Smart Growth News

Idaho

Economy Forces Blaine County, Idaho, Smart Growth Group to Disband

Hailey-based Citizens for Smart Growth (CSG) has announced it will close its doors at the end of the month because it is no longer financially sustainable. Instrumental in placing Blaine County on the national smart-growth map, and indispensable locally for its public-interest advocacy, planning expertise and other assistance, CSG has worked for ''vibrant communities in balance with nature'' since 1997.

For its final event, reports Idaho Mountain Express, the nonprofit chose a 40th Earth Day Anniversary presentation of the film Tapped, a documentary scrutinizing the bottled water industry. The April 22 event’s program includes a town-hall-style discussion after the screening.

On its website, CSG expresses pride in ''helping propel Blaine County into the 2025 planning process that brought together local citizens and planners to ask how and where the county should grow.'' The process showed residents in favor of keeping growth near cities to save sensitive lands, and led to updated or new ordinances and zoning changes. The Blaine County 2025 plan won a 2007 award from Boise-based Idaho Smart Growth. That statewide organization, led by Executive Director Rachel Winer and Co-executive Director for Special Projects Elaine Clegg, a Boise City Council member since 2003, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this November.

Learn more about Citizens for Smart Growth at www.citizensforsmartgrowth.org .   5/1/2010

Resource(s): http://www.mtexpress.com/

Idaho Town Raising Money for Town Square

In a mere two weeks, the town of Ketchum, Idaho, has raised more than half the money needed to start construction on a town square. A variety of donors contributed to the fund.

The new town square would be built on an area currently consisting of a 17-space parking lot. The plan is to tear up the pavement, with most of the square ending up as open space.

According to this article in the Idaho Statesmen the Ketchum town square would include a raised platform for performances, a fountain, fire pit, solar-powered lighting, trees, tables and benches. ''The plan is the canvas, the features are the frame,'' said Dale Bates, the projects design team leader. ''And it's up to the community to paint the picture.''   2/17/2010

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Experts Say Rapid Bus Service Is Best Transit Option for Treasure Valley

For decades Treasure Valley residents dreamed about commuter rail service on the 20-mile Union Pacific Railroad freight line from Boise west through downtown Meridian to Nampa, but now three national experts -- Boise-based Motive Power Vice President Mark Warner, American Heritage Railways Senior Vice President and CEO Jeffrey Jackson, and Urban Land Institute (ULI) Senior Resident Fellow Robert Dunphy -- advised attendees of a regional ULI transportation forum to focus on ''more realistic, less costly'' modern bus transit service.

The Motive Power vice president, his company the nation's top supplier of passenger train locomotives, reports Idaho Statesman writer Cynthia Sewell, gave the bluntest assessment of the area's chances to make high-speed commuter rail work.

With more than 40 road crossings between Boise and Nampa, he pointed out, frequent trains would increase safety and congestion risks. The tracks are rated for a top speed of 30 mph and would need upgrades for passenger service.

The line would have to be purchased or leased from Union Pacific or parallel right-of-way would have to be acquired; also, freight and commuter trains on the same tracks could cause schedule conflicts and delays.

Finally, construction of a new commuter rail line could cost some $400 million, as it did in Albuquerque, New Mexico, while the annual budget for the Valley's bus system is about $18 million.

Currently, observed American Heritage Railways CEO Jackson, only about 20 cities can afford commuter rail operation, while another 20 benefit from light rail.

In this context, ULI Senior Fellow Dunphy declared himself ''a big bus rapid transit supporter'' for Treasure Valley, with Idaho Smart Growth Executive Director Rachel Winer sharing the experts' views.

Given the Valley's scarce transit dollars, its first priority needs to be efficient and fast bus service, she said, stressing, ''Give people a taste of something that really works.'' -- Idaho Statesman   5/15/2009

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Sun Valley Planning Commission Rejects Triumph Area Land-Use Deal

Specialized in ''damaged'' land remediation, Chicago-Indianapolis-based DeNovo Properties involved the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and cultivated both the Idaho Conservation League and Citizens for Smart Growth in an effort to develop 15 home sites on 126 of its 848 hillside acres near Triumph -- a complex plan under which the company would leave 85 percent of the tract for conservation and recreation, an affiliate would clean up 28 acres contaminated by silver mine operations, and Sun Valley would put 428 acres on its future land-use map -- but the Sun Valley Planning and Zoning Commission voted 3-1 against this first step toward annexation.

''The main reason for denial was that the development was putting people in harm's way,'' said Commissioner Ken Herich, following strong objections by Sun Valley Fire Chief Jeff Carnes, Ketchum Ranger District Fire Office Bill Murphy, Idaho Department of Fish and Game biologist Mike McDonald, and many of nearly 100 residents in the audience.

With DeNovo planning the 15 home lots on slopes reaching up to a 25 percent grade, reports Ketchum Idaho Mountain Express writer Della Sentilles, officials and residents expected possible violations of Sun Valley ordinances that bar most development for 15 to 20 percent slope grades, and all development for 25 percent and steeper grades.

DeNovo development, they pointed out, would mean unreasonable response time for fire, medical emergency and police services.

Calling the area prone to wildfires, Chief Carnes noted that a canyon fire could reach the ridge within 20 minutes.

''You have a real dangerous situation there, and I don't know how you would mitigate that,'' he warned, with state biologist McDonald concerned about the homes' impact on year-round wildlife habitat.

''This is one of the last remaining and unfragmented pieces of habitat for winter elk,'' he observed. ''Development would reduce the quality and quantity of land, disrupt seasonal movements and migrations and displace wildlife.''

DeNovo co-founder and CEO Brian Pitkin, who wanted to launch the removal of toxic waste from 28 acres in mid-May and promised residents at an earlier open house air quality monitoring and native vegetation replanting, remains hopeful the Sun Valley City Council will accept his arguments.

''We are disappointed in the commission's recommendation,'' he said, ''but we certainly still look forward to presenting our plan and meeting with the council.'' -- Idaho Mountain Express   4/24/2009

Resource(s): www.mtexpress.com/

Water Issues Lead to Call for Timeout in Hailey Development Decisions

Having cautioned Hailey officials a year ago against sewer line extension beyond city limits as risky to ''development patterns, the environment and future city budgets,'' all of which deserve ''vigorous, informed, public discussion,'' Blaine County's Citizens for Smart Growth were told that no public hearing is needed because the matter doesn't fall under Idaho's Local Land Use Planning Act, but since the officials have recently admitted they may be unable to provide sewer service to three outside projects, Citizens for Smart Growth Executive Director Vanessa Crossgrove Fry has reiterated her group's points and joined an Idaho Mountain Express editorial call for ''a timeout'' in Hailey development decisions.

Hailey's mayor and council ''need to do some thinking about how to rectify the city's wastewater planning blunders without costing city taxpayers needles sums of money,'' the daily said last month, concerned over the promised hookups for a 72-home Peregrine Ranch, and a 117-home Spring Canyon Ranch and separate eldercare facility.

A newly obtained internal memo, the daily noted, reveals that city public works director Tom Hellen warned against sewer extension, while in the Peregrine Ranch case, ''heaven only knows what the city knew or didn't know before it agreed to a deal with the developer because it was crafted behind closed doors.''

The city, the daily continued, ''could find itself in violation of new Environmental Protection Agency standards governing how much treated waste it can discharge into the Big Wood River'' and may need ''to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant to the tune of $12 million.''

As it now faces an annexation request to enable construction of 378 more homes in Quigley Canyon, the daily said, ''Hailey needs to step back and get its act together before it costs taxpayers money they can ill afford or makes any more promises to developers that it cannot keep.''

Director Crossgrove Fry commended the stance in a letter to the editor.

Pledging her group's continued support for ''well-informed development decisions that build community and protect the land,'' she stressed, ''We will also continue to push for a fair and open public process when it comes to decisions, like extending city services, that clearly have far-retching ramifications.''-- Idaho Mountain Express   2/4/2009

Resource(s): www.mtexpress.com/

Judge Rejects Camas County Rezoning for Development; County Challenges Ruling

Having won his May 2007 suit against the Camas County Commissioners for violations of the Idaho Local Land Use Planning Act when they rezoned some 20,000 acres for development in rural areas, mostly far away from present infrastructure, Fairfield-based Martin Custom Homes owner George Martin said the December 3rd decision by District Court Judge Robert J. Elgee cracks the county's ''good-ole-boy politics'' and helps bring in ''smart growth,'' telling Ketchum Idaho Mountain Express writer Terry Smith, ''What I want is quality development that will pay for itself.''

Ruling that officials of the sparsely populated county -- 1,102 residents in 2007 -- failed to document their planning and zoning decisions properly, meet requirements for public hearings, and consider the prospective impact on the environment, the water table and county services -- while some also ''acted with a conflict of interest'' in rezoning specific tracts, the judge struck down the related ordinances and effectively nullified the massive farmland rezoning.

Nevertheless, the writer reports, Commission Chairman Ken Backstrom considers the planning and zoning ordinances still valid, claiming that Judge Elgee lost legal authority in the case on November 5th, when the county transferred it from his court to U.S. District Court in Boise because of civil-rights-abuse allegations included in the developer's lawsuit.

Thus the decision ''was not Judge Elgee's to make,'' he argued. ''I don't understand how he could make a ruling on that when it's been removed from his court.''

Judge Elgee, the writer notes, did not address the civil rights issue in his ruling, with Boise federal court personnel confirming acceptance of the case, without clarifying which parts of it would be heard.

The developer's attorney Christopher Simms pointed out that only civil rights questions belong to federal court, calling the attempt to restart the whole case there ''a reflection of the ongoing abuse of due process in Camas County.''

The developer thinks the county commission chairman is in ''ultimate denial,'' saying officials have hoped ''for some time that they would run me out of money and I'd have to quit.''

See the ruling details at www.GeorgeMartinJr.com/courtorder. -- Idaho Mountain Express   12/19/2008

Resource(s): www.mtexpress.com

Looking to Future, Kuna Seeks Quality Designs and Infrastructure Improvements

Its population almost doubled to some 12,000 residents in the past several years, Kuna, about 15 miles southwest of Boise, won't be ''the bedroom community to the Valley forever,'' said Mayor Scott Dowdy as the city asserts its authority, insists on equal treatment by the Ada County Highway District (ACHD), and toughens developer requirements, demanding the same quality designs that helped revitalize downtown Boise and Meridian, reports Idaho Statesman writer Joe Estrella, with Idaho Smart Growth Executive Director Rachel Winer calling downtown development ''a growing trend, especially in terms of quality.''

Applauding Kuna leaders for doing what Meridian, Napa and Boise did when their growth erupted years ago, Colliers International land group agent John Starr said ''good for them for saying that they want their design issues addressed and for demanding infrastructure improvements from ACHD.''

The dispute with ACHD involves the more than $1 million in impact fees the district collected from Kuna developers in the last two years.

Kuna City Planner Steven Hasson told the writer the city is not getting a ''fair share'' back.

''It is our belief these monies end up improving roads in Meridian,'' he observed. ''The city (Kuna) would have less difficulty with the exportation of impact fee funds if ACHD were to follow through with the paltry road projects proposed for Kuna.''

ACHD spokesman Craig Quintana responded that the district focuses on the areas of greatest growth -- northwest Meridian, Eagle and Star -- and that 86 percent of Kuna workers commute to jobs elsewhere, using other Treasure Valley roads more, but he promised investment of some $2 million in Kuna this fiscal year, plus $369,000 for its three sidewalk projects.

Developers are feeling Kuna's new resolve, too.

Holding developer Marty Pieroni to their 40-acre-subdivision agreement, the City Council denied his request to sell 20 of the 137 lots for homes smaller than 1,400 square feet.

The Kuna Design Review Committee forced another to redesign a 14,820-square-foot Walgreens, originally drawn up as a brick-like industrial structure rather than the brick-and-stucco one proposed for Eagle.

A prospective tire center will face similar scrutiny.

And in contrast to projects it approved before, the Planning and Zoning Commission will require a planned mixed-use subdivision with 1,499 units on 241 acres, to include open space and paths along creeks, which will help the city to devise a greenbelt system and parameters for neighborhood parks.

''Our attention to the overall project will be more rigorous,'' said planner Hasson. ''Not that we want to be business-unfriendly. But we want these developments to stand tall.'' -- Idaho Statesman   11/19/2008

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

No Public Transit Money in Gov. Otter's 2009 State Budget

One of only four states without ''a local or state dedicated source of funding for public transportation,'' Idaho simply cannot create a system ''that gets people where they need to go,'' writes Idaho Smart Growth Executive Director Rachel Winer in her group's online legislative update, pointing out that Republican Governor C.L. ''Butch'' Otter has focused on road money only as he drafts his 2009 transportation budget proposal, and urging Idahoans to make him aware that he should ensure funds for a multimodal network because they ''need choices -- not just roads.''

Specifically, she asks voters to continue their support for ''transportation alternatives,'' ''local-option taxation for public transit,'' and ''funding for transportation enhancement projects (which include bike and walking paths) for local communities as well as funding for multimodal projects.''

So far, more than 500 residents from across the state sent the governor letters and postcards, asking for more cost-effective and safe transportation options as crucial for their personal mobility, the state's quality of life and a clean environment.

The Ketchum SunValleyOnline cites three examples.

''We are in our 70s,'' wrote New Meadows residents Gwen and Earl Kimball, and ''public transportation would help us remain independent.''

Emmett resident Susan Ann Olson wrote, ''I am disabled and public transportation to Boise is critical for me. My daughters work seven days a week to make ends meet and it is difficult to hire someone to take me.''

And Victor resident Deneen Bowen wrote, ''I am about to be a new mother and I want places to be active with my daughter. I also want to leave her the healthiest Idaho I can.'' -- SunValleyOnline   10/9/2008

Resource(s): www.sunvalleyonline.com/ ; www.idahosmartgrowth.org/

Polls Show Blaine County Voters Are Ready to Pay for Open Space Preservation

Encouraged by January and July polls showing that despite the economic downturn, 63 and 65 percent of Blaine County voters are ready to pay $40 and $50, respectively, for open land and wildlife habitat preservation, a coalition of smart growth and conservation groups proposed a November ballot on a two-year property tax override -- which would cost an owner of a $436,000 median-price home $50 a year and raise $3.5 million -- an idea endorsed by an Idaho Mountain Express editorial, but the decision postponed by commissioners until their review of a tentative 2009 county budget on August 19.

The proposed county levy is modeled on a similar two-year tax Boise voters passed in 2001 to secure $10 million for land protection in the nearby Boise Foothills, reports Idaho Mountain Express writer Jason Kaufman, but Blaine commissioners are concerned about the 26 percent of July poll respondents unwilling to back the increase.

Many of them are struggling to stay in the county, observed Commissioner Larry Schoen, and in such circumstances each dollar may count.

The coalition -- Citizens for Smart Growth, Idaho Smart Growth, the Idaho Conservation League, the Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land and the Wood River Land Trust -- recognizes the concerns over the economy, but fears some fragile areas may be hurt or lost without prompt action, including an infusion of funds into the county's transfer of development rights (TDRs) program.

With developers already looking at undeveloped private tracts in the Little Wood River watershed north of Carey, a prime wildlife migration corridor, Citizens for Smart Growth spokeswoman Vanessa Crossgrove-Fry said, ''We might be priced out of doing conservation easements.''

An Idaho Mountain Express editorial tells commissioners to let voters decide on the proposed two-year land conservation levy.

''Putting the measure on the November ballot,'' the editorial points out, ''would give voters time to study and discuss who would spend the money, its effect on taxpayers and whether the uses of the levy justify passage relative to other county needs.'' -- Idaho Mountain Express   7/23/2008

Resource(s): www.mtexpress.com/

Idaho Smart Growth Director Says Compact Communities, Effective Public Transit Could Save Billions

Since trust in relief from gas prices and related hardships looks unrealistic, the need for ''more walkable, compact communities and a better transportation system'' is increasingly obvious, writes Idaho Smart Growth Executive Director Rachel Winer in a Boise Idaho Statesman reader opinion, pointing out that just 10 percent of such new housing nationwide would save households $220 billion over 10 years, and that Treasure Valley residents could already realize great transportation savings as a ValleyRide bus pass costs between $266 and $600 a year, while the annual cost of driving a single-occupancy vehicle ranges between $4,826 and $9,685.

Because Idaho is one of four states that lack dedicated state or local funds for public transportation, securing a local option for sales tax authority is critical, Director Winer stresses, also urging the public to support local businesses and downtown areas, and get involved in local planning decisions.

''Shopping where you live and work reduces the amount of miles you drive and reduces your bill at the gas pump,'' she observes. ''Learn about what smart growth is and find tools you can use to build vibrant communities at www.idahosmartgrowth.org.''

And for those considering a move, she advises calculating prospective transportation costs into home prices.

''Now that gas prices, and with them other household items such as food are rising, housing closer to existing cities and services can provide more of a savings,'' she explains. ''While the purchase cost of a home closer to existing cities remains higher, residents pay less in transportation costs because of their location closer to schools, jobs, shopping and public transportation. And the added bonus? The less time you spend in your car, the more time you get to spend with your family.'' -- Idaho Statesman   6/17/2008

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Cove Ranch Developer Files Suit for Records from Preservation Groups

Its permit application to cluster 308 homes on 600 acres of the 4,600-acre Cove Ranch five miles south of Bellevue in Blaine County unanimously denied by commissioners last October, local Cove Spring Development Inc. called the denial arbitrary, capricious and biased in a January suit against the county, and recently filed subpoenas for records from the Idaho Conservation League (ICL) on its wildlife protection efforts since 1999, and for files from the Hailey-based Citizens for Smart Growth group and from a former member of the planning and zoning board, with the ICL characterizing the subpoenas as scare tactics, and District Court Judge Robert Elgee suspending them until he rules on another motion in the case next month.

''This is a very broad fishing expedition way beyond anything relevant to Cove Springs,'' said ICL Central Idaho Director Linn Kincannon.

''We took it as a form of intimidation and harassment.''

According to the company's web site, about 3,800 acres of the ranch would be ''preserved for wildlife habitat, open space and a working ranch through permanent protection,'' with developers willing to set aside 22 lots for community housing and with the project earning a Gold mark on the Wood River Valley Smart Growth Scorecard -- 127.5 of the possible 150 points.

In a press release on the January suit, company president Steve Beevers complained that the county has refused three requests for mediation on the controversial issues and taken ''a political position'' against the project, while attorney Martin Flannes emphasized its intention ''to pursue major damages'' and ''to invalidate nine laws that the county has historically used and/or recently adopted as part of the Blaine County 2025 program as illegal leverage against developers.''

Before three public hearings last year, reports Twin Falls Times-News writer Matt Christensen on the recent subpoenas, the ICL sent postcards to its members expecting them to oppose the project as harmful to wildlife habitat and migration routes.

In a statement on the discovery request, the company president said ''ICL and others are free to communicate anything they want with the Blaine County Commission that are required by law in a public process to be in the public record and available to everyone,'' expressing surprise that ''ICL would want to conceal any communication made in a public process.''

With the company first proposing the development in 2004, the ICL considers the subpoena's reach back to 1999 spurious.

Its officials pointed out that the information the company seeks is in county's records and that the subpoena isn't narrowly tailored just for their correspondence with the county. -- Times-News   3/5/2008

Resource(s): www.magicvalley.com/ ; www.mtexpress.com

Post Falls Moving Quickly Toward Smart Growth

Either speed or resolve could be the middle name for Post Falls, a few miles west of Coeur d'Alene, as it moves toward smart growth, with several public sessions just a year ago now resulting in a SmartCode draft slated for City Council approval after December hearings, city staff scheduled to attend a national PlaceMakers best practice workshop, and a related consultant-guided city comprehensive plan update process expected to begin in January and end by the summer.

''The comprehensive plan guides growth; the SmartCode is an implementation strategy. They need to be consistent because they inform each other,'' pointed out city Community Development Director Alex Ifekuna, emphasizing the importance of a local sense of place.

''We need to add a number of new elements to the comprehensive plan to include SmartCode, new mobility elements that relate to both vehicular and pedestrian transportation, as well as address areas in which the city is projected to grow on the prairie.''

One of the code's aims, reports Coeur d'Alene Press writer Brian Walker, quoting from the text, is to ensure ''that a community will not have to scrutinize all proposed projects because, in the process that creates the code, what the community intends has already been specified.''

For example, the writer notes, a proposed mixed-use project in east Post Falls would include rosewalks, buffered by an equestrian trail, and homes with front porches on both sides of a pedestrian green.

Officials, said City Administrator Eric Keck, are anxious to implement the SmartCode ''to get the community moving in a different, more desirable direction.'' -- Coeur d'Alene Press   10/4/2007

Resource(s): www.cdapress.com/

Ada County Governments Form Alliance, Agree to Coordinate Land Use and Road Planning

Advised by the national Urban Land Institute, whose final growth-management and transportation recommendations for the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) are expected in mid-September, the district, the county and its six cities held their first growth summit, agreeing to form a cooperative alliance and begin to coordinate their land use and road planning.

So far, reports Boise Idaho Statesman writer Cynthia Sewell, the county and each city has separately followed its own carefully drawn comprehensive plan, but as their gradual development reaches outward, these plans may become dysfunctional at municipal boundaries.

For example, she writes, ''Nampa is bumping against Meridian; Eagle and Meridian have grown together; Kuna is preparing to expand north while Boise is preparing to expand south into almost the same area.''

The cumulative effects of the area's development threatens to overwhelm even those communities that are doing their best to manage growth.

''I could stop growing tomorrow and I will still be drowning'' under waves of heavy commuter traffic from other places, said Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd. ''They drive through me every day to and from work.''

Voicing their readiness for multi-jurisdictional growth-management partnership, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter and Garden City Mayor John Evans stressed that such an alliance cannot be just ''advisory,'' but must have ''real authority.''

With Mayor Bieter pointing out that the alliance should prioritize road projects for the ACHD and Eagle Mayor Nancy Merrill noting she and other members could offer the district good arguments for where and how it should spend its sparse funds, ACHD Commission President John Franden said that although the alliance has not yet been formalized, everybody at the table is already invited to look into the ACHD work on its road improvement plan for the next five years. -- Idaho Statesman   8/31/2007

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

State Offers Erosion Control Classes to Idaho Builders and Contractors

With the pace of development and polluted runoff up throughout northern Idaho, state environmental officials are offering the region's builders and contractors spring classes on curbing erosion from construction sites to protect its lakes and trout spawning beds.

''It upsets me when I drive by a site and it's not maintained. It upsets me as a taxpayer because we have to pay to clean it up,'' said CDF Landscape owner Tom Freeman, a certified erosion control expert, who helped organize the classes, funded by a federal grant.

Builders ''want to do the right thing, it's just a matter of knowing how,'' observed Coeur d'Alene Tribe's Lake Management Program specialist Rebecca Stevens.

Idaho Department of Environmental Quality official Glen Rothrock finds the classes highly popular, noting that all so far had waiting lists.

One of the recent participants, Priest Lake-based Sackett Excavation superintendent Joe Krizensky, said, ''We just want to be proactive. Customers don't want a company that's not doing the right thing.'' -- Idaho Statesman   4/16/2007

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Glut of High-End Homes Evident as Experts Tell Boise Builders to Focus on Affordable Houses

''You cannot have a work force live in Ada County if all they can afford is a Canyon County home,'' at least 12 miles west of central Boise, said local Colliers International expert John Starr at an Urban Land Institute conference in Boise, pointing to the area's glut of costly homes but stagnant household incomes, and urging builders to focus on affordable housing while being careful not to exceed urban service capacity.

Other speakers, writes Idaho Statesman reporter Cynthia Sewell, echoed the advice, stressing that incomes ''must go up, housing prices must come down and developers must build more affordable homes and fewer high-end homes.''

With a more than 40 percent residential permit drop in 2006, they expect even more of a slowdown this year.

''The market is going to punish you if you are building above $380,000 homes,'' warned Boise's Group One business development director Michael diVittorio, while some called for self-discipline to avoid oversupply.

This applies not only to Ada County, where 13 planned communities on 18,000 acres would include 72,000 homes, but also to downtown Boise, with about 2,000 condos in the pipeline.

''Be sure people want to live in planned communities,'' said Las Vegas-based LandBaron Investments founder Michael Chernine. ''Be sure people want to live above retail.''

As to the whole state, the experts think it can sustain the third highest growth rate nationwide through 2030, the reporter observes, ''provided key players -- developers, lenders, business and political leaders -- pay careful attention to the market.'' -- Idaho Statesman   3/21/2007

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Shift Toward Downtown Living Creates Boise Condo Boom

No longer a 9 to 5 destination, downtown Boise is experiencing a condo boom, with at least 520 units in 10 mid-rises being or about to be built and local Realtor Bryant Forrester, active in Idaho Smart Growth and the Urban Land Institute, crediting the ever stronger shift toward downtown living to baby boomers, young professional couples without children, and singles -- especially unmarried women, seen as ''a new major force in the housing market.''

The owner of Urban Concepts and a principal in Homeland Realty, Forrester describes these groups as culturally creative, reports Idaho Statesman writer Chereen Langrill, because they ''want the lifestyle, convenience and culture that living in a condo offers.''

One of the projects Homeland Realty is marketing, the $14 million Royal Plaza, will have street-level retail, second-floor parking, 26 condos on the next four floors -- priced between $494,950 to $1.2 million -- and a rooftop garden.

Its builder, R.S. Hosac President Bob Hosac, expects the retailers to stay open late and offer a variety of products and services. ''What we want is to keep people milling around,'' he says. ''We don't want people who will go home at 5.''

Among his early buyers are foothills resident Joan Allen, single and retired, and Eagle residents Brian and Jamie Champion, working and active, all three looking forward to urban amenities, social interaction and a sense of community.

''It's close to everything: my church, the place where I work out, my attorney, my bank, and Macy's,'' Joan Allen observes. ''And I can get out and walk.''

That's also what the Champions seek.

''It's a lifestyle change. Walking, riding bikes, less driving,'' points out Jamie, with Brian adding, ''All our activities are downtown.''

US Bank Vice President Rob Perez thinks downtown condo success reflects people's need ''to feel connected'' and participate. A typical condo buyer comment is ''My kids are grown, I'm ready to travel more, and you know what? I'm tired of mowing a lawn,'' the banker says, noting, ''At some point you realize, ''I don't need a yard with a swing-set and certainly don't need the commute.'' -- Idaho Statesman   2/15/2007

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Idaho Voters Reject Property Rights Initiative by Landslide

Idahoans chose millionaire Republican rancher Butch Otter over Democratic newspaper publisher Jerry Brady for governor by a 53 to 44 percent margin, but in a 76 percent landslide rejected property-rights Proposition 2 -- badly written, funded from the outside and called in a Boise Idaho Statesman election eve editorial ''a flawed, far-reaching trial lawyers' dream.''

The proposition was ''not about eminent domain,'' the editorial stated, pointing out that its first part's goal, to prohibit property condemnation for private economic development, was addressed by the legislature earlier this year in ''a nearly identical bill, without a single no vote.'' The second part's goal, to compensate owners for land use restrictions, is ''fair,'' the editorial said, because if private land is rezoned for public good, ''the public should share the cost,'' but the ''loose'' language would allow different interpretations and invite lawsuits. It would allow ''a landowner to recover legal expenses, win or lose,'' the editorial observes, quoting state Republican Senator Curt McKenzie, who noted, ''It wasn't written consistent with our other provisions in the code.''

The editors noted that they were split on the measure and didn't believe it was ''as bad as the critics allege,'' but they wrote ''when in doubt, a no vote makes the most sense'' and the right solution requires working together.

''Let's not sign onto an imported ballot measure promoted and bankrolled by New York real estate investor Howard Rich, who helped pay signature gatherers to put Prop 2 on the ballot,'' the editorial concluded. ''Idaho can use this momentum as an opportunity to craft common-sense legislation -- a balance that protects individual property rights and protects zoning laws that preserve neighborhood values.'' More than three-quarters of voters agreed. -- Idaho Statesman, Idaho Secretary of State   11/8/2006

Resource(s): www.sos.idaho.gov/online/enr/menu.jsp ; www.idahostatesman.com/

Rapid, Higher-Density Growth in Foothills at Root of Recall Motion for Rural Star's Mayor, Three Council Members

Troubled by erosion of the area's rural character and quality of life, Star Citizens for Smart Growth are campaigning for recall of Star Mayor Nathan Mitchell, Council President Chad Bell, Councilman Dustin Christopherson and Councilwoman Tammy McDaniel in this election, pointing out that the small city, some 15 miles northwest of central Boise, has grown from 725 residents to almost 4,600 since 1995, that officials approved 548 residential permits last year, and that developers continue grabbing open land near the Foothills.

The four facing recall ''would not listen to the public at all,'' says nearby resident Heidi Skerrat, one of the smart growth group founders. She and her sister Amy Church, reports Boise Idaho Statesman writer Katy Moeller, have spent much of the past several months studying the planning process, spurred to action by the Orion Park subdivision, whose three-home-per-acre zoning many residents consider too dense for that north Star area, fearing traffic, noise, and pollution.

''If you expand the core of higher-density (housing) into the Foothills,'' asks smart growth activist Jason Rowley, ''what rural character are you going to have left?''

On the other hand, some residents tell the writer that the recall has been instigated largely by ''anti-growth newcomers'' living on five-acre and 10-acre lots in unincorporated Ada County. ''My personal opinion of the whole thing is that these people . . . have not lived here long enough to have a say,'' says longtime Star resident Violet ''Vi'' Blake. ''What they are trying to do is to stop growth -- period.''

The targeted officials think much of the controversy stems from inconsistencies in and different interpretations of the city's comprehensive plan. ''It talks about maintaining a rural atmosphere but it also talks about developing at urban densities,'' explains Mayor Mitchell, a builder who has sold five houses since he took office in January 2004 and denies any conflict of interest. ''It's difficult at best to maintain a rural atmosphere in urban development.''

Councilman Christopherson calls zoning of two to three homes per acre near the Foothills ''pretty low density,'' declaring himself a strong believer in ''people's property rights'' and adding, ''And if they want to develop their property then they should be able to.''

Former Councilman Dennis Stegenga, himself a target of failed recall and defeated in the 2003 election, agrees that officials have to approve proposals that meet city ordinances and state rules. He opposes the current recall, but criticizes officials. ''They don't seem to come prepared to the council meetings,'' he observes. ''They don't seem to have questions. They don't understand state statutes.''

To help clarify the issues, the Star Chamber of Commerce invited the public to its November 2 forum, with the four officials promising to answer growth management and land use questions. Chamber Director Julia Fenwick says the chamber has no position on the recall, but Star Citizens for Smart Growth declined the invitation. ''It seems to be a program sponsored by people who are opposed to us in the first place,'' points out activist Jason Rowley. ''It seems like a set-up job.'' -- Idaho Statesman   10/27/2006

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

''Legal Logjam'' Expected if Voters Pass Idaho's Proposition 2

Forced on the November ballot by anti-tax and property rights activists funded mostly from out of state, and opposed by municipal leaders, planners and smart-growth advocates, Idaho's Proposition 2, which would curtail eminent domain and make governments compensate property owners for losses attributable to new land-use regulations, is expected to create ''a legal logjam,'' reports Boise Weekly writer Shea Anderson, quoting state Assistant Attorney General Brian Kane.

''There are a number of areas where you could have some significant and substantial litigation,'' he told a Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce forum, noting that if the proposition passes and is challenged in court, his office will have to defend the law.

Idaho Association of Cities attorney Nancy Strickland, whose organization will campaign against the measure, considers legal challenges unavoidable, partly because of its many vague terms and definitions.

Two Idaho candidates for Congress, the writer adds, Republican Bill Sali and United Party member Andy Hedden-Nicely, said they support the measure, while Democrat Larry Grant voiced his opposition.

Still, some supporters have legal concerns, too. ''I am not an attorney, but it doesn't take an exterminator to smell a rat,'' wrote Boise resident Michael J. Devitt in a letter to the Boise Idaho Statesman. He thanked anti-tax activist Laird Maxwell for his push to place ''eminent domain takings'' on the ballot, but fears someone is ''using the issue to pull a fast one on us to codify a pet project.''

The Idaho Constitution allows only one amendment per ballot and Proposition 2 violates this law by reaching beyond eminent domain and also calling for ''fair market value'' payments to those ''adversely'' affected by the creation of historic districts and/or land use regulations. ''No city/county,'' Devitt wrote, ''could designate historic districts, long-range planning and zoning or conservation districts without incurring prohibitive liabilities.''

Devitt doesn't believe the mix-up is accidental, noting that Laird Maxwell ''shares a building and a philosophy'' with vocal historic-district opponent Jim Auld. ''We are facing a bait-and-switch on an issue many feel passionate about,'' the resident warned. ''Prop.2 being thrown out due to this illegality will represent an injustice by invalidating the will of the voters, all because someone couldn't resist grinding a personal ax at our expense.'' -- Boise Weekly, Idaho Statesman   9/12/2006

Resource(s): www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/index ; www.idahostatesman.com/

Boise Becomes First Idaho City to Join U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement

''We can't do much about solar activity or volcanic eruptions, but we can take steps to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels,'' said Boise Democratic Mayor David Bieter, signing the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement to meet the Kyoto Protocols' target of 7 percent greenhouse-gas reduction from 1990 levels by 2012, his signature making Boise the first Idaho city on the signatory list and the 280th nationwide.

''Many of the steps we may take to reduce greenhouse emissions will also help our local air quality,'' the mayor stressed at the signing event in the almost completed downtown Banner Bank Building, the first building in Idaho and only the nineteenth in the world to win the platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Accompanied by Banner Bank Building partner Bill Beck and HDR Architects partner David Gibney, Mayor Bieter singled out the building as demonstrating increased private-sector recognition that energy efficiency is good both for the environment and business.

Among other steps already taken by local governments and businesses to improve the area's air quality, the mayor mentioned expansion of Boise's geothermal heating for downtown buildings, and the Blueprint for Good Growth and Communities in Motion planning efforts, which will reduce Treasure Valley traffic by a million vehicle miles a day within 20 years.

''This week's 'red alert' shows that we still face challenges in keeping the Treasure Valley's air breathable,'' he said. ''With this agreement, we also commit to doing our part to address the global issue of climate change.''   8/16/2006

Resource(s): www.cityofboise.org/

Boise's Banner Bank Building Expected to Receive LEED® Platinum Status; Developer States Costs Similar to Standard Construction

Distinctive for its white reflective roof, water reclamation system, computer-controlled lighting and other conservation-oriented features, the new 11-story Banner Bank Building in downtown Boise is expected to become the 19th worldwide to earn the platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, with local developer Gary Christensen calling his roughly $20 million investment similar to standard construction costs and pointing out that others ''talk about it costing more to build a green building, but they are just not pushing more to find the cost savings.''

Green Building Council's Idaho chapter head Bruce Poe expressed hope other developers will now realize that ''it can be done.''

Among the eight firms and institutions that have already moved in is the Nature Conservancy's Boise chapter, reports Idaho Statesman writer Melissa McGrath, quoting its conservation program director Lou Lunte, who said, ''Creating a building that is energy-efficient and sustainable with the environment really supports one of our essential values as a conservation organization.''

The building's efficiency features will save tenants money, the writer observes, noting that its water reclamation system captures both rainwater and excess water for reuse, while all the lighting is controlled from the tenants' computers and can be shut off automatically at a preset time or when they leave an office.

''From the conservation standpoint, that's probably the biggest thing we've done,'' said Gary Christensen, expecting the building to save enough energy to power a subdivision of 60 homes. -- Idaho Statesman   7/12/2006

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

After Federal Funds for Redevelopment Dry Up, Caldwell Officials Turn to Local Resources for Smart Growth Project

Crucial for Caldwell's ongoing revitalization, a plan to raze seven downtown buildings that cover Indian Creek, make the area walkable and the creek focal for new apartments, offices, stores and a city hall complex reached a mid-point with $1.2 million in federal funds spent on Corps of Engineers' study, design and engineering of the project, but with another $3.5 million promised for construction lost to post-Katrina and Iraq War spending, reports Idaho Statesman writer Sandra Forester, noting that city officials had to delay other projects for a few years to launch the demolition and construction work as scheduled, during the Indian Creek Festival in September.

Determined to start and finish the work on time so the stream would be uncovered for the 2007 festival, Mayor Garret Nancolas said the cost will be covered by short-term bank loans and the Caldwell East Urban Renewal Agency, which will also pay off the loans.

A dozen local and regional investors have already discussed redevelopment ideas with Caldwell planners, said city redevelopment coordinator Dennis Cannon, noting, ''There's a lot of interest.''

With officials expecting the creek project to draw some $40 million to $50 million in private investments over the next 10 years, local longtime business owner Bob Carpenter stressed the need for mixed uses and implementation of other smart growth principles. ''The key to success is going to be leadership and project management,'' he said. ''It's enormously important now more than ever.'' -- Idaho Statesman   7/2/2006

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Star City Activists Urge City Council to Adopt Annexation, Construction Moratorium

Increasingly confident that local activism can make a difference, Star Citizens for Smart Growth have recently urged the Star City Council to adopt an annexation and construction moratorium and have now moved to recall Mayor Nathan Mitchell, Council President Chad Bell and two of the other three council members -- Tammy McDaniel and Dustin Christopherson -- for dereliction of their duty to protect this rural community, some 15 miles from downtown Boise, from rapid development.

''They have neglected the welfare of the people of Star by failing to follow the city comprehensive plan,'' said smart-growth activist Pam Laverett. ''They're acting (as) if it doesn't even exist.''

Her group has enough signatures to start the official process and needs 20 percent of the number of votes cast in the last city election to force a recall vote.

At the same time, the Island Woods Homeowners Association in Eagle, just eight miles form central Boise, warned it will sue the city and Mayor Nancy Merrill if they don't ask the Army Corps of Engineers for a permit to reduce the Boise River South Channel's water flow, which exposes the neighborhood to flood risks. City attorney Bruce M. Smith called the possible suit ''frivolous and baseless,'' telling the association in a letter that the city has no ''jurisdiction or authority to alter flows in the Boise River'' in an area outside its limits.

Another 15 miles west, residents of Steunenberg Residential Historic District in central Caldwell, one of Idaho's most intact historic neighborhoods, took advantage of the designation to renovate and enhance many of the 330 homes, built mainly between the late 1800s and the late 1930s. ''The district has improved the neighborhood,'' pointed out resident Billy Braun. ''It's really great to see everybody doing their part.''

District vice president Chuck Randolph is glad of the neighborhood's attention to its appearance. ''There's an increasing awareness that something's happening,'' he said, ''and it supports investment in the area.'' -- Idaho Stateman   5/18/2006

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Boise School Officials Outline Plan to Replace Small Downtown Schools With Larger Facilities Near City Park

Grateful for a 70-percent voter approval for a $94 million school improvement bond two months ago, the Boise School District is now seeking public input on its general plans, starting with a proposal to close four elementary schools with a total of 1,500 students on Boise Bench, a dense city section elevated 60 feet just south of downtown, and build two slightly larger buildings, each with a 550-student capacity and easily accessible on foot, including one next to the nine-acre city-owned Borah Park.

District officials, reports Boise Idaho Statesman writer Cynthia Sewell, told a Borah Neighborhood Association meeting that 400 students will go to nearby schools and two of the four old school sites will be redeveloped, probably by the district, which is also partnering with the city to create a school/community center in the building projected for the small 4.6-acre site adjacent to Borah Park.

''If we can't get Borah Park squared away,'' said District Superintendent Stan Olson, ''we will go back to our back-up site,'' an 8.5-acre parcel a few blocks away, already owned by the district.

Some neighbors questioned why the district wants to buy just 4.6 acres while elementary schools usually have 10 acres, but Deputy Superintendent Vickie Simmons pointed out that although small, the site lies both in the center of the community and next to the park, which would increase students' opportunity to walk and make the neighborhood more vibrant. -- Idaho Statesman   5/18/2006

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Blaine County Growth Plan Draws Heavy Criticism at First Planning and Zoning Commission Hearing

Launched by the Blaine County Commission in January 2005, the process of planning growth until 2025 has broad public support, with the majority telling national Clarion Associates consultants and local planners over the past year that the county should concentrate denser development near cities, preserve open space and protect natural resources, but their four proposed zoning ordinances drew heavy criticism at the first Planning and Zoning Commission hearing, with many attendees decrying potential violation of private property rights, considering the objectives unclear or calling the draft too hasty.

Several land owners claimed some local downzoning would bar subdividing and hurt their property values, reports Idaho Mountain Express writer Steve Benson, quoting Hailey resident Dennis Kavanagh, who warned officials, ''Prepare yourself for a massive barrage of legal action.''

Ketchum resident Mickey Garcia, who seeks a county commission seat, condemned the whole process. ''It's based on paranoia,'' he argued. ''You're taking people's property rights.''

The charges weren't left unanswered. Irritated by ''a lot of nonsense,'' rancher John Stevenson pointed out that the ordinances do protect rural land from random development. ''If you want to get rid of agriculture, put a subdivision next door,'' he said. ''If you want to see ranch values go down, put a subdivision next door.''

Hailey Planning and Zoning Commission member Trent Jones, an international ranch real estate firm professional, explained that downzoning would actually boost property values in the long run, but with confusion and concerns abounding, another county commission candidate, Bellevue resident Jim Super, called the ordinances flawed and suggested a ''timeout,'' to make improvements and reassert the planning goals.

To help shape a consensus, former county commissioner Len Harlig formed a broad-based Whole Communities group, which brings together consultants and residents, along with the Wood River Land Trust, the Environmental Resource Center, the Blaine Ketchum Housing Authority, Advocates for Real Community Housing, Wood River Rideshare, Developing Green and Citizens for Smart Growth. -- Idaho Mountain Express   4/14/2006

Resource(s): www.mtexpress.com/index2.php

Boise-Ada County Growth Controversy Continues as City, County Leaders Take Debate to Local Paper

The grievous Boise-Ada County controversy over growth areas has escalated another notch, with City Councilman Alan Shealy recently taking issue with an Idaho Statesman editorial against the city's request for judicial review of the county's approval of the 684-home Avimor planned community on 830 acres in the northern Foothills, and County Planning and Development Services director Gerry Armstrong subsequently blaming him for ''a mischaracterization to invoke fear.''

In his March 25 guest opinion, Councilman Shealy warned readers that ''Avimor would be an unfair burden to the rest of us,'' saying the Statesman ''just doesn't get it'' that the project ''is a poster child for the increased tax burden that all of the citizens of the Treasure Valley will bear when disconnected ''planned'' communities are plopped down far from existing municipal services such as police and fire protection, sewer, water, schools and transportation.''

Citing the mixed-use Hidden Springs project outside city limits, also ''touted as a 'self-sufficient' planned community'' almost 10 years ago, the councilman wrote that such outer communities need many years to reach self-sufficiency, and until then their residents remain ''nomads'' who drive elsewhere to work, shops, parks, and similar urban amenities, paying no maintenance or support taxes, but polluting the air and leaving others ''holding the bag'' of higher taxes to subsidize the uses.

Mayor Dave Bieter and the City Council, he wrote, support planned communities ''that are contiguous to city boundaries, that deliver what they promise, and that minimize stresses that produce higher taxes for us all.''

In his April 5 riposte, county planning and development director Armstrong argued that the county's planned community ordinance ''is far more restrictive than any current Boise subdivision ordinance,'' and that developers of such communities must pay not only for their water, sewer and utility systems, arterial road improvements, streets and sidewalks, but also ''for law enforcement and ambulance services up front until the community's tax base covers the cost.''

He advised Councilman Shealy to read two separate Avimor economic feasibility studies, whose authors concluded that the project won't hurt but rather will enhance the area's economy and tax structure. He also noted that according to statistics, the average Boise subdivision generates 10 to 13 car trips per day, while a planned community, ''because of its commercial, recreational and service offerings, typically only generates three to five car trips a day.''

Asking why Boise's subdivision ordinance doesn't require developers to provide everything that the county ordinance demands, the director concluded: ''Denying a development when it meets all conditions, simply because another city doesn't like it, sends us down the very rocky road of infringing on private property rights -- a journey I think many Idahoans aren't willing to take.'' -- Idaho Statesman   4/5/2006

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Boise Acts to Channel Future Growth to South; Developer Outlines Plans for 15,000 Mixed-Use Boom Community

Concerned over large projects planned in unincorporated Ada County north and east of Boise, Mayor Dave Bieter and the City Council will channel future growth south, toward the Micron computer plant, the mayor saying, ''Ecologically and geographically, the southeast in particular is tailor-made for development,'' and Councilwoman Elaine Clegg, also Idaho SmartGrowth director, noting that the city ''has been really promoting infill,'' but with little vacant space left, it's ''a good time'' to consider expansion.

Vision First company officials agree, reports Idaho Statesman writer Cynthia Sewell, quoting its senior partner and CEO Randy Clarno, who said, ''When we looked at future growth patterns of the Treasure Valley, a lot of the demand is going to the south.'' The area has good roads, a train line, and jobs nearby, he observed, glad that new housing won't require sacrificing farmland.

Accordingly, Vision First is already envisioning a 1,440-acre planned community on sagebrush land some five miles south of Boise Airport, while the city is annexing 2,231 acres for airport expansion and talking with five developers who control another 15,000 acres about prospects for creating a mixed-use boom community named South Boise. His city would ''provide services and make their development easier to accomplish,'' said Mayor Bieter, with the writer noting that Boise has recently installed oversized sewer pipes south of I-84, that its planners have drafted a flexible ordinance covering small and large planned communities and other mixed-use projects, that they may prepare a ''sub-area'' blueprint for growth, and that Blacks Creek Reservoir could become a county or state park.

But the greatest enticement for growth in the south may be the city-owned train corridor. ''That's a huge part of why this area is suitable for development,'' stressed Councilwoman Clegg. ''We already own an expensive piece of infrastructure that could provide us with alternative transportation.'' -- Idaho Statesman   3/25/2006

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Boise Faces Additional Court Challenge Over Impact-Area Boundary

Much about Boise outskirt's development may be ultimately decided in court, with the city asking earlier this month for judicial review of the unanimous Ada County approval of SunCor's 684-home Avimor community on 830 acres in the northeastern Foothills, the company filling a motion to dismiss the appeal, and now Skyline Development Co. requesting a similar review of the city's plan to expand its eastern impact-area boundary, which would include a 700-acre county tract where the company wants to build the planned Cliffs community of up to 1,400 homes.

Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, reported Idaho Statesman wrier Cynthia Sewell, thought county commissioners made up their minds about Avimor in advance instead of reviewing the project on its merits, a charge Commissioner Fred Tilman denied.

''Bieter publicly chastised us over Avimor from the beginning,'' he added, ''and you never saw any of us respond to any of his allegations because of the appearance of impropriety.''

SunCor and Skyline responded to Boise growth-management efforts in a similar vein. SunCor Idaho's general manager Bob Tauton declared, ''We have moved for dismissal because Boise lacks standing and authority to appeal the land-use decisions of other municipalities.''

Skyline vice president and Cliffs project manager Tucker Johnson called the city's impact-area expansion plan flawed. ''Boise officials have stated their intent in expanding the area of impact is to prevent the Cliffs from being built,'' he asserted. ''If they're going to use the area of impact process as a way to control growth outside their city limits, they have a responsibility to follow the law.''

The city, said mayoral spokesman Michael Zuzel, is confident of its stance in both cases. -- Idaho Statesman   3/24/2006

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Editorial: Boise's Lawsuit Against Ada County Undercuts Intergovernmental Cooperation

As its development pressures mount, the Treasure Valley ''needs good planning and effective cooperation,'' says an Idaho Statesman editorial on the protracted conflict between Boise and Ada County over SunCor's now-approved 830-acre mixed-use Avimor community in the unincorporated northern Foothills, agreeing with the city's vision of orderly growth in service areas to limit sprawl and pollution, but not with taking the county to court.

The editorial opposes the move for three reasons. It's true that the county ignored several city requests to put off the projects until the regional Blueprint for Growth study is done, but neither Boise nor any other participating jurisdiction adopted a development moratorium for that period and the county ''could not single out SunCor for delay without risking a property-rights lawsuit.''

Similarly, the city's efforts to guide growth southwest toward the airport make sense, but ''some people don't want to live by the airport'' and ''want to live in the Foothills.''

What's more, the legal action ''is contrary to the spirit of intergovernmental cooperation,'' with the city of Star quickly withdrawing from the countywide growth planning study.

Mayor Dave Bieter complains that the city subsidizes the county by paying some $8 million more a year for highways than it gets in return, the editorial notes, quoting him as saying, ''We're already footing the bill for the good life for somebody out in the toolies (the backwoods).''

On the other side, county officials insist that Avimor will generate more tax revenue than it costs in services, and that the city tries to dominate the development process.

One way or another, the editorial observes, the suit undercuts ''good will'' and the search for mutual understanding. ''Boise officials need to continue making their case on the economics and the potential impacts of county growth,'' the editorial concludes. ''But effective regional planning requires working well with others. This process belongs at a bargaining table and not in a courtroom.'' -- Idaho Statesman   3/13/2006

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Boise Officials Say Ada County Mixed-Used Development Is ''Good Project in a Bad Place''; Seek Court Review for Code, Land-Use Requirements

Firmly against leapfrog development on its rural fringes but unable to persuade Ada County that even the best designed project is burdensome if located away from services, Boise petitioned the 4th District Court to review the county's approval for the 830-acre mixed-use Avimor community, planned by Arizona-based SunCor in the Foothills some 10 miles north of Boise, with Mayor Dave Bieter saying, ''Avimor is a good project in a bad place.''

The first phase of SunCor's 26,000-acre Spring Valley Ranch development, envisioned in partnership with the McLeod family landowners, reports Boise Idaho Statesman writer Cynthia Sewell, the Avimor community will feature 684 homes and 75,000 square feet of commercial and public buildings, with about 60 percent of the land kept as open space, including 20 acres of parks and playfields, and nine miles of public trails.

Still, Boise leaders voiced concerns about its location ''at every step of the process,'' noted Mayor Bieter, who last year asked the county to delay development decisions until its regional land-use Blueprint for Good Growth is completed.

The mayor pointed out that an area some 10 miles southeast of Boise, near Micron facilities, would be a much better location for a large planned community, because it has freeway access, water and sewer services, and jobs nearby.

''Ecologically and geographically,'' the mayor said, ''Southeast in particular is tailor-made for development.''

Consequently, the city wants a judge to decide whether the county's approval for Avimor meets its code and state land-use planning act requirements or whether it was predetermined and should be send back for reconsideration. -- Idaho Statesman   3/9/2006

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Rapidly Growing McCall Hopes to Keep Sense of Place With Help from EPA's Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Program

Set at the southern end of Payette Lake amid pristine Rocky Mountain forests, the tranquil town of McCall has been ''discovered'' and ''overwhelmed'' by residential growth -- its population almost doubled to over 2,500 since 2000, investors eager to buy land as a best bet, and retired baby boomers on the look for second homes, which already make up 60 percent of local stock, an increasingly complex challenge officials expect to handle efficiently thanks to help from EPA's Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Program.

One of five municipalities selected for the program's 2005 round, reports Associated Press writer Anne Wallace Allen, McCall hosted an EPA team of national experts for several days this fall, with officials and residents as encouraged by new economic opportunities as determined to protect the town's charm and their sense of place.

A key concern is affordable housing. Observing that its home prices doubled last year and anything below $200,000 is hard to find, while the average family income is $50,000, city planner Roger Millar said, ''We would offer people jobs, they'd meet with a Realtor, and they'd turn us down.''

Restaurant owner Tim Garber noted that construction workers brought in a lot of business, but at the some time some his employees ''had to leave town to find housing.''

EPA consultants addressed these and other concerns. They advised the town to promote high-density housing and offices near the town center, expand pedestrian and bike trails, spruce up stores and add good restaurants, protect natural resources, and preserve a large pasture as a buffer against the spread of construction into the countryside.

Having attracted some 150 residents to their sessions, they also helped them visualize how the town will look once it implements its recent zoning and subdivision rule updates. The sessions ''gave the citizens a vocabulary'' they needed, said planner Millar, pointing out that people ''know what they want,'' but not always how to express it.

''The idea that EPA helped us articulate,'' he added, ''is that we'd like the town to end, and the country to start, and to have a there, there.''   12/25/2005

Resource(s): www.casperstartribune.net/

Former Editor, Development Team Receive Wood River Valley Smart Growth Awards

Having based the Wood River Valley Smart Growth Scorecard for new projects on the 10 EPA smart growth principles, the area's Citizens for Smart Growth group gave its 2005 Roundtable Award to former Ketchum weekly newspaper editor Sally Donart for her long-standing advocacy of better development, and the Keystone Award to Clear Creek LLC for design and architecture of its dense 126-home Quail Creek subdivision, with 39 small single-family homes made affordable and undistinguishable among market-rate ones.

The Roundtable Award is named after the 1970 era's Wood River Roundtable discussion group led by the late Jim Donart and Ketchum architect Dick Meyer, reports Hailey Wood River Journal writer Susan Bailey, quoting Citizens for Smart Growth executive director Christopher Simms.

''In many ways, the Wood River Roundtable was the precursor of Smart Growth,'' he pointed out. ''People have been wrestling with these issues a long time.''

He also noted that he and his colleague Aaron Domini talk to developers about EPA smart growth principles before their projects reach planning and zoning staff, ''and many are making the changes we suggest.''

Accepting the Keystone Award on behalf of his Clear Creek partners Ed Lawson and George Kirk, developer Bob Kantor emphasized the value of such advice. ''We've created housing for people of disparate economic needs,'' he said. ''The principle of how to condense a community was something of immense importance to us. Essential service providers such as doctors, nurses, teachers, and firefighters needed to have a place close to their work. They were our targets.''

Then he added. ''It is not us that really deserves this award, it is everyone who supported us, even the neighbors who didn't at first support us and told us to change.'' -- Wood River Journal   12/12/2005

Resource(s): www.magicvalley.com/

Proposed New Schools for Low-Income Boise Neighborhoods Would Double as Community Centers

If Boise voters pass a $94 million school improvement bond in February, the Boise School District will replace four old elementary schools with two new ones in largely stagnant low-income neighborhoods, where about 2,000 kids live within one mile of the proposed buildings, each of which would double as a community center offering recreation programs and free city-run after-school care -- such funding seen by local parent Michelle Young as a ''good investment.''

Aside from the school bond, reports The Idaho Statesman, the city will also ask residents to approve three new branch libraries with community centers, which would increase the number of new centers in these neighborhoods to five within five years, a prospect Boise Mayor Dave Bieter lauds as a ''huge step forward'' and a much needed example of the partnership between the city and its school district.

Though still rare, similar city-school partnerships are on the rise, says Ohio-based DeJong and Associates consultant and Boise project director Tracy Richter, pointing out that they offer a ''better bang for the dollar'' for everybody.

Boise illustrates the win-win logic. The city would get recreation space it couldn't afford to construct and the schools would earn money for city use of the space, while saving on parking through access to nearby city-owned lots. The 2,000 children in walking distance of the proposed schools would have a place to go after school and could enjoy city recreation programs now located mostly downtown, out of their reach.

Two new school gyms, adds Boise superintendent of recreation Doug Holloway, would also be welcome in a community where indoor recreational space is tight. School District Deputy Superintendent Vickie Simmons stresses that the project would give ''something back to the taxpayers who support'' city schools. -- The Idaho Statesman   11/21/2005

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Harris Ranch Developers Seek Permission to Resume Construction Before Submitting Traffic and Wildlife Mitigation Plans

Abandoned by developers in May 2003, after they reached the 419-home cap for the initial phase of their 3,125-home, mixed-use Harris Ranch project on 1,700 rural acres east of Boise -- the rest contingent on fulfilling their responsibility to pay Boise and Ada County for the East ParkCenter Bridge, which must be built due to the projected traffic increase -- the development may eventually move forward, with developers agreeing to cover the $10.8 million bridge costs through impact fees, announcing two plan updates, and promising a new detailed project-phase plan no later than December 2006.

Nevertheless, they intend to seek permission for resuming construction earlier, reports Idaho Statesman writer Cynthia Sewell, noting that the two plan updates oblige them to complete a wildlife mitigation blueprint by next July and to hold a three-day ''charette'' on the project phasing plan.

According to changes approved by the city planning and zoning commission at a recent hearing, Harris Ranch developers must ''demonstrate or implement'' traffic and wildlife mitigation plans to get any construction permit, and proposed development must ''not affect or involve unresolved master plan issues, including school and park sites, pathways or greenbelt location.''

About 70 hearing participants, the writer observes, urged planners to keep all conditions for the project, which also includes 1.5 million square feet of office and commercial space. ''If there was ever a time for intelligent design, it is now,'' said Riverland East Neighborhood Association president Pete White. ''Because we will need divine intervention to fix it (Harris Ranch) later if we do it wrong.'' -- Idaho Statesman   8/30/2005

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Grow Smart Awards to Promote Success of Smart Growth Projects in Idaho

To make more Idaho residents and developers aware of smart growth's attractiveness and profitability by showing them examples from their own state, Boise-based Idaho Smart Growth is inviting nominations for its newly established Grow Smart awards, which will honor agencies and developers for having planned, launched or completed projects that reflect the movement's principles and get top marks on the group's scorecard, with Idaho Smart Growth co-director Jon Barrett saying several developers have asked for such grades in the past months and ''(t)hey all want the smart growth seal of approval.''

The awards, reports the Boise Idaho Business Review, will be given for accomplishments in several development categories, including mixed-use, residential, commercial or industrial, infill and others, and separately for public policy and planning, and for smart growth advocacy or leadership, with a September 15 nomination deadline and winners announced in the fall.

Evaluating submissions, the magazine says, a broad-based award jury will consider how well they advance the following smart growth principles [bullets changed to numbers]:

1. making fair, predictable and cost-effective development decisions that allow citizens to voice concerns about development;
2. creating a range of housing types that people with different income levels can afford;
3. providing a variety of transportation options, including walking, biking, driving and transit;
4. creating 'walkable,' mixed-use neighborhoods with daily needs close to all residents;
5. fostering distinctive communities with quality architecture, historical character and a sense of place, where chain stores must adapt to local designs;
6. putting jobs and schools within everyone's reach;
7. strengthening existing communities, and direct development towards them, instead of allowing sprawl;
8. preserving open space, parks and farmland; and
9. planning infrastructure, schools and public services efficiently.

Details at www.idahossmartgrowth.org -- Idaho Business Review   8/29/2005

Resource(s): www.idahobusiness.net/

Robust Economy in Rocky Mountain States Brings Challenge of Managing New Growth

As the Rocky Mountain West economy regained its strength, bringing in people and firms attracted by the great outdoors, the high quality of life and relatively low costs of living, Idaho reached an annual record of 4.1 percent job growth this June -- while other mountain states also grew jobs at nearly twice the national rate of 1.5 percent last year -- and Boise doesn't worry about a housing bubble feared in many big cities elsewhere, reports Christian Science Monitor writer Mark Trumbull, quoting Idaho Association of Realtors official John Eaton, who calls the area's fast home-price increases ''sustainable.''

New housing projects are intruding into Boise's sagebrush foothills and Nampa cornfields, some 18 miles west, but the mountain states' new economy, increasingly service-based and focused on technology, education, health care, architecture and similar sectors, the writer observes, is becoming ''less vulnerable to boom-boost cycles that have often characterized the region's mining, ranching, and agriculture.''

Experts confirm these economic and migration trends. ''In the next 20 or 30 years, the mountain range and the Gulf Coast will be the two big growth areas,'' predicts New America Foundation researcher Joel Kotkin. ''You'll see more growth in the second- and third-tier cities.''

Boise resident Laurel Carignan says she and her husband left Chicago five years ago because they ''wanted to live where we liked to vacation,'' adding that every day she meets those who moved for similar reasons from California, Nevada and the Midwest. Indeed, today's workers ''are gravitating toward places of their choosing,'' notes University of Montana economist Larry Swanson.

In this context, the region's greatest challenge may be managing the growth, ''preserving its scenic beauty and sharing increasingly scarce water,'' the writer concludes, quoting the economist again. ''If you come here in 16 years,'' he says, ''the places you'll want to go will be the places that managed it right. Some will and some won't.'' -- Christian Science Monitor   8/23/2005

Resource(s): www.csmonitor.com/

Editorial Urges Ada County Citizens to Speak Out on Controversial Projects at Public Hearings

As Ada County enters the crucial phase of a growth-management process that will determine its long-term character and quality of life, with two controversial projects in the county and one in Boise coming up for public hearings in a single week, ordinary citizens can make a difference, stresses The Idaho Statesman, encouraging readers to ''take a cue'' from Eagle resident John Petrovsky, who had already influenced the local power equation by forming the North Ada County Foothills Association (NACFA) two years ago and launching its informational web site last month.

''The average citizen believes the public process useless and that deals are already made,'' he says. ''When that happens, the citizen has to take it to the next level and scream to be heard.''

His group, the daily points out, had sought a development moratorium and a comprehensive plan update, and now the county wants it to help draw up a specific Foothills neighborhood plan as part of the comprehensive plan's update expected by next June.

Ahead of that, in February, the county will release its Blueprint for Good Growth, which will recommend uniform zoning terms for all local governments and outline areas targeted for growth.

With Boise and Meridian mayors worried about future traffic increases and municipal ability to expand services through outer areas, one of the key questions is whether growth ''should occur in scattered planned communities,'' like some currently projected, or ''should it be concentrated nearer cities,'' the daily notes, concluding, ''The county's six cities must make their needs known, but ordinary citizens should speak up too.'' -- The Idaho Statesman   8/16/2005

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

As Home Prices Rise, Blaine County Modifies Industrial District Zoning to Encourage Affordable Housing

With the gradual increase of home prices throughout the Wood River Valley partly attributable to outside buyers, who consider resort investment safer than the stock market, Blaine County sees more workers moving to adjacent counties and businesses fear this may hinder their expansion, a problem the Ketchum City Council hopes to mitigate by opening the city Light Industrial district's LI-3 zone to housing -- 33 percent of its square-footage deed-restricted as affordable.

This would help the city keep Scott USA, the internationally known producer of ski, mountain bike and other sports equipment, reports Idaho Mountain Express writer Rebecca Meany. ''Scott is an institution in this town,'' said Council President Randy Hall, ''It'd be terrible to lose them.''

A mixed-use LI-3 zone project, proposed by Ketchum-based Wilson Construction owner, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) President Dave Wilson, would include community housing, some of which could be reserved for local workers.

Blaine County Citizens for Smart Growth executive director Christopher Simms supports the proposed LI-3 zone amendments, telling the council, ''Smart Growth promotes the idea of mixed uses and that's what this would do.''

Later that week, the group's community planner, Aaron Domini, and other affordable housing advocates, reports Twin Falls Times-News writer Karin Kowalski, stressed the urgent need for more workforce units at a series of area public events. With the Blaine/Ketchum Housing Authority having only 22 affordable units, but about 250 applications, authority director Michael David estimated it would need more than 1,000 units to meet the demand.

County Commission Chairwoman Sarah Michael pointed out that the extension of a subdivision moratorium until July 2006 will let commissioners enact mandatory affordable housing ordinances. -- Idaho Mountain Express, The Times-News   6/24/2005

Resource(s): www.mtexpress.com/ ; www.magicvalley.com/home/

Citizens for Smart Growth Want to Monitor Impact That Big Boxes Have on Wood River Valley Communities

With big-box retailers posing environmental, aesthetic and economic problems for Blaine County and the entire Wood River Valley, local smart growth advocates expect Bellevue's new mega-store ordinance to set not only size caps, parking standards and strict design reviews, but also require an independent study to determine project ramifications, including those for ''main street economic activity.''

The Citizens for Smart Growth group, write its executive director Christopher Simms and community planner Aaron Domini in their Idaho Mountain Express guest opinion, ''does not argue that we should stop all big-box developments, or stop shopping at big-box retailers.'' Instead, it's demanding full evaluation of all impacts ''big-box retailers may have on our regional community and economy including traffic congestion, loss of open space and farmland, displaced small businesses, loss of community identity, impact on municipal services (fire and police), job loss, and the impacts on local tax revenue, before making a decision.''

Focusing on economic factors, the authors cite research data. In November 1993, The Wall Street Journal reported that ''Wal-Mart cuts prices long enough to weaken competition, then raises them,'' they write, observing, ''The biggest myth is that big-box retailers bring jobs.'' A National Trust for Historic Preservation study found that ''each dollar of sales at big-box retailers generate less employment than each dollar of sales at local retailers.''

A Tischler & Associates study showed that ''for every two jobs created by a big-store retailer, the community loses three as a result of local retailers going out of business,'' and that ''big-box retailers generate a net annual deficit of $468 per 1,000 square feet versus a net annual return of $326 per 1,000 square feet produced by small specialty retail.''

A Civic Economics study revealed that ''$100 spent at a large-scale retail chain creates only $13 worth of local economic activity, whereas the same $100 spent at a locally owned store generates $45 worth of local economic activity.''

The examples abound, the authors note, stressing, ''The comprehensive plans of all the municipalities in the Wood River Valley have policies to protect the economic viability of our existing 'business/commercial' zoning districts.'' -- Idaho Mountain Express   6/1/2005

Resource(s): www.mtexpress.com/

Home Depot's Planned ''Boutique'' Store Spurs Review of Bellevue's Design Criteria

Although a conceptually planned Home Depot ''boutique'' store at Highway 75 would be smaller than a typical big box, the Bellevue City Council last month enacted an emergency six-month moratorium on structures over 20,000 square feet, and now the Planning and Zoning Commission is reviewing the city's design criteria and seeking public input on how to ensure they will really protect the Wood River Valley's character.

''I came to this community for the strong sense of identity and strong sense of community that I think is often deteriorated with large-scale retailers,'' said Citizen for Smart Growth planner Aaron Domini, expressing views of several other residents at the commission's first special workshop, focused on the city's architectural design-review standards.

The current ordinance, reports Idaho Mountain Express writer Megan Thomas, allows a 72,000-square-foot building maximum in business districts, with each building having to include at least two businesses, but without specifying their individual sizes. The city's largest building is Atkinsons' Valley Market at about 28,000 square feet. Discussing ways to minimize the visual impact of large buildings likely to be proposed in the future, commissioners suggested requirements for three-side architectural detailing, back parking and landscaping, but also the need for independent economic and environmental impact analyses.

After the next workshop, on June 2, the writer notes, the commission will submits its recommendations to the council. -- Idaho Mountain Express   5/25/2005

Resource(s): www.mtexpress.com/index2.php

Neighborhood Connectivity, Increased Densities Downtown Part of Hailey's New Comprehensive Plan

Acknowledging the hard work by the Planning and Zoning Commission on gathering and synthesizing public input for Hailey's long-term land use over the last year, the City Council approved this last section of the Comprehensive Plan, especially difficult to iron out since it envisions increased density in the downtown core, connectivity between neighborhoods and promotion of green space, including parks, recreation areas and wildlife corridors.

The 16-page document, reports Idaho Mountain Express writer Matt Furber, offers builder incentives to redevelop the city's core and calls for relocation of Friedman Memorial Airport, to free that 1.5-mile stretch along South Main Street for master-planned development ''that will include community assets such as cultural and sports complexes, in addition to a mix of residential and commercial uses.''

Accompanied by a color-coded map of residential, business and service-center uses, a map required under the Idaho Local Land Use Planning Act, the writer notes, the document also sets goals for these districts and provides for their future adjustments to ensure ''an appropriate balance of the various uses.''

During a public hearing on the document, a representative of Citizens for Smart Growth and the Wood River Land Trust, Allison Kennedy, asked officials to replace the frequent word ''consider'' with stronger terms like ''use'' or ''create,'' but they retained the more general phrasing. ''This thing needs to be a fluid document because times change, ''explained Councilman Don Keirn. ''The planning tool is intended as a general guide for the future look of the community.'' -- Idaho Mountain Express   5/25/2005

Resource(s): www.mtexpress.com/index2.php

Boise Officials Focus on Infill to Avoid High Costs of Sprawl During Lean Tax Times

Facing an $8.5 million budget shortfall, slower tax base expansion and potential sky-high infrastructure costs should Boise's growth spill into its outer areas of impact, city officials are promoting infill, to make the city grow inward, announced local KBCI-TV reporter Thanh Tan, quoting Mayor David Bieter, who stressed, ''We need to allow existing areas to develop and redevelop in a way that really serves us better in the long run.''

Describing the currently processed residential project requests, top city planner Hal Simmons said, ''They're mostly infill subdivisions. They're attached housing. They're small lot housing. They're the things you see in real cities.''

Both interviewees told the reporter that properly designed infill projects revive vacant urban sites and make use of present infrastructure, exemplifying smart growth. Infill developer David Hale was confident the variety and number of such projects in many city sections will only grow. ''Doing infill and bringing in more density in areas like the north end or southeast Boise,'' he said, ''allows for people who want to get back in the city, who want to be part of the neighborhood, who want to be closer to downtown -- it allows them an opportunity to do that.'' -- KBCI-TV   5/4/2005

Resource(s): www.kbcitv.com/

Boise's Foothills Learning Center Offers Unique Indoor-Outdoor Classes for Children

In line with a key goal of its 2000 Foothills Open Space Management Plan, Boise opened the $700,000 Foothills Learning Center in the heart of the 300-acre, trail-laced Hulls Gulch Preserve just a few miles northeast of the central city, offering indoor-outdoor classes for school children, to teach them local natural history, modern conservation and ''green'' construction practices, and the special responsibilities of living in a wildland-urban interface area.

Along with opportunities for similar public presentations and education programs, reflecting management lessons learned both from a 1996 fire that scorched more than 15,000 acres of Foothills vegetation and from the catastrophic 2000 fires in the West, reports Idaho Statesman writer Cynthia Sowell, the center, itself a model of fire-resistant construction and landscaping, will focus on earth studies, biology, ecology and environmental protection in the fragile sagebrush-steppe habitat.

From among its top promoters and program arrangers the writer mentions Boise Foothills and Open Space manager Paul Woods, Boise School District science and health supervisor Joe Gordon, and Idaho Nature Conservancy vice chairwoman, state Department of Parks and Recreation retired director Yvonne Farrell, the latter saying, ''Human culture, wildlife, native plants, fire and erosion are so tied up in how we handle the Foothills.''

The city's Park and Recreation and Public Work departments, the writer adds, will hold three summer educational camps for kids entering seventh, eighth and ninth grades. The first camp at the center will provide an overview of Hulls Gulch environmental issues; the second will focus on water quality, stream ecology, and wastewater and storm runoff treatment; and the third will introduce students to hazardous waste disposal, emergency responses and recycling methods. -- Idaho Statesman   4/22/2005

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

Boise Mayor Hopes Amendment Will Delay Big Developments Until Ada County's Blueprint for Good Growth is Complete

As Ada County drafts its long-term Blueprint for Good Growth, which will guide all updates of the county's own and six municipal development policies, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter asked county leaders to amend their current comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance and enforce their five percent residential growth cap for unincorporated areas before developers rush into several large planned-community projects outside city and area-of-impact limits.

The county requires at least one square mile, or 640 acres, for planned communities, reports Idaho Statesman writer Cynthia Sewell, quoting Mayor Bieter, who says, ''We cannot wait to act until after the Blueprint is finished.''

He points out that the county and the city each approved just one planned community in their respective land-use areas, and that all 40 blueprint maps drawn up so far keep these big projects out of unincorporated land, to prevent excessive residential expansion.

''If the county is not willing to take what is already in their comprehensive plan and commit to it,'' the mayor observes, ''then my concern is they are not committed to the Blueprint process.''

County Commission Chairman Rick Yzaguirre denies the inference, saying, ''The county wants to let the Blueprint for Good Growth work out before making ordinance changes.''

Nevertheless, should the county fail to respond to Mayor Bieter's written request, city officials may file a formal application to make the changes quickly, a move also backed by Garden City and Kuna, with Eagle considering its support. -- Idaho Statesman   4/12/2005

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Blaine County Nonprofit Group Seeks Award Nominations for Local Affordable Housing Advocates

Determined to raise public awareness of the need for affordable housing in the Wood River Valley, the new Ketchum-based Advocates for Real Community Housing (ARCH) nonprofit group is seeking nominations for two awards -- the YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) Award, to honor an individual or a group for supporting lower-income neighborhood housing, and the Developer with Community Vision Award, to recognize a developer for going ''above and beyond'' ordinance requirements and contributing to the quality of community life.

''Without increasing our supply of community housing,'' said ARCH founder and director Rebekah Helzel, ''we lose firefighters, teachers and other professionals who would not otherwise be able to live here.''

With its May 15 nomination deadline, ARCH will present the awards during the first ever Blaine County Community Housing Week, June 19-25, reports Idaho Mountain Express writer Greg Stahl. Co-sponsored by ARCH and the Blaine-Ketchum Housing Authority, the week's event will include a series of lectures and seminars, with sessions for homebuyers, developers, employers and others involved or interested in land-use planning. The address for the nomination letters is: ARCH, P.O. Box 1292, Ketchum, ID 83340. -- Idaho Mountain Express   3/25/2005

Resource(s): www.mtexpress.com/index2.php

Sun Valley Agrees to Invest in Affordable Housing for Workforce

Drafted by the Sun Valley Planning and Zoning Commission in close cooperation with community and business leaders, the Blaine (County)-Ketchum Housing Authority and other stakeholders, a package of workforce-housing regulations drew almost unanimous public support at a City Council hearing, with resident and real estate agent Dick Fenton applauding officials for ''beginning to deal with the issue of community housing.''

Calling the issue urgent, reports Idaho Mountain Express writer Megan Thomas, he cited numbers. Between 2000 and 2004, the average price of a Sun Valley condo jumped from $325,000 to $430,000 and of a single-family home from $839,000 to $1.5 million. This makes it impossible for teachers ''to buy into the market,'' said Community School headmaster Jon Maksik, while resident and firefighter Chris Verrill observed that the department's volunteers typically live too far from the fire station to guarantee timely emergency response.

Slated for the last reading on April 21, the writer reports, the regulation package includes two ordinances, a schedule of fees in lieu of lower-income housing, a resolution to establish a ''Workforce Housing Fund,'' and a proposal to seed it with $300,000 from the city's general fund.

The first ordinance would secure 195 units for sale to ''professional wage earners,'' by designating 15 percent of the total number of units or lots in single-family and multi-family projects as ''deed-restricted housing.'' The second ordinance would require new residential and commercial projects to provide affordable housing to 20 percent and 10 percent of the workforce needed for newly created local jobs, respectively.

The writer notes that only one of some 30 speakers at the council hearing criticized these proposals. Resident Ross Jennings said, ''We are not here to save the Wood River Valley. We will be dumbing down our community,'' but he drew a riposte from Hailey-based Citizens for Smart Growth community planner Aaron Domini, who stressed, ''When we drive out young, intelligent people, that is dumbing growth.'' -- Idaho Mountain Express   3/25/2005

Resource(s): www.mtexpress.com/index2.php

''Connecting Idaho'' Highway Program Passes State Senate; House Vote Expected Soon

Republican Governor Dirk Kempthorne's $1.6 billion ''Connecting Idaho'' highway construction program passed the heavily Republican Senate with little debate before the 30-4 vote, but the four ''no'' votes were cast by Republicans Skip Brandt, Brent Hill, Monty Pearce and Stan Williams.

Like most witnesses at the Senate State Affairs Committee hearing a week earlier, they opposed the concept of a huge borrowing against future federal transportation aid. The governor's borrowing, reports Idaho Statesman writer Wayne Hoffman, aims at launching 13 road and bridge projects, which include widening of long stretches of Highway 95 and Interstate 84, and ''carving a highway through the Indian Valley outback.''

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Joe Stegner said the bill addresses the longstanding ''pressing need of building highways in very rugged country, in very rural country,'' and will bring ''safety, efficiency and economic development advantages for our entire state.'' From the Senate, dominated by Republicans 27 to 7, the bill went to the House, where they have a 57-13 advantage. -- Idaho Statesman   3/17/2005

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

$1.6 Billion Road Construction Bill Goes to Idaho Senate

With strong objections from conservationists, cattle ranchers and smart-growth advocates, but support from contractors, truckers and municipal officials, the Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee handed Republican Governor Kirk Kemptorne an 8-1 first-round victory, sending his $1.6-billion road construction bill to the full chamber.

Outlined in the governor's State of the State speech in January as necessary for his ''Connecting Idaho'' program, reports Idaho Statesman writer Gregory Hahn, the bill (SB 1183) would let the state borrow the money for 13 specific road and bridge projects, mostly highway construction and widening, and pay for the bonds with anticipated federal transportation outlays, in contrast to the normal practice of saving federal funds until the state has enough to launch projects.

While the $1.6 billion tag ''shocked'' many lawmakers during the speech, the writer recalls, most witnesses testifying at the Senate committee's hearing focused on the need to preserve ranching, protect wildlife and air quality, and spur public transit. Boise resident and organic farmer Diane Jones called a plan to widen Interstate 84 ''anything but visionary,'' adding, ''I think it applies 20th century solutions to a 21st century problem.''

Former Boise Councilwoman Anne Hausrath said the state should fight congestion by expanding transit and creating jobs in Canyon and Gem counties, to free their residents from travel to Boise for work. ''The L.A. solution doesn't work in L.A. and it isn't going to work here,'' she stressed. ''Please do not mortgage our future and our children's future on road widening.'' -- Idaho Statesman   3/12/2005

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Blaine County Launches Fast-Track Comprehensive Review of County Land-Use Laws

Having just enacted a six-month emergency moratorium on projects of more than four lots, the Blaine County Commission launched a truly fast-track comprehensive review of county land-use laws, with Chairwoman Sarah Michael requesting drafts of tougher ordinances for subdivisions and other development in unincorporated areas by the end of March, and projecting final approval of the changes after mid-June.

''If we don't seize the day on this, it will never be done,'' said Commissioner Tom Bowman, and the audience voiced support for the move. At the same time, reports Ketchum Idaho Mountain Express writer Greg Stahl, Blaine County Citizens for Smart Growth Executive Director Christopher Simms pointed out that an accompanying analysis of development and service costs and the county's options for their recovery under the state code ''will take a real expert to execute.''

The commissioners told the county staff to focus on lower-income housing needs, the writer notes, citing from their prospectus the following string of questions: ''Are all areas within the county suitable for affordable housing? In-lieu of fees? Size of housing; mixture of affordable housing in the county? What income levels should be addressed? Bonuses for developers who offer greater contributions to affordable housing?''

Among many other growth-management goals, they also listed several zoning designation changes to allow only cluster development in rural areas, which would help save open space, agriculture and wildlife habitat, and to ensure proper densities for areas lacking sufficient water supplies to sustain agriculture.

County Planning Administrator Linda Haavik stressed the need for public involvement in the review and planning process, suggesting frequent press releases and Internet updates to keep residents informed. -- Idaho Mountain Express   1/19/2005

Resource(s): www.mtexpress.com/index2.php

Gov. Kempthorne Outlines $1.6 Billion ''Connecting Idaho'' Road Expansion Plan

''Over the course of the next ten years, we're going to build three decades' worth of highways,'' promised Republican Governor Dirk Kempthorne in his State of the State and Budget speech, announcing his $1.6-billion ''Connecting Idaho'' road-expansion vision to improve safety, boost commerce and help all 44 counties, while protecting the environment.

The governor would want to ''fix the instant bottleneck'' created on Highway 95 by travelers from Canada, and to widen the heavily traveled highway from two to four lanes all the way through Coeur d'Alene and Worley to Lewiston some 200 miles south, while eliminating its dangerous curves, realigning hazardous stretches and restoring ''critical riparian areas and environmentally sensitive habitat.''

Further south, he would fund ''a brand new 56-mile, four-lane divided highway through Indian Valley,'' to reduce congestion and accidents on Highway 55, whose two-lane stretch along the beautiful Payette River and a canyon wall on the other side is often clogged not only by local and tourist traffic, but also by commercial trucks. ''This will enhance Highway 55 to become one of the premier, pristine, scenic by-ways anywhere in the world,'' the governor said, noting that Treasure Valley to the east has other ''solutions to the growing traffic concerns,'' but those solutions ''are years away'' and congestion will only worsen without road expansion.

Gov. Kempthorne said the state can widen Highway 16 from two to four lanes and Interstate 84 from four to six lanes between Caldwell and Meridian, build a bridge over the Snake River, and add lanes to highways 75, 20 and 30, with the last project also restoring local wetlands. The governor would want to issue bonds for all these projects, noting that Idaho has used bonds to pay for roads seven times since becoming a state in 1890.

''The state will issue the bonds, and the principal, interest, and other costs will be paid by using future federal highway dollars,'' he asserted, adding, ''It's time we stop talking and start building.''   1/10/2005

Resource(s): www.gov.idaho.gov/index.htm

Smart Growth Idaho Receives $20K Grant to Study How Boise Neighborhood Infill Projects Can Be Improved

With increased development pressures in the Boise-Meridian area and most of Treasure Valley presaging more land-use quarrels -- like the current one in central Boise, where residents oppose developer Bill Clark's 98-condo project because of its size and traffic impact -- Smart Growth Idaho received a $20,000 grant from the Washington-based Urban Land Institute to conduct a six-month study of infills in local neighborhoods.

Convinced that higher prices and land scarcity near Boise will stimulate urban infill, Idaho Smart Growth co-director and first-year Boise City Council member Elaine Clegg says, ''Infill can add value and vitality to the quality of life in neighborhoods, but only if it's done correctly.''

To determine what works and what doesn't in Boise and Meridian, Smart Growth Idaho will form a team of city planners, neighborhood leaders and developers, who will select six to eight controversial infill projects and compare residents' fears before construction with their views afterwards. The study's key goal, stresses Councilwoman Clegg, is to specify policies for improving infill and the end results. -- Idaho Statesman   12/25/2004

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Concern Over Focus of Urban Renewal Funds Prompts Closure of Nampa Redevelopment Agency

Idaho's 27 local redevelopment agencies, with total valuations of $1.5 billion in divertible district-improvement property taxes, are apparently doing ''a pretty good job'' of converting neighborhood blight into assets, but Nampa's agency has grossly overstretched the intent of the state's 1965 redevelopment law, extending the 6,550-acre North Nampa urban renewal district onto a prime sugar beet field to build the troubled Idaho Center, which ate up most of the agency's money and precipitated its closure.

Part of a revitalization plan that promised to spend some $70 million in property taxes over 10 years on the district's service and infrastructure improvements, writes Idaho Statesman columnist Dan Popkey, the events center was to cost just $12 million, but has taken $48.7 million so far.

What's more, to qualify for a district improvement, an area must have a combination of factors -- here the columnist cites the state law -- a combination that ''substantially impairs or arrests the sound growth of a municipality, retards the provision of housing accommodations or constitutes an economic or social liability and is a menace to the public health, safety, morals or welfare in its present condition.''

The former irrigated beet field had none of those, the columnist writes, quoting state Republican Representative Dolores Crow, who says, ''It was gorgeous farmland. People didn't pay attention, me included. Everybody was big-eyed and gullible, and it just didn't pan out.''

Although he followed his promise to close the agency, Nampa Mayor Tom Dale looks on the bright side. He points out that it spent about $22 million on streets, parks, housing, a police station and other efforts, stressing, ''The Idaho Center is becoming and will be an economic engine for Nampa.''

But as an Association of Idaho Counties panel discusses tighter controls on districts' practices, spending and accountability, one of its members, Minidoka County Assessor Max Vaughn, observes, ''Redevelopment agencies need to take a look at the case study of Nampa and see if what they're doing is an appropriate use of tax dollars for economic development.''

The columnist makes the same point, concluding, ''Public officials ought not to be tempted to call a perfectly good sugar beet field a blight on the landscape just because they can raise some money.'' -- Idaho Statesman   9/8/2004

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Boise Seeks Volunteers to Help Plan and Build Foothills Trails

All Boise residents who backed their 2001 property tax increase to buy and save more land in the city's northeastern Foothills should now help officials finalize and realize plans to construct and rebuild 17 miles of trails in that area, says an Idaho Statesman editorial, urging community groups, Scout troops, civic clubs and others to ''make another statement for recreation in the Foothills.''

Besides making accessible the newly acquired land, the planned trails would ''connect pieces of the city's already impressive Ridge to Rivers system,'' the editorial notes, encouraging the public to ''look at maps and discuss the details.''

With Foothills acquisition coordinator Paul Woods estimating the current costs of building a brand-new trail at about $5,000 a mile, the city wants to save by attracting volunteers. ''It's taken a lot of negotiating and patience -- and $5.7 million of your tax money -- to acquire 3,200 acres in Boise's precious Foothills,'' the editorial observes, telling residents, ''To move the trail work onto the fast track, the city needs your help.'' -- Idaho Statesman   8/24/2004

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Boise City Council Expands Historic Districts, Plans Review of Citywide Duplex Design Requirements Proposal

In response to calls by residents in older neighborhoods for stricter infill design standards, the Boise City Council approved the Near North End and the East End historic districts last month, and subsequently expanded the earlier-created North End Historic District to include another 1,000 homes, which will now be required to get approval for any outside remodeling or demolition from the city's preservation planner or its Historic Preservation Commission.

The North End Neighborhood Association has long pushed for expansion of its historic district, with residents watching several houses partially or entirely torn down and replaced with large suburban-style homes that don't fit the area, reports Idaho Statesman writer Emily Simnitt. She quotes association representative Mark Baltes, who says, ''It has never been our intent to freeze a neighborhood in time,'' noting that the historic district ordinance ''will protect the property rights of existing homeowners and will provide the first level of preservation to ensure the vitality of the North End.''

Opponents claim the right to use their property how they wish, sometimes citing the inconvenience and maintenance issues that older houses may pose, the writer observes, while the City Council encourages the Historic Preservation Commission to continue its work on revisions for the preservation ordinance. He adds that within months, the council will consider a proposal to strengthen other design requirements citywide, to make duplexes fit all older neighborhoods better. -- Idaho Statesman   4/14/2004

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Diverse Stakeholder Group Presents Land Use Plan for 700,000 Acres of Southwest Idaho

Brought together by the Owyhee County Commission in 2001 and aided by Republican Senator Mike Crapo, a unique panel of federal, state and local officials, area ranchers, outfitters, recreationists and environmentalists worked out a plan to designate six tracts totaling 511,000 acres in the Idaho southwest corner as federal wilderness -- which would bar development and all-terrain vehicles -- while opening 205,000 currently protected acres for grazing and motorized recreation.

The Owyhee Initiative, reports Idaho Statesman writer Rocky Barker, would also designate 390 miles of the Owyhee and Bruneau as Wild and Scenic rivers, to protect them from exploitation, and close about 115 miles of remote roads.

Although some conservationists still think the plan opens too much wilderness to future development and offers too many concessions to ranchers, Senator Crapo stresses, ''If you look at the proposal now on the table, every interest group can see significant benefits over the status quo.''

Sierra Club state representative Roger Singer basically agrees, saying, ''I think we have a good package now that can be made even better when we get feedback from the public that cares what happens in the Owehee backcountry.''

The Owyhee County Commission, the writer notes, will hold a series of public hearings next month, to make some adjustments and send the plan back to the panel for a final vote. Next, Senator Crapo may draw an Owyhee protection bill and present it in Congress by summer. -- Idaho Statesman, Environmental News Network   4/13/2004

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/ ; www.enn.com/

Developer's Revised Tax Projections Met With Dismay; Citizens Group Thought Income Would Pay for New Growth

Even though they originally backed the mixed-use Water's Edge project, expecting its tax revenue share for the Kuna School District to cover the costs of additional students, Kuna Citizens for Responsible Growth are now blasting developer projections of only $545,000 a year in new taxes, including $164,000 for schools, with the group's president DuWaine Emmons saying smart growth proponents ''feel betrayed,'' because ''(g)rowth has to pay for itself.''

Should each of the new 395 housing units mean 1.5 students for city schools, at the cost of $4,463 a year, he stressed, Water's Edge would burden the district with some $2.6 million in new costs. But developer spokesman Martin Johncox, reports The Idaho Statesman, doesn't expect so many students in Water's Edge, since its total number of 395 residences includes 170 town houses, 34 condominiums and eight cottages -- typically housing with fewer children.

School District Superintendent Doug Rutan added than any school financial shortfall would be covered by the state, under its per-student funding formula. -- The Idaho Statesman   3/13/2004

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Treasure Valley Region Recognizes Value of a Downtown Location

Joining a nationwide urban revitalization trend, Treasure Valley city officials and business owners increasingly see downtown location of public buildings as crucial for bringing in more residents, customers and investors, with Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas pointing out that even if the downtown land price increased the cost of the city's new police station by 12 percent, the work sparked other projects and ''in the long term it will actually save money,'' and Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd expecting the new City Hall under construction downtown to streamline public services and help leverage more urban investment.

Downtown locations already come with water and sewer lines, streets and sidewalks, notes Boise Idaho Statesman writer Joe Kolman, quoting Washington-based Place Economic national consultant Donovan Rypkema, who says a city hall, post office or library can be an anchor similar to a large retailer or a shopping mall, its employees, customers and visitors spending money in nearby stores, restaurants and other businesses.

Moscow-based Meridian plan consultant Tom Hudson observes that in contrast to downtown historic success, always consistent with given civic, social, religious and cultural attractions, the rise of the car precipitated downtown decline, the writer reports, as new public and private buildings spread across less costly open land ''with lots of parking -- but within walking distance of nothing.'' Other experts and local residents also emphasize that downtown location of new public buildings shows local leaders' faith in the community and urban revival. -- Idaho Statesman   2/16/2004

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Sidewalk Funding for Older Communities Becomes a Hot Topic in Idaho's Ada County

Although the majority of the Ada County Highway District Commission (ACHD) sees the $1.9 million a year that its newly approved five-year plan earmarks for sidewalks, bike lanes and other amenities as an increased commitment to older communities, Commissioner Susan Eastlake said, ''We have recognized a serious need in the area of providing safe routes to schools, and yet the percent of the total budget we're spending (on sidewalks) has decreased,'' highlighting the discrepancy in a letter to municipal leaders and neighborhood activists, with Boise, Kuna, Garden City and Eagle mayors and many other recipients writing back to the commission, seeking reconsideration.

Commissioner Eastlake said the ACHD has budgeted an average of $1.8 million annually on community street improvement projects since 1995, actually spent about $1.4 million each year, and planned to increase that spending to about $2.4 million under its five-year work program adopted last year. ACHD spokesman Craig Quintana admitted that the community project fund has been raided to help balance budget shortfalls, but attributed the difference between the budgeted and actual spending to common project delays and estimated the planned work-program spending at less than $2.1 million a year.

The ACHD will decide in March whether to reconsider the issue, reports Idaho Statesman Emily Simnitt, observing that miles of local streets have no sidewalks and that one thing is certain in the debate, ''Ada County cities and their residents want to add sidewalks to their older neighborhoods.'' -- Idaho Statesman   2/5/2004

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Boise Council Endorses Transit-Oriented Plan for State Street Corridor Improvements

With traffic on the eight-mile stretch of State Street from 23rd Street in Boise to Eagle Road northwest of Garden City already heavy and projected to increase 60 percent within 20 years, the Boise City Council unanimously endorsed a transit-oriented plan, outlined in Ada County's year-long State Street Corridor Study, which proposes multi-agency cooperation to widen the street to seven lanes, reserve two lanes for buses and carpools, and secure funds for public transportation.

Under the plan, reports Idaho Statesman writer Emily Simnitt, the Ada County Highway District Commission (ACHD) would spend about $57 million over 20 years to widen the street, landscape medians, and build bike lanes, sidewalks and pathways to make it more pedestrian-friendly, while Boise, Garden City and Eagle officials would ensure that their comprehensive plans allow mixed-use ''nodes'' to facilitate transit use.

Calling for ''a permanent source of funding for transit,'' Boise Councilman Alan Shealy stressed, ''And we really need neighborhood groups to get out and sell this thing.'' Neighborhood activist Ed Keener, one of many who have worked and commented on the corridor study, said, ''We didn't choose the easiest scenario, but one that's the best for the future. It's what we need to do to continue to keep our city livable.''

The ACHD and the Garden City Council are expected to hold their hearings on the plan soon, and possibly adopt it next month. -- Idaho Statesman   1/15/2004

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Boise City Council Plans to Focus on Careful, Diversified Infill Development

Having encouraged infill and higher density by permitting more units on some small parcels, Boise gained 113 new homes for two old northern sections in the last three years as opposed to about 150 in the 1990s and its even more sprawl-wary city council taking over in January hopes to intensify neighborhood development and diversify infill, especially near transit, while preserving local character. Councilwoman-elect, Smart Growth Idaho co-director Elaine Clegg, expresses public sentiment, saying ''We really don't want to look like L.A.,'' but she cautions that poor infill design can do more harm than good.

Since Boise core areas have been slowly losing homeowners, young families and students, which brought down their median income and school enrollment, officials and activists consider reinvestment crucial to prevent decline. ''Infill will help keep neighborhood schools open,'' stresses city planner Hal Simmons. ''It's what's going to allow neighborhoods to stay healthy with changing economics and demographics.''

But some residents for different reasons oppose infill. Hit by a lawsuit, long-time contractor Jim Powers responds, ''I'm taking my work out to Meridian and contributing to the sprawl in the West.'' Others fare better as they focus on buyers tired of car dependency and build near jobs, shops and bus lines. Contractors David Hale and Robert Truax see such projects more marketable, the latter noting, ''The better the access, the more value the lot has.''

A recent Community Planning Association (COMPASS) study shows hundreds of acres of redevelopable land in Boise and 52,000 acres throughout Ada County, while a Local Government Commission report, sponsored by the National Association of Realtors, urges better infill design to allay neighborhood concerns over lack of sidewalks or parks and crime near high-rises away from busy streets. Accordingly, the West Valley Neighborhood Association and Idaho Smart Growth are working together on a new ordinance, which would give residents more influence over infill design and allow developers more flexibility to spur mixed-use and other smart-growth projects.   12/1/2003

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Nampa Voters Move to End Urban Renewal Agency

In an election focused on the urban renewal of this 53,000-resident city some 15 miles west of Boise, Nampa incumbent Councilmen Bob Schmidt and Stephen Kren were reelected by 47 percent and 37 percent of voters over their five and four rivals, respectively -- both in favor of letting the North Nampa Urban Renewal Agency with its discretionary funding power expire next year, to fund a future program through voter-approved bonds that could only be used for specific bonded projects. They expect a public meeting this month, reports Idaho Statesman writer Sandra Forester, to seek residents' input on cost estimates for renewal projects and funding options, in the context of other critical city needs, including transportation and infrastructure improvements. ''We didn't comprehend the magnitude of the unhappiness with urban renewal,'' said Councilman Schmidt, noting that residents also want the city to spur economic development and encourage developers to plan for more middle-and-upper-level homes. -- Idaho Statesman   11/8/2003

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Smart Growth Issues on Voters' Minds in Boise Council Election

Having long dealt with elected officials throughout Treasure Valley to manage growth and help neighborhoods, Idaho Smart Growth co-director now Boise City Councilwoman-elect Elaine Clegg will begin to share their tasks in January, notes Idaho Statesman writer Joe Kolman, finding her ''ecstatic'' that the valley's voters chose candidates ''who favor at least some of the 'smart growth' principles that she has championed.'' With land use, traffic congestion, air pollution and transportation planning high among public concerns, others from across the political spectrum saw the urgency of handling those issues, too, the writer reports, mentioning such eventual winners as Boise Councilwoman-elect Maryanne Jordan, Kuna Mayor-elect Dean Obray and Meridian Mayor-elect Tammy de Weerd, the last pledging to reactivate a shelved land-use plan for mixed housing and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods in her town's northern section. Political analyst and Boise State University professor Jim Weatherby sees valley voters ''more concerned about the cost of growth, controlling growth and protecting our quality of life than responding to the candidates who strongly emphasized economic development and job development.'' Nevertheless, there may be some opposition to details, since high-density housing and local taxes ''are sometimes viewed as 'good for everybody else','' he says, concluding, ''Philosophically, Boiseans have embraced quality of life issues and smart growth principles. The challenge will be to implement it.'' -- Idaho Statesman   11/8/2003

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Boise Elects State Smart-Growth Co-Director to City Council

''A vibrant downtown must be a priority'' in Boise, along with recognition ''that all land-use decisions, no matter how small, have a cumulative impact on our transportation system,'' said Idaho Smart Growth co-director Elaine Clegg in an Idaho Statesman interview days before she became the area's top vote getter, beating her rival to the City Council, long-time Republican operative Dwight Johnson, by 64 to 36 percent, which could ''give the smart-growth movement added credibility -- not just in Boise City Hall, but also across Idaho.'' Hailing Elaine Clegg as ''a pragmatic champion for transit and neighborhood health,'' who will make ''an outstanding council member,'' an Idaho Statesman editorial says ''the biggest winners'' of this historic election are voters themselves, since they ''will benefit from new ideas and new leadership'' on their most vital issues of ''jobs, trust, transit, air quality, (and) neighborhoods.'' Besides smart growth, the daily put on its winner list Democratic Mayor-elect David Bieter, whose ''startling 52 percent majority'' left little for each of the three other contenders, including ''prominent'' Republicans Chuck Winder and Vaughn Killeen; non-partisanship, demonstrated also ''in a surprise loss'' of Kuna Republican Mayor Greg Nelson; regional cooperation, promised by Meridian Mayor-elect Tammy de Weerd; the improved voter turnout, 47 percent in Boise and almost 25 percent in Meridian; and ''the idea pool'' from plenty of ''positive thought'' expressed during electoral races, whose winners would be ''wise to reach out to their opponents, and look for ways to keep them involved.'' The daily is ''excited at the possibilities'' and congratulates voters, who ''made good choices, and for the right reasons.'' -- Idaho Statesman   11/6/2003

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

State Smart Growth Co-Director to Run for Boise City Council Seat

Idaho Smart Growth co-director Elaine Clegg announced her candidacy for a Boise City Council seat held by Councilman Jon Mason, who will back her bid instead of seeking a second term. ''It's been a hard year for the citizens of Boise and I think we need to re-establish trust,'' she said at their joint news conference. A lifelong Boise resident, with 20 years of experience in local issues, Elaine Clegg leads the nonprofit Idaho Smart Growth group together with co-director Jon Barrett, focusing on foothills preservation, regional transportation and education improvements. -- KBCI-TV Boise   9/22/2003

Resource(s): www.kbcitv.com/

Boise Recognizes Need for Regional Solutions to Manage Sprawl and Traffic

After 10 years of rapid growth to 200,000 residents, Boise is running the Downtown Mobility Study to improve the heavy traffic flow, while its federal transportation aid for cities under this population level has been lost, which leaves the city with the glum prospect of ending Saturday regional bus service on October 1, but also makes more people realize the urgency of long-term planning and the potential of Smart Growth. Local officials and activists agree that the future depends on regional cooperation and that Boise must act fast to prevent sprawl, ease congestion and expand transit, reports Boise State University (BSU) Arbiter news editor Jason Kauffman. With a BSU enrollment of nearly 18,500 students this year, its facility administration executive director Larry Blake says, ''We really want to encourage more use of public transportation'' and promote walking and biking. City transportation planner Kathleen Lacey stresses, ''If we don't begin now we may not get there,'' especially since ''(w)orking toward this cultural shift of how we move around may take 25 years.'' Idaho Smart Growth co-director Jon Barrett asserts, ''We have to take what others are doing and adopt it here'' because ''It's in our economic interest to protect the quality of life.'' He and others want Boise to protect neighborhoods successful in making life, work and recreation pleasant; redevelop vacant commercial properties; change policies that promote sprawl and car dependence; promote development compatible with the quality of life; and preserve the Boise-Treasure Valley rail-line spur for future commuter rail service. Idaho Smart Growth has recently initiated online discussion on Treasure Valley growth issues, the writer adds, directing interested readers to www.idahosmartgrowth.org -- Arbiter   9/11/2003

Resource(s): www.arbiteronline.com/vnews/display.v

Boise Ponders Future of Barber Valley After Developers Halt Work on Harris Ranch Mixed-Use Project

Apparently frustrated by city planners' decision to reduce the master-planned, mixed-use Harris Ranch project on 1,800 acres of the partly settled Barber Valley, within minutes of central Boise, from 3,100 to 419 homes because of the traffic impact, developers suddenly abandoned the work three months ago and now officials and residents keep wondering what's next for the area, but one thing remains certain, says Councilman Alan Shealy, the valley ''is a very precious piece of property, and the mayor and council will not roll over on their vision for it in the hope for quick and easy development.'' Crucial for the area's development, reports Idaho Statesman writer Michael Journee, is the long-sought East ParkCenter Bridge over the Boise River, which would give east bank residents the necessary new access to the city center, as the two-lane Warm Spring Avenue from the Barber Valley to the old bridge already handles traffic above its capacity. The abandoned Harris Ranch project was to provide the new bridge, along with shops, offices, parks, bike paths, walking trails and other urban amenities eagerly awaited by area residents. Without the bridge, some nearby projects -- approved before the Warm Spring Avenue traffic became a development issue in the early 1990s -- can move forward, as long as their total lots don't exceed about 130. This affects developer Homer Wise, who has long planned 228 homes in the hills above the Barber Valley, but now can build only 55, while waiting with the rest until the bridge comes. This may also drive up the area's property values, the writer adds, quoting other developers, including San Francisco-based Larry Vosti -- not affected by the restrictions, but preferring to phase in his 128-home Fallingbrook subdivision anyway -- who mentions ''supply and demand'' and says the demise of Harris Ranch ''reduces the choices people have.'' -- Idaho Statesman   8/6/2003

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Higher Density Homes Planned for Next Phase of Boise Smart Growth Development

Hailed by smart growth advocates for its commercial village center, houses with big porches, narrow streets and ample green space, the neotraditional Hidden Springs development in the Foothills north of Boise offered only 298 choice homes above $400,000 in the first two phases and sales were sluggish over four years until developers announced the third phase a few months ago, now getting Ada County commissioners' permission to build 102 less costly homes on 21 acres, with another 48 acres left as open space. But this higher density bothers current Hidden Springs residents, reports Boise Idaho Statesman writer Joe Kolman, quoting homeowner Royce Chigbrow, who calls the new marketing a ''fire sale'' and adds that quality of life is no less important than the ''bottom line.'' Representing 25 like-minded residents, Boise attorney John McCreedy says since they were initially told the third phase's homes would be scattered on bigger lots, they may appeal its approval. Developers stress they always planned higher density, with on-site manager Frank Martin telling the writer that Hidden Springs ''is anti-sprawl at its best.'' Commissioners Fred Tilman and Rick Yzaguirre express concern about the marketing, but point out that developers comply with regulations -- which allow plan changes for reasons including a new market climate -- and may exercise some flexibility provided that the total number of Hidden Springs lots does not exceed 1,035. -- Idaho Statesman   7/28/2003

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Despite Rapid Growth, Boise's Residents Still Enjoy Easy Access to City Parks

Despite Boise's rapid residential growth -- from 125,000 to 185,000 in the 1990s and another 10,000 plus since then -- its leaders are showing others how to enhance urban quality of life by expanding parks, having provided residents with 50 percent more parkland in the last ten years so that about 80 percent of them now live within an easy half-mile walking distance from a small, medium or large park, including the 156-acre Simplot Sports Complex. Crediting Boise park director Jim Hall for much of the success, an Idaho Statesman editorial stresses that his task wasn't easy, especially after voters rejected a bond issue for parkland in 1994. But city leaders were ready with more budget dollars for parks and, determined to make growth pay for itself, with developer impact fees. ''Since increased demand for parks is created by a growing population,'' states the city park department on its web page, ''impact fees for developed park land are calculated based on new residential development.'' Paid at the time of developer application, the tiered fees range from $249 for a hotel/motel unit to $801 for a single-family home. Finding that ''virtually all Boiseans have easy access to places where kids can play and adults can walk, jog or simply enjoy the beauty parks offer,'' the editorial says this achievement can be ''a model for growing communities such as Meridian,'' several miles to the east. -- Idaho Statesman   5/12/2003

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/; www.cityofboise.org/parks/planning_design/impact_fees.shtml

Debate Continues Over Kootenai County's Green Meadows Project; May 7 Vote Expected

The 80-home Green Meadows project proposed for 60 rural acres just across from the Coeur d'Alene National Forest, zoned for one home per ace and including some Hayden Lake wetlands, remains highly controversial as the Kootenai County Commission vote approaches and all arguments seem equally valid -- with developers Tom Andrel and John Beutler citing market demand and promising lake protection: local farm and estate owners worrying about density, traffic and runoff; and county-born Commissioner Gus Johnson asking three-year resident and project foe Linda Felsing, ''What year should we shut the gate?'' In January, reports Spokesman Review writer Erica Curless, the county's Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial of the project because of its potential traffic impact and the location of at least 12 lots in a wetland area. The Hayden Lake Recreational and Water Sewer District also opposes the project, since it hasn't yet received the stormwater management plans requested months ago. The Save Hayden Lake conservation group suspects the project's runoff would seep into Hayden and Avondale lakes. The County Commission expects to vote on the project May 7. -- Spokesman Review   4/25/2003

Resource(s): www.spokesmanreview.com/

North Meridian Plan Asks Developers to Discuss School Needs with District Early in Project

As the Meridian City Council readies action on the North Meridian Area Plan, which would accommodate 58,000 people in smart-growth- type neighborhoods on 10 square miles of the still-unincorporated land by the early 2020s, officials of the strained Meridian School District -- 26,000 students so far -- see a future need to build 11 elementary, four middle and three high schools, and to acquire land for more, at a total cost of about $260 million in new construction bonds. District residents traditionally support bonds, having recently approved a $57.2 million bond for three elementary schools, a middle school, an alternative high school and varied school improvements, reports Idaho Statesman writer Herbert Atienza, finding however that now some think new growth should bear a proportional share of increased school costs. ''The burden,'' says resident Sandy Stevenson, ''shouldn't all be passed on to the people who already live here'' in the district. While Idaho law requires developers to pay impact fees for parks and police, but not for schools, the writer notes, the North Meridian Area Plan -- drafted with input from the Idaho Smart Growth group -- would help district officials meet future school needs by requiring developers to work with the district early in project planning. According to interim Meridian Planning Director Brad Hawkins-Clark, city planners could deny a subdivision request if the district couldn't handle the associated school enrollment or delay it until the problem is solved. -- Idaho Statesman   4/1/2003

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

North Meridian Draft Plan Would Boost Public Transit, Allow Varied-Type Housing

''We're getting away from the cookie-cutter subdivisions,'' commented Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission chairman Keith Borup on a consultant's North Meridian Area Plan draft, which would replace part of Meridian's long-range comprehensive plan approved last June and target that city section for higher density, varied-type housing near commercial districts and better public transit. Worked on by consultant Mike Wardle, reports Idaho Statesman writer Jonathan Brunt, the plan would help increase North Meridian's future population from a projected 43,000 to about 58,000 by allowing a minimum density of three homes per acre. It would also secure developer incentives for pedestrian-friendly projects and permit commercial development at instead of halfway between intersections while boosting its expansion along Chinden Boulevard to a five-mile stretch. Planning commissioners liked the proposals, but delayed action till May 15, to give the consultant time to clarify some points with city planners. -- Idaho Statesman   3/27/2003

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Citing Need for Services, Parks, and Water, Idaho's Gov. Asks for Tax Increase to Meet Budget Shortfall

Faced with a $200 million Idaho deficit, Republican Governor Dirk Kempthorne rejected proposals to ''slash government services'' and pump ''more one-time money into the budget,'' asserting in his State of the State address the cuts ''would be devastating to Idaho and none of us were elected to eliminate the core services'' and deciding instead to ask lawmakers for a cigarette tax increase from 34 cents a pack to the national average of 62 cents, coupled with a cent-and-a-half sales tax increase through June, 2006. The governor stressed he believes in lean and limited government, but also ''in providing for the essential functions of government.'' Despite his consistent votes against new taxes during his term in the U.S. Senate and his signatures on 48 tax reduction or tax incentive measures in four years as a governor, he said, Idaho came to a point he had hoped it would never reach and he found no option but to raise taxes. Doing otherwise, he pointed out, would require eliminating state health funding, county extension offices, support for community colleges and scholarships, all economic development efforts and ''all general fund support for our environmental programs and the natural resource agencies, including closing our state parks; jeopardizing our stewardship of state lands; and severely impairing our ability to maintain control of one of Idaho's most precious commodities -- our water.''   1/7/2003

Resource(s): http://www2.state.id.us/gov/mediacenter/speech/sp03/sp_stateofstate.html

Public Support for Wal-Mart Slim at Kootenai County Planning Commission Hearing

Despite Wal-Mart fliers and phone messages telling many Kootenai County residents that more than 2,000 of their ''friends and neighbors'' support a Wal-Mart supercenter proposed along Highway 95 in Hayden, only developer representatives and three of 600 attendees at the city Planning and Zoning Commission's hearing pushed for the necessary change to the city comprehensive plan, while the rest applauded opponents who said the increased traffic, noise and light pollution would undercut property values. Speaking on behalf of local developer Al Eberoll, landscape architect Dean Logsdon argued that the 223,000-square-foot supercenter wouldn't cause more traffic or nuisance than a 260-unit apartment building or townhouses, which are allowed under current zoning, and that the developer would separate it from adjacent homes with a 50-foot buffer of trees and berms. The site's owner, developer Steve Ridenour, told Hayden residents to recognize that ''growth has come'' and to get their own shopping center instead of leaving sales tax revenue and other profit in nearby Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls. Spokane Spokesman-Review writer Erica Curless adds that the planning and zoning commission will present its recommendation to the City Council in mid-December. -- Spokesman-Review   11/21/2002

Resource(s): www.spokesmanreview.com/

Ordinance Aims to Protect Coeur d'Alene Hillsides from Environmental Degradation

With Coeur d'Alene's four-month suspension of home construction on nearby slopes expiring next month, its Planning Commission approved an ordinance to save them from erosion and other environmental degradation caused by unbridled development and to preserve their scenic beauty. Responding to some landowners, developers and real estate agents, who argued at the commission's hearing that building restrictions would infringe on private property rights, Commissioner Tom Messina, himself a builder, said, ''We're not saying you can't develop the hillsides. You can. But you got to do it so your neighbors are protected.'' The opponents, reports Spokesman-Review writer Erica Curless, were especially upset by requirements for tree preservation, rooftop designs and low-reflective home painting to maintain the aesthetic value of the slopes and the water quality of Fernan and Coeur d'Alene lakes. The ordinance would also require soil stability studies and erosion control plans for each construction project. Opponents said all these requirements would drive up home costs, but nearby resident Mike Verbillis pointed out that people ''buying these lots can afford proper infrastructure.''   11/13/2002

Resource(s): www.spokesmanreview.com/

Kootenai County Rejects Lost Creek Subdivision Project

To the applause from more than 150 residents fighting to protect their rural quality of life, the Kootenai County Commission unanimously turned down a proposal to build 184 homes on 256 wooded acres west of Rathdrum, with its just-reelected chairman, Gus Johnson, saying the Idaho Forest Industries' (IFI) Lost Creek subdivision project would create water, sewer and traffic problems. He was especially concerned over the IFI plan to construct a 10 million gallon sewage lagoon near the creek that helps recharge the Rathdrum Prairie/Spokane Valley Aquifer. Residents' attorney Scott Poorman called IFI ''a first-class organization,'' but one with ''a big hammer,'' and applauded ''the commissioners' courage to deny the application.'' Resident Claudia Agate said neighbors hold no grudge against IFI, but asked, ''If they are so environmentally conscious, why would they destroy such a beautiful piece of property?'' -- Spokesman Review   11/7/2002

Resource(s): www.spokesmanreview.com/news

Coeur d'Alene Seeks Input on Hillside Development Ordinance

Having reacted to an August collapse of a hillside road near a home construction site with a four-month development moratorium for the area, Coeur d'Alene will now seek developer and public input on a proposed ordinance that would govern all home-building on the steep slopes to prevent their degradation and keep the city's eastern skyline evergreen. Drafted after evaluation of hillside growth-control efforts by such cities as Ashland, Oregon, and presented by Growth Services Director Gordon Dobler, reports Spokane Spokesman-Review writer Thomas Clouse, the ordinance would require larger lots, to keep their environment relatively intact, and would bar development on slopes with more than 35-percent decline, unless lots have already been platted. Developers would have to submit soil stability assessments and erosion-control plans; save or replace most trees; and hydro-seed and replant all exposed areas, to spare them the look of ''scarred hills.'' Also, homeowners may be required to paint dwellings with low-reflective paint, to make them blend into the background. Noting that people are moving to the Coeur d'Alene area because of its lake and mountains, City Councilwoman Deanna Goolander said, ''If we allow our hillsides to degrade, we are losing some of our assets.'' She added, ''We don't want to tell anybody they can't develop their hillsides or land. But we can tell people this is the way you can do this.'' -- The Spokesman-Review   10/8/2002

Resource(s): www.spokesmanreview.com/

Local Economies Hurt by Loss of Farmland to Development

With 32 percent of Canyon County sales generated by agricultural production or processing, each acre of irrigated farmland taken for industrial facilities and housing tracts ''will reduce aggregate economic sales in the county by $8,535,'' warns a study by the University of Idaho's Department of Economics and Rural Sociology, urging officials to steer development away from rural areas. The authors, Steven Petersen and Jim Nelson, determined the monetary impact by adding together the values of lost commodities, farm equipment and fertilizer sales, and farmworker wages. County Commissioner Matt Beebe said the commission was aware of the growth's fiscal impact, but pointed out that with 500 newcomers a month, the loss of farmland is inevitable, especially around the fast-expanding cities of Nampa and Caldwell. He said few young farmers are coming to replace retirees, which would make the land inactive, a contention disputed by researcher Nelson, who noted that neighboring farmers usually take over vacant farms, adding ''You don't see a lot of farmland sitting idle in Canyon County now.'' -- Spokesman Review   8/13/2002

Resource(s): www.spokesmanreview.com/

Northwest Idaho Subdivision Approved Despite Residents' Opposition

Over vocal opposition from dozens of Rathdrum residents, the Kootenai County Planning Commission unanimously recommended the county's approval for a 256-acre Lost Creek subdivision of 184 clustered homes and 80 acres of contiguous open space, with commission chairwoman Katie Brodie -- whose Idaho Forest Industries (IFI) company proposed the project -- recusing herself, while telling opponents ''We are not ... some wild-eyed developer coming here to wreak havoc'' on the county, but to be the ''best neighbor.'' The proposal was presented by IFI consultant, former county planning director Cherie Howell, quoted earlier by Spokane Spokesman-Review writer Thomas Clouse as saying ''this is a high-quality project'' that will protect both the environment and private property rights. The writer reports that prior to the hearing, the county received 47 comments on the project, with only one neutral and none positive. He notes that several project advocates present at the hearing work for IFI or in real estate and that opponents gave a round of applause to resident Dan Paterson, who pointed out that most supporters live in Coeur d'Alene or Post Falls some ten miles away. ''It's not impacting their back yards,'' he said. ''Its impacting ours and we don't need it.'' Another resident, Milton Nelson, a Los Angeles ''escapee,'' said he is not ''a not-in-my-back-yard (NIMBY) person,'' but he's seen ''what development can and can't do'' and considers the project too dense. Others feared its impact on the rural area, their quality of life and the nearby Rathdrum Prairie/Spokane Valley Aquifer. And resident Mark Kiefer was dismayed by the 1,840 car trips a day projected by the developer for state Highway 53, saying the road is ''a nightmare right now.'' -- Spokane Spokesman-Review   6/12/2002

Resource(s): www.spokesmanreview.com/

Kuna City Sued for Violating ''Impact Area'' Code in Land Annexation

Unable to dissuade Kuna city leaders from annexing 107 acres outside the municipal ''impact area'' for a 35-home Arbor Ridge project proposed last year, a Kuna Citizens for Responsible Growth group is suing the city and Ada County for a violation of state law that bars cities from annexing land not yet included in their impact areas by county officials. Pointing out that the city's code also specifies that annexation ''shall be limited to those lands lying within the area of impact,'' group president DuWaine Emmons says the county has denied ''due process to the people outside the area,'' by neglecting to hold hearings and let residents voice their opinions on such land changes. Local officials argue that state provisions permit annexations requested by property owners, with Kuna Mayor Greg Nelson saying the city relied on these provisions and would have clarified its related code procedures had they been ever challenged in the past 19 years. He adds that the clarification is being written right now. Idaho Statesman writer Jonathan Brunt reports that the citizens group also wants the court to halt construction at Hawksnest subdivision, by nullifying its annexation last year as similarly violating the impact area provisions.   3/10/2002

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Poll: 88 Percent of Boise-Area Residents Support Regional Transit

Expansion of regional transit for the fast-growing Treasure Valley received support from 88 percent of Ada and Canyon county residents polled by Northwest Research Group of Boise, with 21 percent of them expressing strong support for transit and only two percent voicing none. Conducted for Valley InterArea Transportation (VIATrans), the telephone poll of 600 randomly selected urban and rural residents showed evenly distributed support for transit in all areas of both counties, reports Idaho Statesman writer Craig Quintana, noting that the results will help the agency craft a strategic expansion plan. Its executive director, Kelli Fairless, envisions a regional bus network with frequent service along the Caldwell-East Boise urban corridor and transit hub links to rural areas. He estimates local costs at a minimum of $16 million and up to $34 million, depending on the system's scope, with another $16 million for a light rail. How to get the money is another matter. ''People say they want the service, but when you ask them about the funding, you get ambivalence,'' he remarks, concerned that poll respondents remained cold about funding sources, especially about any tax increase. The writer adds that transit advocates have thought about seeking 2002 legislation to authorize a local vote for tax-related transit funding, but decided to wait at least until next year.   2/26/2002

Resource(s): http://204.228.236.37/story.asp?ID=6108

Idaho Planners Find Few Who Participate, Many Who Complain

After several hearings and surveys last year, planners from the public-private Rathdrum Prairie Project visioning group are frustrated that ''too few people participate in the planning and too many complain about the results,'' with the group's task made tougher by a disconnect between Rathdrum and other cities over the best land use for this 250-square-mile area. In its just-released comprehensive plan, Rathdrum sets new guidelines to preserve agriculture and a belt of open space, reports Spokesman-Review writer Benjamin Shore, quoting city planning director Jan Hale, who says farming ''gives the neighborhood a rural character'' and is ''very, very important to people.'' But as Sandpoint, Hayden and Coeur d'Alene subdivisions continue to expand along the prairie's eastern and southern edges, so do conflicts over agriculture, with residents flooding ''hotlines each year with complaints'' about farmers burning field stubble in the late summer. Another problem arises from the 1973 zoning of a five-mile strip along state Highway 53 on the prairie's northern edge for heavy industrial use, with a 250,000-gallon railway diesel depot and another multi- million-gallon petroleum product storage facility sitting atop the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for 400,000 people in this Idaho-Washington State region. Both Kootenai County planning director Rand Wichman and a planning project leader, Tom Hale of Utah-based Swaner Design, stress that the prairie's future depends on community and that local residents must identify what to develop and what to protect.   2/25/2002

Resource(s): www.spokesmanreview.com/

New Park Plan Would Expand Open Spaces in Meridian, Idaho

As part of their efforts to ensure orderly growth and quality of life over the next 20 years, Meridian officials are likely to expand its meager open space by funding about ten 20-to-30-acre city parks and 50 miles of trails, while encouraging developers to pay for small neighborhood parks in new subdivisions. The Parks and Recreation Commission's action plan, just approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission, would cost more than $37 million, with the first four parks, in the priority areas slated for most growth in the next six years, requiring $6.7 million. Noting that the national average of urban parkland is 8-10 acres per 1,000 residents, Idaho Statesman writer Jonathan Brunt quotes Meridian parks and recreation director Tom Kuntz, who expects the city to improve its parkland per capita ratio from less than an acre in 1998, to 2.4 acres this year, about 4 acres in six years and 8 acres by 2020. The writer also quotes Westpark development project manager Matt Schultz, who says the company-city split of the $1.3 million cost of a 19-acre park is ''a great asset,'' since the subdivision will be marketed with a city park in it. The City Council will consider the parks action plan later this month or in March.   2/5/2002

Resource(s): www.idahostaesman.com/

Neighborhood Centers Offered In Plan to Curb Meridian, Idaho Sprawl

As Meridian's 264-percent population jump to 35,000 last decade made the city prosperous but also diminished some of its small-town aura, officials are hoping to save the rest with their new comprehensive plan, which would curb sprawl and traffic congestion by keeping most growth in 15 proposed mixed-use, walkable ''neighborhood centers.'' Describing Meridian's current, 1993 comprehensive plan as too vague to check sprawl and the city's newer sections as ''seas of single-family homes broken up by islands of strip retail businesses,'' Idaho Statesman writers Jonathan Brunt and Craig Quintana quote Planning Director Shari Stiles, who says neighborhood centers were suggested by people ''tired of mile after mile of single-family, strip development.'' To win developers' support, the city's Planning and Zoning Commission promised them fast-track application approvals and other incentives for neighborhood centers, while adding a plan provision to allow other area projects if they include more open space, pathways and similar amenities. At the same time, the commission recommended against an urban service boundary sought by city planners, considering it needless if the city complies with the plan's ''growth-from-the-inside out'' principle and stops approvals for far- flung projects. With a series of City Council hearings under way, to get the final public input and fine-tune the plan, director Stiles hopes that in the future Meridian ''will have more of a grid system with more mixed use and not an endless sea of cul-de-sacs.''   1/29/2002

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com/

Walkable Neighborhoods, Nearby Schools and Stores are Goals of Idaho Development

As an Ada County group of officials, planners, developers and landowners shapes a development blueprint for a 12-square-mile rural area west of Boise, where more than 47,000 people may settle by 2020, County Highway District Commissioner David Wynkoop emphasizes that the success of the emerging North Meridian Plan may hinge on local governments' willingness to modify their land-use strategies. Whatever the plan prescribes, he said at the county and highway district commissioners meeting, "we all need to be on the same page." Idaho Statesman writer Craig Quintana reports that according to a traffic study by Washington Infrastructure Services, current land-use rules in the area allow 17,557 new homes, 2.96 million square feet of offices, 1.9 million square feet of retail space and 16 schools. Also, the North Meridian Plan coordinator, Mike Wardle, notes the need for higher densities to "achieve the planning goals of walkable neighborhoods with schools, jobs and stores in close proximity."   11/6/2001

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.co

Plans for downtown Boise redevelopment move forward

Plans for downtown Boise redevelopment move forward, with the California-based Civic Partners Idaho seeking Ada County and City Council approvals for a $140 million two- building mixed-use project that would include 307 apartments, retail space, parking garages and large public plazas next to the new county courthouse. Some of the apartments, ranging from 500 to 800 square feet and built with city tax credit aid, would be set aside for low-income renters. They would complement a planned satellite campus for the University of Idaho and Idaho State University across the street and an office complex for federal and state natural resource management agencies nearby. The project could get under way early next year. Idaho Statesman writer Martin Johncox notes that Civic Partners, which focuses on downtown redevelopment in cooperation with public agencies, is also working on projects in Modesto and Stockton, California, Bettendorff, Iowa, and Wichita, Kansas   10/18/2001

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com

Seeking Bus Transit in Blaine County, Idaho

State House Democratic Minority Leader Wendy Jacquet is counting on support from the Association of Idaho Cities and the Idaho Association of Counties for her legislation to let Blaine County voters authorize a sales tax or a use tax to pay for a Bellevue-Ketchum bus system -- a proposal that would also help other counties seek tax funds for public transportation. She envisages a one percent maximum tax for five years, with an exemption for the county's southern ranch area. At the same time, Blaine County Commissioner Sarah Michael is pledging $25,000 in seed money for a Bellevue-Ketchum morning and evening rush-hour bus service, to be launched next August. She expects federal and other grants to match local contributions. Businesses buying bus passes for their employees would get a $65 tax credit per pass. The first contributors to the rush-hour bus service program include Blaine County Teen Advisory Committee and Blaine County Citizens for Smart Growth.   10/2/2001

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com

Smart Growth Developments Make Money for Idaho Developers

Neo-traditional pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods can make a lot of money for developers, three of them asserted at a planning workshop in Boise, estimating the number of likely buyers on the New Urbanist market at 25 to 33 percent. Developer Joseph Duckworth, whose Arcadia Land Co. recently bought a controlling share in the 1,844-acre Hidden Springs project in the western Foothills, slated for 1,035 homes and 900 acres of open space, stressed that he is "not a New Urbanist by birth or religion," but "a profit making capitalist." Still, a planner for the 1,740-acre, 3,500-home Harris Ranch project in East Boise, Mike Wardle, warned that builders must know each area's potential instead of simply taking the New Urbanist concept "out of the book" and expecting it "to work everywhere." He also expressed some concerns about Hidden Springs as not "fitting into the urban fabric" of Boise. Arcadia's principal partner, Robert Davis, responded that Hidden Springs will eventually become a "free-standing" town with transit links to the city. All three agreed, writes Idaho Statesman reporter Craig Quintana, that local standards that favor wide suburban highways for fast traffic hinder the creation of "tight-knit" neo-traditional communities, with Davis calling low-density development that has gobbled up countryside over the past five decades "a form of cultural vandalism."   10/2/2001

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com

Suburban sprawl is inducing a sedentary lifestyle ...

Suburban sprawl is inducing a sedentary lifestyle, making adults and children in car-dependent suburbs walk and exercise less, which increases their risk of obesity, heart disorders and other illnesses, and costs the nation $150 billion a year in health-related societal expenses, said a health scientist from the federal Centers for Disease Control, Richard Killingsworth, at a forum held by the City Club of Boise and Idaho Smart Growth. He cited the center's ongoing research, along with data he and Jean Lamming published in the July issue of Urban Land. Although 25 percent of trips are shorter than a mile, 75 percent of them are made by car. Among adults, 61 percent are overweight and almost 25 percent obese. Among children, 25 percent are overweight and only 10 percent walk or bike to school, in contrast to a majority a generation ago. The number of states with 15 percent of their populations obese jumped from four in 1991 to 49 last year. Inactivity has become second to smoking as a factor in disease or premature death, claiming more than 200,000 lives, or about 10 percent of the yearly toll, by 1996. As part of the center's Active Community Environment initiative, reports Craig Quintana of The Idaho Statesman, the scientist outlined a five-prong strategy for improving national fitness. Design neighborhoods where schools and stores can be reached without cars; make places pedestrian-friendly with attractive plazas and sidewalks; reacquaint children with outdoors and local nature; ensure that they can safely walk or bike to school; and make whole neighborhoods busier and thus safer, since local activity deters crimes.   10/2/2001

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com

With both activist and developer support, Meridian ...

With both activist and developer support, Meridian -- whose population jumped from 9,600 to 37,700 in the last decade -- is aiming to update its comprehensive plan with smart growth components, one of which would allow creation of "neighborhood centers," or clusters of homes, stores and businesses in the middle of arterial blocks, to give people a chance to walk, while cutting clogs at major intersections. The director of the University of Idaho Urban Research and Design Center in Boise, Sherry McKibben, said at a Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission's public hearing that such mixed-use neighborhood centers would ensure public "access to commercial areas without having to go by car." Co-director of Boise-based Idaho Smart Growth, Elaine Clegg, pointed out that the common practice of building commercial intersections worsens traffic congestion and obstructs mobility, which may eventually hurt area businesses. Commercial developer Larry Durkin, owner of the Boise-based Dakota Group, which has built many big Fred Meyer stores, said he has switched from opposition to support of neighborhood centers, having learned from city planners that the proposal is flexible enough to allow bigger stores. The plan's other smart growth updates, reports Idaho Statesman writer Herbert Atienza, would encourage development inside a designated urban loop; facilitate the creation of a city-wide bike and pathway system linking neighborhoods and public destinations; identify sites for transit stations and Park&Ride lots; and promote quality housing for all income levels.   9/5/2001

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com

Under President Bush's watch, "we combined thought ...

Under President Bush's watch, "we combined thought with action, so that Americans are inspired to be self-motivated stewards ... we work in partnership to manage our lands and ... we are environmentally responsible in developing energy resources," said Interior Secretary Gale Norton in a speech at the Western Governors' Association annual conference in Coeur d'Alene, pledging to work closely with states on all decisions about federal lands, while reiterating that national monuments designated in the last days of Clinton presidency won't be affected. The administration, she said, will concentrate on managing the monuments to minimize their impact on local governments and landowners. The conference, attended by 13 western governors and six premiers of Canadian provinces -- with Alaska, California, Colorado, Kansas, Texas and Washington governors absent -- focused on wildfire management and energy transmission issues. The western association's chairman, Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne, told reporters that a single fire season can cost his state as big an expanse of burned-out land as Rhode Island -- enough for 100,000 homes. He also pointed out that power and natural gas lines across the West have reached their capacity. Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn added that redressing the region's energy shortages will require long-term planning and new transmission facilities for power from plants coming online in the next two years.   8/16/2001

Resource(s): www.idahostatesman.com

In a move regretted by General Electric ...

In a move regretted by General Electric, but lauded by top New York State politicians and national environmental leaders, EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman backed the previous administration's $460-million plan to dredge 2.65 million cubic yards of PCB-laced sediment from a 40-mile stretch of the Hudson River north of Albany, while opting for dredging in stages to assess work effectiveness. The Associated Press reports that the revised plan may remain unofficial until late September to give state leaders time to study its details. The General Electric Co, which contaminated the northern Hudson River with 1.3 million pounds of PCBs from its two power plants before Congress banned the chemicals in 1977, would have to pay most of the cleanup costs. In a statement, the company stressed that it has already spent $200 million on cleanup research and restoration projects in the past 20 years, blamed the agency for disregarding "sound science" and local voices, and urged it to make the decision available for broad public review. New York Republican Representative John Sweeney, in whose district PCB waste may be stored, expressed similar sentiments. In contrast, Republican Governor George Pataki, who had personally promoted a major dredging, called the decision "an important victory for a clean and healthy Hudson River." Environmental groups issued similar statements. Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope said EPA "took a monumental step toward protecting New Yorkers from cancer-causing PCBs." Natural Resources Defense Council Executive Director Frances Beinecke applauded "Administrator Whitman for standing by science and her staff in holding General Electric accountable, even if the "stepped approach may move slower than we had wished." Audubon Society New York Executive Director David J. Miller emphasized Governor Pataki's "critical role in the final outcome," while commending the Administrator both for her "courageous decision" and "improvements to the proposed EPA action," whose phasing-in will allow "performance monitoring of the clean-up effort, and minimize disruption to the navigational channel."   8/6/2001

Resource(s): www.sierraclub.org

Notwithstanding President Bush's decision to let his ...

Notwithstanding President Bush's decision to let his predecessor's ban on logging, mining and road-building on 58.5 million acres of federal forest take effect May 13, while the government continues the ban's review, Idaho's U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge granted the state, the Boise Cascade timber company and other plaintiffs an injunction, with the trial date to be set by the end of June. Encouraging the Justice Department to proceed with the review and possible amendments, the judge ruled that allowing the ban now would be to ignore that "once something of this magnitude is set in motion, momentum is irresistible, options are closed and agency commitments, if not set in concrete, will be the subject of litigation for the years to come." For an official of the timber industry's American Forest Resource Council, Chris West, the judge's decision is evidence that the ban was "clearly illegal." For Sierra Club director Carl Pope, the decision "means the chain saw can roar while the timber industry tries to dismantle a popular effort to protect our last wild forests." Washington State Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell urged the Justice Department to appeal the decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. An official said the department is reviewing the decision and declined further comment.   5/14/2001

Resource(s): archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com

Lifted by a 29-percent population surge ...

Lifted by a 29-percent population surge to fifth place among the fastest-growing states last decade, Idaho is tasting increased traffic congestion and air pollution; its political and business leaders are seeking a balance between the economy and the environment; and the state's Smart Growth Coalition, supported by former Democratic governor and interior secretary Cecil Andrus, "is pushing for denser development in downtown Boise and improved transit to suburbs." But the coalition, reports Associated Press writer Brandon Loomis from Boise, "is skeptical about the odds of reducing traffic and pollution." Its co-coordinator Jon Barrett fears that Boise, with outdoor recreation all around, will share the fate of his native Seattle, where he would "get into the backcountry, get my blood pressure down, and then I'd get in my car and battle traffic to get home." He adds that anti-sprawl and pro-transit forces face a tough job in traditionally conservative and "tax averse" Idaho, with the nation's most Republican legislature. On the other hand, the writer notes, Boise has a bus system; its new commuter shuttle to Meridian and Nampa attracted more riders than expected; developers are banking on downtown amenities; and cities, counties and highway districts are debating "transportation policy and urban design" before Boise metro's population tops a half million. Another Seattle retiree, former Chamber of Commerce president Mike Wilson, who helps coordinate growth-management discussions between government and business, predicts a great future for the state and Boise. "There is a good healthy mix of understanding that you grow or you die," he says, "and yet you've got to grow with some intelligence."archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com   3/22/2001

Resource(s): archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com

Coeur d'Alene's downtown redevelopment plan must also ...

Coeur d'Alene's downtown redevelopment plan must also spark revival of the adjacent old neighborhoods -- once their residents' pride, but now suffering from blight, neglect and crime -- report Spokesman-Review writers Angie Gaddy and Thomas Clouse. In past decades, as the area lost its mining and logging jobs, and the city grew northward, many neighborhood homeowners left and began renting out their World War II-vintage homes. Over time, most of those homes fell into disrepair, got boarded up or were turned into drug labs, with their lawns used as junkyards. According to experts, the city should take the lead to ensure the revival of old residential neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are crucial to the city's livability, says the director of the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association, Malcolm Johnstone. They need low-interest and home-improvement city loans, which would encourage private reinvestment by owners and others, says a Portland State University urban planning professor, Carl Abbott, who also advises stricter code enforcement. They could become very attractive for people who want easy access to everything, notes real estate agent Marshall Mend, calling the city "a bargain" and "one of the best buys in the country for what we have to offer."   12/20/2000

Resource(s): www.spokesmanreview.com

The Coeur d'Alene urban renewal plan combines ...

The Coeur d'Alene urban renewal plan combines 12 land- use, economic, environmental and social goals that should ensure the area's long-term sustainability. According to The Spokesman-Review, the city aims to assemble land parcels "suitable for efficient, integrated development;" strengthen the area's economic base through site improvements to stimulate business and job growth; set aside adequate land for parks, open space, walkways and parking; set high design, environmental and other site criteria that will ensure "unity and integrity" of the entire renewal project; urge funding for arts programs; find remedies for the area's environmental deficiencies, including obsolete buildings, substandard streets and inadequate public facilities; bolster the area's tax base by encouraging private development; upgrade streets and other infrastructure; improve transportation, including vehicle, bike and pedestrian traffic flow; enhance the area's aesthetics; and do everything possible "to arrest decay and deterioration and the impairment of sound growth."   12/12/2000

Resource(s): www.spokesmanreview.com

In an ongoing Kootenai County debate on ...

In an ongoing Kootenai County debate on saving the Rathdrum Prairie from sprawl, the former director of the Panhandle Health District, Larry M. Belmont, writes in The Spokesman-Review that open space means different things to different people, but the prairie's future depends on them all. He writes that Idaho Smart Growth leaders Elaine Clegg and Jon Barrett differentiate between a political and nonpolitical definition of open space, opting for the latter, which covers farmland and any other land not significantly built upon. The project director for the Northern Rockies, developer Bill Diehl, excludes farmland and other private land from the open space definition, limiting it to the publicly owned natural environment, such as greenbelts, land use buffers, parks, trails or golf courses. State Representative Wayne Meyer, a family prairie farmer, says they are reluctant to build on the prairie because once we put up a building, it is no longer open space. The author says these views are compatible as part of the total community definition of open space under consideration by the citizen advisory committee for the Rathdrum Prairie project's implementation strategy. The author concludes that the public clearly wants to preserve open space, but if so, the public should buy it.   12/8/2000

Resource(s): www.spokesmanreview.com

At the recent growth-management workshops in Coeur ...

At the recent growth-management workshops in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Smart Growth leaders Elaine Clegg and Jon Barrett defined urban sprawl as segregated, low- density development, leap-frogging other developed areas and consuming a substantial amount of land. They make clear that their nonprofit group isn't trying to halt growth, but simply to educate residents about growth issues and alternatives. The Idaho Smart Growth educational drive complements Kootenai County's efforts to involve the public in protecting the Rathdrum Prairie from sprawl. Planning Director Cheri Howell pointed out that the county confronted the growth-management problem two years ago by forming a 30-member advisory committee for the Rathdrum Prairie Implementation Strategy. Since February, another county-appointed residents' group has been engaged in the strategy's three-phase review and scheduling process. After analyzing prairie conditions in phase one, the group will draw an opportunity and constraints map in phase two, and standardize and coordinate the prairie's several jurisdictional rules and regulations in phase three.   11/7/2000

Resource(s): www.spokesmanreview.com

Smart growth rejects the divisive pro-growth vs ...

Smart growth rejects the divisive pro-growth vs. anti- growth debate and recognizes the positive aspects of growth while looking for answers to the liabilities through dialogue, offering all involved a middle way, writes Idaho Smart Growth co-coordinator Jon Barrett in the Spokane Spokesman-Review, describing his recent Kootenai County tour. He told his audiences that the environment can be protected while respecting private property rights and that smart growth advocates strive to transform growth-related liabilities into assets by recognizing links between development, transportation and quality of life; preserving future choices; protecting a unique sense of place; strengthening community social fabric; using innovative strategies to save farmland and open space; and increasing long-term economic vitality.   10/10/2000

Resource(s): www.spokane.net

Fleshing out the middle way message of ...

Fleshing out the middle way message of Idaho Smart Growth co-leader Jon Barrett to Coeur d'Alene-Spokane-region residents, the Spokane Spokesman-Review also publishes the group's list of the ten things they can do to encourage smart growth. They can renovate and remodel their homes before buying new; shop at local shops rather than superstores; buy local farm products to help farmers keep farmland; link with neighbors and volunteer to build community life; walk or bike wherever possible; give time and resources to strengthen local schools; seek a diverse community with mixed housing types and income levels; support urban land conservation through infill, renovation, compact design and redevelopment; and get involved in community political processes and decisions affecting quality of life.   10/10/2000

Resource(s): www.spokane.net

A state poll by a group of ...

A state poll by a group of news organizations found that 62 percent of Idaho residents best like its environment, wilderness and open space. But how can we preserve these natural treasures, asks Ken Sands of the Spokane News editorial board, noting that Kootenai County continues its fast growth and that an identical 62 percent statewide worry about their children's economic future, with angry protests in small towns devastated by job losses in the timber industry. The editor points out that for some quality of life means more green space and recreational opportunities, but for others simply plentiful jobs that pay a living wage. Then he writes, We must stop feeding the politics of polarization and realize that compromise and balance are critical to planning adequately for Idaho's future. He hopes that community leaders have the foresight to avoid the state's Californization.   9/25/2000

Resource(s): www.spokane.net

Responding to developer John Stone's concerns that ...

Responding to developer John Stone's concerns that infrastructure in his 74-acre mixed-use Riverstone project along Northwest Boulevard is costly but unprofitable, the Coeur d'Alene's Urban Redevelopment Agency promised to reimburse him with $1.5 million for open space landscaping and street improvements through tax increment financing, or TIF. The agency's officials expect the redevelopment of the former mill site, with about $6-million in land costs, will create many jobs and exceed a $100 million in value on completion. As its property taxes increase, the developer will receive 75 percent of the increments and 6-percent interest annually until the agency meets its commitment in full. (September 2000)   9/12/2000

Facing a $200,000 a year budget shortage ...

Facing a $200,000 a year budget shortage, managers of the Harriman State Park think lodges or a visitor center on its pristine grounds would attract more visitors and help cover the deficit. Deputy Parks and Recreation Director Bill Dokken says that soundly managed development wouldn't hurt the park. Others strongly disagree. Officials of the Henry's Fork Foundation, created in 1984 to save the river from development, call the park "an economic engine" for the region and want it supported by angler and hiker fees. River guide Mike Lawson says the park's charm depends on its lack of power lines and parking lots. He would like to see state subsidies for the park. Activists quote Rolland Harriman as once having said that his family donated its 11,700-acre ranch for the park in 1961 because "we just could not face the prospect of its becoming nothing more than an uncontrolled real estate development with hot dog stands and cheap honky-tonks."   1/14/2000

The Sun Valley-based Environmental News Network, ENN ...

The Sun Valley-based Environmental News Network, ENN, posted on its web site a three-part series on urban sprawl -- "To Sprawl or Not to Sprawl," "Creating Sprawl," and "Sprawling Solutions." Citing data and experts, the author, Charles Lockwood, eloquently and persuasively argues that sprawl "is one of the most wasteful uses of land ever devised." He writes, "You know sprawl when you see it. You drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic on a congested suburban highway past an endless strip of fast-food restaurants, gasoline stations and strip shopping centers, all surrounded by thousands of parked cars, and you know you've found sprawl." We are in this mess, he continues, because of the post-World War II stampede to suburbs, sparked by a package of G.I-friendly housing measures and accelerated by massive federal and state funding for highway systems, and because "the sprawl lifestyle has been mandated by zoning codes" and supported by state and local tax structures. We can reduce the mess, he hopes, with such Smart Growth solutions as comprehensive regional planning, urban growth boundaries, infill and downtown development, and concentrating high-density mixed-use projects near transit. Details at www.enn.com/features   11/3/1999

Boise, Òa city in transition,Ó is promoting ...

Boise, Òa city in transition,Ó is promoting its small-town charm, while diversifying its economy and encouraging growth. The city's population grew from 170,000 to 270,000 in this decade, creating a construction boom, which includes remodeling. The restored downtown has become the city's cultural hub, with galleries, sidewalk cafes and night life. Some older neighborhoods seem to be Òstraight out of Norman Rockwell's America,Ó with tree-lined streets, brick homes, garages in the back, parks and businesses nearby. New developments at the south and west edges of the city, and in the foothills, are also in high demand. But being mostly Òbedroom communities,Ó they cause rush-hour congestion around downtown or raise infrastructure and environmental concerns. These fuel a development backlash, Òespecially against big projects on the books.Ó The city's first 1997 comprehensive plan and a proposed ÒFoothills Development PlanÓ aim to prevent such problems and coordinate future residential growth.   12/1/1998

Idaho Smart Growth is a statewide non-profit ...

Idaho Smart Growth is a statewide non-profit organization whose mission is to build the capacity of Idahoans to shape the future of their communities as they envision it, to increase public awareness of the links between land use, transportation and the quality of life, and to promote thoughtful long-range planning at the local, regional and state levels.   3/1/1998

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