Growth
Progress To Some, Ruination To Others
Photo Essay by DAVID R. FRAZIER, editor We took a little tour of our downtown area recently and sadly realized it is nearly impossible to see the foothills or much of any horizon thanks to the big city apartments and other structures. The state capitol used to be the centerpiece of the Boise skyline, but […]
More Down Thoughts For Up Zone Plan
The Guardian has been a long time proponent of allowing citizens to vote on issues as profound as the proposed up zone. City officials seem to be taking a lesson from the Idaho Legislature when it comes allowing citizen votes. Guest Opinion by KATIE FITE Why I will urge the Planning and Zoning Commission to […]
Density To Rival New York?
The following guest opinion was submitted to Boise officials as testimony regarding the proposed zoning ordinance change. Guess Opinion by KEN PIDJEON Boise currently allows between 15 to 45 dwelling units per acre, sometimes more, and under the proposed Zoning Code those numbers remain but, in some cases, unlimited density is allowed. Contrast Boise with […]
What Happened To Our “Boise Way?”
Guest Opinion by RICARDO OCHOA On the road it meant driving with intelligence and realizing the speed limit is not a suggestion. Your turn signals are meant to be used in a timely manner. One of the most basic ways to be respectful is to use your turn signal. We can’t read your mind. So […]
Stand Against The UpZone Plan
Guest Opinion by HENRI WIEBE As citizens, we must speak out against the proposed city lead zone code rewrite, which seems to be based on a premise as ridiculous as the plot of the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Just like the three convicts in the film, we have been duped into believing that […]
Micron Growth Not Necessarily Good News
BOISEDEV has an excellent report with preliminary details of MICRON’S proposed expansion which will rival the Pentagon in size. While some may see the expansion as a coup for Boise, the GUARDIAN fears the expansion and all it will entail will change the culture and character of our beloved city and state. There are many […]
Inflation Is Issue At Barber Park
Officials at Boise and Ada County are at odds over inflation at Barber Park. Not financial or taxes, but air pressure. Several Boise Councilors have had informal meets with Ada Commishes and County Park board members regarding the plug being pulled on free compressors three years ago at Barber Park. Boise contends tubers and rafters […]
City Workers Coming And Going
This cryptic note came in Monday and got us to thinking. “Please start a thread on Guardian regarding where are the City dept heads. Yes, the Police Chief has problems, but what about Fire Chief? Did he ever move into the city? Earn a bachelor’s degree? These were the posted requirements, but?” We noticed on […]
Election (or not) With No Voters Is Possible
The May 17 election is set to include a ballot measure seeking bonding authority for nearly $ billion to build a development of about 7,000 homes in a development called “Spring Valley” north of Eagle. At last check the GUARDIAN found the Ada County election office could not find any “qualified electors” living within the […]
Council Studies Trailer Park Purchase
Citing a need to preserve low-cost affordable housing, Boise City Councilors discussed the purchase of a trailer park in the Vista neighborhood at Shoshone and Malad at a recent work session. Council President Elaine Clegg said, “This is a great opportunity to secure a revenue source for taxpayers and preserve shelter for our unhoused community […]
Dollars For Death, Ada Is Stiffed
Ada County has yet to turn a shovel full of dirt on the new Coroner’s facility approved by the previous county commishes in 2020, but they have spent in excess of $1,000,000 in rental payments. The funding scheme subverts the Idaho Constitutional requirement to seek voter approval for debt in excess of one year. The […]
Corporate Giveaways, No Workers
We find it perplexing that when we have a “worker shortage” and a shortage of “affordable housing,” the state and local politicos are offering tax breaks to corporate billionaires to move to the Boise area. The recent announcement of a Meta data center moving to Kuna would be great if the predicted 100 workers were […]
Promoting Growth While Lamenting Lack Of Housing
Open letter to Airport Director Rebecca Hupp from David Klinger On an otherwise quiet Wednesday evening in September 2019, I returned from a trip to Warsaw, Poland, to the Boise Airport. I was one of only a handful of returning passengers at the baggage claim carousel around 6 p.m. that evening. Yet sparse airport attendance […]
Boise Mayor’s Secret Trip Betrays Public Trust
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean has betrayed a public trust by entering into a secret agreement with an unknown business while depriving citizens of any knowledge of attempts to increase population and demand for services in the city. Her allegiance appears to be to corporate America rather than the citizens of Boise since she has a […]
Water Bond Has Gravitational Force
The GUARDIAN has a basic understanding of gravity and understands water runs downhill (downstream). The largest bond in the history of local government in Idaho seeks authority to build a sewer treatment plant in the eastern part of Boise. It is the ONLY item on the November 2 ballot which can be voted upon by […]
City Defeats Voters Prior To Bond Election, “Cash or Credit?”
The politicos at Boise City have pulled off a brilliant strong arm move without voters even being aware they have lost the power of the purse. See the story below for details, but here’s what it all means. Following all the rules for “transparency,” the council has decided to spend upwards of $810 million for […]
Dirty Tricks On Clean Water
In a classic “fox guarding the hen house” move, Boise city councilors favoring a sewer bond to accommodate development and increased population have approved a ballot proposal with no input from the public or folks who may be opposed to increasing public debt. Labeling the proposed sewer funding hike totaling $810 MILLION as “water renewal,” […]
Latest #1: Most Over Priced Real Estate
Boise has made another “Top Ten” list, this time for the most over priced real estate, according to FORTUNE Magazine. We get a kick out of listening to the radio ads for real estate agencies claiming to get the “highest prices” for the houses they sell. Simple logic would suggest that BUYERS avoid those agencies. […]
Lament Of A Growthophobe (A Rant)
The GUARDIAN created the word “growthophobe,” welcomed new people and businesses if they wished to pay their fair share of taxes and offer good wages. Otherwise relocate elsewhere. Meanwhile local politico mothers and fathers work overtime to attract more population, cars, trains, planes, and buses through “incentives.” They want those of us who live here […]
SW Boise: “We Get No Respect”
GUEST OPINION By Rachael Grotsky, Chief Administrative Officer of Friends of Murgoitio Park, and David King, President Recent news articles have injudiciously placed the problem of annexation squarely on the shoulders of county-dwellers, claiming that the City of Boise has repeatedly shelved the annexation process because residents fought it so hard. The issue is more […]
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