Business
Give Me More, Give Me Bigger!!
October 26, 2005 
Like the odor from the sugar factory and feedlots, we have become inured (for you non-library types that’s “accustomed to something unpleasant”) to the effects of growth in Idaho.
Easy to sound like an old fart that wants to return to the “good old days” on this issue, but folks we are assaulted daily with announcements of new developments which–no other way to say it–DEGRADE OUR QUALITY OF LIFE.
Here a few from the mainstream media of the past few days:
–Developers plan 473 homes and a convention center at Garden Valley smack dab in the middle of a cattle ranch pasture. Say so long to the deer and elk at South Fork Landing.
–Tamarack sells $129 million worth of condos in a retail development on West Mountain near Cascade. Meanwhile the state is dealing with the feds to trade 18 square miles of Boise National Forest land so Tamarack will have a better chance at using even more public lands for the French and Mexican developers who are selling to big money out of staters, further reducing deer and wildlife habitat.
–Arizona Developer Sun Cor is nearing approval from Ada County to populate the foothills with up to 30,000 nature loving people at Spring Valley Ranch along Highway 55 on and around Horseshoe Bend Hill. Deer can take another hike.
–There is a “planned development” (love that term) called Hammer Flats stirring above Lucky Peak Dam. Screw the damn deer!
–Kohls department store is seeking to put up a 96,000 square foot retail outlet at Utstick and Eagle Road. Meridian politicians will be hard pressed to turn it down since taxes are predicted to be $100,000 a year. Like we need more traffic on the busiest road in Idaho!
–Two gas fired electricity power plants are up for approval in Southeast Boise.
–A giant coal fired plant is on the application trail at Jerome. This is a biggie and while the tributary stream media in the Sun Valley area have covered it along with the small stream Times-News in Twin Falls, we have, seen nothing from the main stream Idaho Statesman or Boise TV stations. The application is currently before state regulatory agencies and is moving ahead with little public scrutiny thanks to a lazy press. The applicant, Sempra, is a California firm and apparently the power is destined for the Golden State as well. Talk about Californicate!
All this is just in the past week or so! These things have a common underlying sinister thread: Since nearly two-thirds of Idaho land is government owned, that means 100% of the people have to live on 33% of the land. Very little room to “spread out” upon. More people means more demand for electricity, roads, water, sewer.
Net effect is when population doubles we simply get squeezed tighter. On paper Idaho appears to be “sparsely populated,” but when you consider ALL our population is jammed into relatively small areas which total only one-third of the state, we are just like suburban California or the crowded Eastern Seaboard. Not a pretty thought to many of us.
Developers are learning the secret Idaho ranchers knew for years–the easiest way to use and control government land is to own some private land next door. That way you can get cheap leases and not be constrained to the measly one-third of the state that is private.
Meanwhile Bambi has a smaller and smaller back yard in which to play.
Ed note: The GUARDIAN does not have a position on the power plants, but we offer a link to a site that is AGAINST it as a reader service. If there is a “pro” site we will link to that as well.
http://nocoalforidaho.org/
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Oct 26, 2005, 11:34 am
It would be a completely separate situation if the infrastructure was in place to handle developments such as the Kohls, but all we get is empty promises from ACHD that they’ll be working on the intersections.
Why must everything be along Eagle anyway? Can’t P&Z place some retail in West Meridian; take some pressure off Eagle as a retail hub?
Oct 26, 2005, 1:17 pm
Geezers unite! As a lifelong Boise resident, I’ve observed how the very quality-of-life that people gravitate to this area for has deteriorated as those people have arrived. Boise was a WAY nicer place to live, back before the Taco Bell Arena, the Connector, the Towne Square, and the oceans of rooftops.
(“Sure – Boise sucks! But you oughtta see the hell-hole we’re moving AWAY from!!”)
It’s a dilemma… as a libertarian-type, I’m against telling people what they can do with their land. But at the same time, it’s frustrating to observe that the Boise I love – my home town – has pretty much gone the way of the Edsel and the passenger pigeon. Same thing with Nampa, Meridian, Cascade, etc. The whole geography of the area has changed.
Regarding adjacency to “public lands” – I see where Carole King, songwriter, “singer,” (I use the term loosely) and occasional-Idaho-dwelling land-use expert, is poised to testify in D.C. against Mike Simpson’s wilderness bill. She’s going to announce that it’s not NEARLY enough wilderness… that the area should be doubled, or tripled. And then, of course, she’ll retire to her Robinson Bar Ranch where she can sit in her hot tub, overlooking the adjacent Sawtooth Wilderness. (As a geezer, I can easily recall when she bought the place and locked the gate to the road crossing her property – the road that up until that time had always provided public access to the wilderness. OF COURSE she wants more (private) wilderness!)
Oct 26, 2005, 2:19 pm
As a person that has lived in Boise for 55 years I noticed a few things…
We have run off all of the loggers, and sawmills in Boise. Can you believe that just a few years ago we had 3 large sawmills in Boise, and others Emmett in Horseshoe Bend? The farmers have gone by the way side due to bad prices, the cattle and sheep are being run off Federal and State ground because of the damage to the environment, and now we complain that these people are selling ground for big bucks? Too late boys, you should have thought of this before you ran them off.
PS Don’t you just love the statement that everyone makes…..I moved to Idaho 5 years ago and now I don’t want any growth.
PPS Brandi Swindell will solve everything!
Oct 26, 2005, 3:58 pm
I loved the STATESMAN article about Garden Valley that said it was 40 miles from Boise. Since I used to own some property in Garden Valley I am reasonably sure that 40 miles will leave you with a ways to go, unless, perhaps, you have a helicopter. Then someone said 40 miles for a commute was nothing to someone from Orange County. The folks who are intent on buying a year round residence with a daily commute to Boise should try driving the road from Banks to Garden Valley sometime in January so they can contemplate the many opportunities there are to end up in the Middle Fork of the Payette. They should also note how many times rock and mud slides have left that road impassable for days at a time. Enjoy you Orange County people!!!
Oct 26, 2005, 8:11 pm
Remember folks that we have leaders in this city that are self confessed EXPERTS on growth and how to manage it.
We are just seeing how smart our leaders really are and how effective the Blueprint for GOOFY Growth really is — or is NOT!
Oct 26, 2005, 10:48 pm
Thank you for mentioning the proposed construction of the San Diego based Sempra Generation coal-fired power plant in Jerome County in this article. We need to have more press on this before it is too late.
Please note that we have no coal in Idaho, nor do we need more power,(this power will be for consumers out of State), but what we do have here are fewer laws and fewer people to complain.
Only 3 county commissioners will make this decision for the well-being of thousands, for 30 years of future pollution to come.
There is a great web site that I hope you can show readers in case anyone wants more information and or wants to act on helping stop this ridiculous robbery of Idaho’s air, aquifer water, and farm land, to say nothing of the health of all people down wind in Magic Valley…and remember, the current Administration wants to lower emission standards for these big energy producers.
Here is the address:
http://nocoalforidaho.org
There are many of us here in Treasure Valley that have roots and family in Magic Valley. I hope everyone who can and cares will become involved.
Oct 26, 2005, 10:48 pm
Thank you for mentioning the proposed construction of the San Diego based Sempra Generation coal-fired power plant in Jerome County in this article. We need to have more press on this before it is too late.
Please note that we have no coal in Idaho, nor do we need more power,(this power will be for consumers out of State), but what we do have here are fewer laws and fewer people to complain.
Only 3 county commissioners will make this decision for the well-being of thousands, for 30 years of future pollution to come.
There is a great web site that I hope you can show readers in case anyone wants more information and or wants to act on helping stop this ridiculous robbery of Idaho’s air, aquifer water, and farm land, to say nothing of the health of all people down wind in Magic Valley…and remember, the current Administration wants to lower emission standards for these big energy producers.
Here is the address:
http://nocoalforidaho.org
There are many of us here in Treasure Valley that have roots and family in Magic Valley. I hope everyone who can and cares will become involved.
Oct 26, 2005, 10:48 pm
Thank you for mentioning the proposed construction of the San Diego based Sempra Generation coal-fired power plant in Jerome County in this article. We need to have more press on this before it is too late.
Please note that we have no coal in Idaho, nor do we need more power,(this power will be for consumers out of State), but what we do have here are fewer laws and fewer people to complain.
Only 3 county commissioners will make this decision for the well-being of thousands, for 30 years of future pollution to come.
There is a great web site that I hope you can show readers in case anyone wants more information and or wants to act on helping stop this ridiculous robbery of Idaho’s air, aquifer water, and farm land, to say nothing of the health of all people down wind in Magic Valley…and remember, the current Administration wants to lower emission standards for these big energy producers.
Here is the address:
http://nocoalforidaho.org
There are many of us here in Treasure Valley that have roots and family in Magic Valley. I hope everyone who can and cares will become involved.
Oct 26, 2005, 10:48 pm
Thank you for mentioning the proposed construction of the San Diego based Sempra Generation coal-fired power plant in Jerome County in this article. We need to have more press on this before it is too late.
Please note that we have no coal in Idaho, nor do we need more power,(this power will be for consumers out of State), but what we do have here are fewer laws and fewer people to complain.
Only 3 county commissioners will make this decision for the well-being of thousands, for 30 years of future pollution to come.
There is a great web site that I hope you can show readers in case anyone wants more information and or wants to act on helping stop this ridiculous robbery of Idaho’s air, aquifer water, and farm land, to say nothing of the health of all people down wind in Magic Valley…and remember, the current Administration wants to lower emission standards for these big energy producers.
Here is the address:
http://nocoalforidaho.org
There are many of us here in Treasure Valley that have roots and family in Magic Valley. I hope everyone who can and cares will become involved.
Oct 26, 2005, 10:48 pm
Thank you for mentioning the proposed construction of the San Diego based Sempra Generation coal-fired power plant in Jerome County in this article. We need to have more press on this before it is too late.
Please note that we have no coal in Idaho, nor do we need more power,(this power will be for consumers out of State), but what we do have here are fewer laws and fewer people to complain.
Only 3 county commissioners will make this decision for the well-being of thousands, for 30 years of future pollution to come.
There is a great web site that I hope you can show readers in case anyone wants more information and or wants to act on helping stop this ridiculous robbery of Idaho’s air, aquifer water, and farm land, to say nothing of the health of all people down wind in Magic Valley…and remember, the current Administration wants to lower emission standards for these big energy producers.
Here is the address:
http://nocoalforidaho.org
There are many of us here in Treasure Valley that have roots and family in Magic Valley. I hope everyone who can and cares will become involved.
Oct 26, 2005, 11:47 pm
Whoa there Guardian. While I agree with your lament over these developments and their impact on wildlife habitat; I disagree that the 66 percent of land in Idaho being public land is the cause. The 34 percent private land is 34 percent of 52 million acres, which is still a heck of a lot of land for 1.3 million people. I don’t have an almanac handy but 17.6 million acres of private land is lots more land than many states. Saying there is very little room to spread out and then mentioning Hammer Flats and Sun Cor is kind of a contradiction isn’t it? Those are developments outside the city impact areas, which in my book is like spreading out.
Porcupine makes a trenchant observation that we chased off the logging business without thinking through the implications. Valley County would not have approved Tamarack if the sawmill in Cascade was still running. After it closed people needed an alternative for economic development and they threw the doors wide open.
It ain’t too much public lands that put us in this situation, I think it’s because we have been discovered as a place with cheap land, electricity, labor and with public officials who don’t know how to say no.
Ed note–I agree with Osprey AND Porcupine. With our public ownership perhaps I should have said, “even spreading out takes place on only a third of the land.” Hey, remember Deer too.
Oct 27, 2005, 9:03 am
I had an interesting discussion with a gentleman the other day. He was looking for land to develop in the west end of the valley. I was lamenting the very thing Guardian speaks of here. Only few deer, but pheasants, quail, otter, fox etc. I said how much I dislike seeing ticky tacky tan boxes being slapped up on farm land. How much I dislike sweeping annexation to the edge of area of impact. He began espousing private property rights and how these poor farmers can’t make a living off the land. I begged to differ at that point. These farmers, the ones he mentioned, have made a GOOD living for many years off this land. Their children have farmed it and have made a good living for the entire family for several years. They may not live in multimillion dollar homes and vacation wherever the rich and famous do….but they have always been among the affluent of the communities where they live. But now, they can make 60k an acre for bare land…..that’s not “poor farmers couldn’t make a living”…it’s “greed gets everyone in the end”. The same for the SunCor development. Smokey has had a wonderful life off that land. Others could as well, without raping the range and creating traffic nightmares. Bottom line is money rules the world and Guardian has it exactly right. Bigger and More are the order of the day.
Oct 27, 2005, 10:08 am
Tam
Your comment “Their children have farmed it and have made a good living for the entire family for several years.”
You are showing that you don’t understand tax law..
A family has 4 children. Land was bought at $500/acre in 1970. Parents die this year. 2 of the kids are girls that are married and live in a different state. Maybe 1 of the kids works in Seattle at a bank. Maybe the last kid wants to farm the ground. Surprise, Surprise, guess what the IRS says the ground is worth because of all the developement going around this property… $50,000 per acre. Last kid buys out the other kids… Can’t make interest payment farming beets on $50,000/acre ground. Only option left is to sell… Grow houses rather than beets. This is happening every day in Nampa and Meridian. My advise to the farmers in that area is to sell your ground so your kids don’t have to deal with it. Sorry Tam Boise is not like the TV show Walton’s. Have to live in reality.
But like I said I’m sure that some of our new City Council member will solve all of our problems…
Oct 27, 2005, 2:32 pm
Um – hey Guardian and everyone else. How about giving some credit where credit is due. You are always razzing on Mayor Bieter, but he opposes both the Hammer Flats and Spring Valley Ranch developments.
Oct 27, 2005, 2:55 pm
Porc,
I am the first to admit a lack of understanding of “tax law”. Some might say that’s what allows me to retain what little sanity I still have (I also am an old fart). I do know that the farmers are not the ones pushing property tax reform, overall. Honestly, if I had 300 acres of prime farm ground and I could sell it for 50k an acre and retire at 58 yrs old, by helping convince the County P and Z and City Council to annex it, rezone it, and approve a final plat, saying it was “marginal” agricultural land….I’d have to think about it, but greed may win out. I mean who wants to work when they can sit on their butt all summer and head for AZ in the winter? Afterall, I don’t have to live next door to what I may have facilitated. Let’s all DO SOMETHING about REAL property tax reform. A 300 lot sub was just approved right across the road from my VERY rural home. Those who buy the homes don’t care a whit that my kids and I used to walk the ditchbank every evening collecting water skippers and listening for pheasants. But they’ll cry to the moon when my farm dogs bark at their kids on bikes or when the dairy odor from up the road wafts their way. I am no pollyanna and as much as I would like to live on Walton’s mountain…alas…! But, I do know that we have political offices full of people who can’t/won’t say NO, which would be a start. I still think sales tax on property as Dave has outlined is a good answer. Greed would still exist and realtors/developers would be crappin’ their proverbial drawers (which is why it can’t happen) but the land grab would cease.
Oct 27, 2005, 3:39 pm
Tam….
We won’t have to worry, after the elections everything will be fixed…but only if the 10 Commandments go back to Julia Davis park.
Oct 27, 2005, 10:39 pm
The mayor may appear to be “opposing” a couple of develpoments ONLY because he will not get the tax revenue.
We know he supports massive growth at Harris Ranch – a true “sprawl” project, as well as Hidden Springs – another “sprawler”; he supports 250,000 square foot projects in historic neighborhoods and would love to see rows and rows of row houses on every vacant lot in town!
Welcome to the City of Growth – not trees!
Oct 30, 2005, 4:57 pm
All this growth reminds me of comments JR said many years ago about where the valley would be some years down the road. Everyone seemed to think he was way over his head with the comment, turns out he was low and the growth has been unabated since. Our current leaders do not seem to have a clue about what to do with the Growth for Growth Sake.
Nov 7, 2005, 9:50 am
Hammer Flats is “below” Lucky Peak Dam. It starts at approximately the intersection of Warm Springs Avenue and SH-21 and is vertically above there and to the north. It ends at approximately Lucky Peak State Park and is vertically above there and to the northwest on the flats above SH-21. SaveThePlateau.org
Feb 2, 2008, 2:05 pm
Sucks.
Sprawl is retarded. Don’t support it.
Boise can’t handle becoming almost a big town. . .