Comments on: Big Lie Continues

By: Treva

Treva — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 00:36:57 +0000

I worked at Broadbent Development Co. in the 70’s when BRA – now known as CCDC, was buying all the old buldings downtown. Broadbent was a family company and all the old members owned bonds in the company and received income every year. Eventually all properties owned were sold to the BRA, some income was reinvested, but the company eventually went under, after I had moved on, thankfully. Even after all these years I have no idea what benefit this Boise Redevelopment Agency/Capital City Development Co. has had for the city of Boise or its inhabitants. A few people have moved into political positions – a few took a salary and moved on. Perhaps someone out there with a better memory than mine will explain what all that was about. I really liked Boise better in 1973, although my daughter, who visited here this summer, thinks downtown is quite European and charming, so perhaps I am living in the dark ages.

By: Sharon Ullman

Sharon Ullman — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 12:49:38 +0000

On Sunday morning I sent the following e-mail message to the writer of the Statesman article, and copied it to editorial page editor Kevin Richert:

In your Sunday article about BoDo, you wrote, “The project will also boost Boise property tax revenues, create hundreds of jobs and is expected to trigger new Downtown residential and commercial construction.” Although the property owners will pay property taxes like everyone else, the project will not boost Boise property tax revenues at all. Most of the money generated in the city’s three urban renewal districts goes to CCDC, which in turn offers incentives (like parking garages and streetscaping) to developers to build projects like BoDo in Downtown Boise. The method CCDC uses to skim off the tax money is called “tax-increment” financing, and all the rest of the taxpayers in Boise City and Ada County end up having to subsidize the property owners in the urban renewal districts. We end up paying for their fire, police and EMS services, since only a fraction of the property taxes they pay goes to the city and the county. It would be great to see a follow-up article that fully explains tax-increment financing and details where the additional money generated by BoDo is really going.

Just my two cents worth on the project itself: I’m sure that people who live in the north end and southeast Boise will enjoy going to the new, closer, Edwards theatre complex in BoDo, and there will be people who visit all the new stores and restaurants, but I wonder about the long-term success of this project. It reminds me of the ParkCenter Mall that has struggled for years to retain tenants. Boise Towne Square is centrally located, and everything is there in one place for shopping and restaurants. Want to go to a newer movie theater and you live in the Southwest Community, west Boise, or Meridian? Edwards 21 and the Majestic are closer and parking is free. I don’t recall that anyone I know has said they are anxiously anticipating the opening of BoDo. In fact, some of my friends and I have had conversations that are quite the opposite. (i.e. Who would want to go there? The location is inconvenient because you have to deal with downtown traffic and pay to park, and the name is stupid. It sounds like “Bozo” – the clown!)

That was where my communication with the Statesman about their error ended. As of today, Tuesday, I have heard nothing back and have seen no evidence in the online version of the Statesman that the paper has printed a correction about the property tax issue. Perhaps someone else has seen a correction that I missed. I’d like to know if anyone has (sharonu@cableone.net) Not only do the politicians need to be held accountable, but the media as well.

By: Not Impressed with DODO

Not Impressed with DODO — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 03:32:12 +0000

Mr Mapp is very supportive of this type of development. It keeps the Chamber of Commerce happy by making them think downtown is growing while the CCDC collects the tax revenue and makes out like a bandit.

This is just another ploy where the “city” thinks smarter than the real people and they will not pay attention anyway.

They are sooo smart that they think that these BODO businesses will actually make it……let’s see if they too go the way of the DODO when Meridian, Eagle and Nampa continue to shift the popoulation to the west.

Maybe building 10,000 more “condos” in a dead downtown will help…or maybe the light rail will save downtown or maybe this will just be yet another example of the Blueprint for GOOFY Growth!