village District is set to serve as a continuation of the Art District vision, supporting mixed-uses, arts-focused uses, creation, exhibition, living, learning, and commerce on a somewhat larger scale. The district will transition from the smaller-scaled Art District adjacent to Star Road and move west toward the higher-intensity commercial area near the Albertsons center and Norterra development.The River District will be exclusive to Main Street south of State Street. The district centers on Freedom Park and its recreational activities, including the Ponds and "Dockzilla," disc golf, water-related recreation, and direct access to the Boise River Greenbelt, as well as the Star Riverhouse complex, with its museum, recreational events center, and veterans garden. The district is designed around walk-ability, including the current river-walk on Main Street, a planned pond boardwalk, and a central linear pathway corridor between Star Road and Main Street.State Street Corridor District will be located within the center of Star along its main transportation corridor. The city wants to put a focus on responsible design that respects Star's past while creating an aesthetically pleasing future. The plans prioritize public off-site parking, open green space, and public plazas, as well as amenities including historic lighting, benches, street trees, and detached sidewalks where possible.The Star Road Corridor District will also be located within the center of Star along its other main transportation corridor. With the widening of Star Road to five lanes beginning in 2029, the area will face additional traffic and limited access as properties redevelop. Like the State Street Corridor District, the plans prioritize public off-site parking, open green space, plazas, and street-scape amenities.Star neighbor Laurie Billaud said the community is ready for a gathering place of its own."Myself and everybody I talked to is really excited about it. We're looking forward to having a hub that we can go to as a community to be able to gather at," Billaud said.Billaud said she was especially drawn to the plan's nod to the city's history."I love that we're integrating historical things. I didn't know the Oregon Trail went through Star, so that's really exciting. So we're trying to get all different types of things and just make it beautiful and a great place for families to be able to go to," Billaud said.The City of Star will present its downtown revitalization plan in April. ...read more read less