Bill’s got a great point. Downtown is a potential jewel. But it requires someone to see the big picture. The CCDC is building big expensive condos for people who might come from out of town. Boo-hoo. At least they’ll spend money on fancy refrigerators and cars and add to the sales tax coffers. You ever see how much an $80,000 Mercedes can generate in sales tax at the DMV?
What about the bigger picture? What about a plan for the entire TV that takes into account light rail, affordable housing, creating community spaces, a safe place for bikes to ride, more jobs than just cyclical construction trades, how about taking a look at what works in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, etc and bringing some of that insight to Boise, which is still a clean slate but oh so close to becoming an irreversible mistake in semi-urban planning.

It takes big picture thinking and the people in the right places to make it happen. Progressive thinkers, not Otters.

And for all you posters who keep talking about “out of town” developers, guess again. That enemy lives ten or fifteen minutes from you and was born and raised somewhere in Idaho. If there’s one thing for sure in the “Gem” state, a developer from California isn’t going to waltz across the state line and get his way here. He needs a buddy who knows how Idaho works.

Wonder where those guys come from?
And when are we going to get a decent Italian restaurant downtown? A place that knows how to cook pasta? That’s when this town can say it’s arrived.

Among the worst (from the standpoint of my willingness to be unforgiving) are the media web sites — particularly TV since they don’t have to spell on the air but only speak for the most part. Fox 12’s site referred to people being “soar” about Eagle’s decision to require a restaurant meet its building code instead of allowing the violation unchallenged.

Even the little headlines that pop up periodically on the screen have misteaks in them. (Just kidding. Make that mistakes). I can overlook a typing error or two, but it does bug me when common words are consistently wrong. (And thanks, Treva, for letting me get this off my chest).

“EDITOR NOTE–You are an astute follower of the GUARDIAN to realize I am against growth for groth sake. Your wish for more and bigger is coming true. Congratulations Northender!”

(Of course, I’m not quite perfect, either, I made a mistake once. Well, actually, I thought I did, but I was wrong.)

Butt eye never mak bigg misteaks!

🙂

EDITOR NOTE–Treva, it is much worse than you can imagine. Sometimes I have to admit I don’t take the time to correct them–especially when thay disagree with me! 🙂

I’ve lived here for 37 years, and it’s not a fun place to live like it used to be. But I love Boise enough and have enough reverence for it to want to stay and fight.)

Fight for what? Boise has always been a great city to live in and it is even better now than 10 or 15 years ago. Remember downtown back then? Remember the less than attractive airport (thank goodness we have a new airport). Boise has really changed and grown for the best and I look forward to more development downtown regardless of shadows towers cast on the sidewalks.

Kudos to the CCDC and the DBA for the beautiful flower pots all over downtown and for the public art. This is just a sliver of what makes Boise such a great city.

It sounds like to me you have a personal issue and just do not like growth, so you are going to try anything in your power to hinder any kind of progression here in Boise. I am a native Idahoan and am appaled at how you and other natives on this site act. I am appaled at your comment in the Boise Weekly regarding Boise. Take your personal vandetta elsewhere. Boise is going to grow and I look forward to the day there are 5 more towers downtown and a convention center between Front and Myrtle.

Oh and another thing I have noticed is that ANYBODY who goes against your issues or frame of mind is ALWAYS wrong. Just look back through all of the posts from pro-growth citizens and how you respond to them. Boise is becoming a progressive little model city and doesn’t need close minded people with personal issues standing in the way.

EDITOR NOTE–You are an astute follower of the GUARDIAN to realize I am against growth for groth sake. Your wish for more and bigger is coming true. Congratulations Northender!

IHFA is the Idaho Housing AND FINANCE Association, and lately, they have been doing a lot in the finance realm. Someone already mentioned that IHFA handled the sale of the GARVEE (transportation) bonds, but they have also handled the sale of bonds for charter schools, college dorms, and the Shakespeare Festival.

I’m not knocking IHFA here. They have a very capable Executive Director and competent legal counsel. Some of their board members are very capable as well. I only mean to point out that IHFA is hardly just an affordable housing agency these days.

I’ve got to agree with the Guardian’s interpretation here, since the Statement of Purpose of the proposed legislation says:

“These amendments will permit the financing of industrial, commercial, and other projects to promote economic development throughout the state in partnership with private financial institutions and state or local economic development entities and will allow the pooling of loans for such projects to save financing transaction costs.” There’s nothing in there that says, “other than high-end housing.”

We have found LCDC funding by either direct grant or OPA of high end condo projects for brick exteriors, ornate iron fencing, landscaping and other capital improvemtents normally paid by private money.

How is the Idaho Constitution’s Personal Gain doctrine applied to these types of funding? Tax dollars used for personal gain.

EDITOR NOTE–Let’s see what happens next time they go to sell bonds! If the CCDC is NOT part of the city there is no problem. But the city can’t claim control or oversight if the agency is NOT city.

Conversely, if the CCDC turns out to BE a city agency controlled by council, they MUST obey the constitutional prohibition of long term debt without a vote of the people– which trumps the Idaho Code.

They can play it either way, but not both.

I stand by both of those statements.

EDITOR NOTE–You are cool Tam and I think we have exhausted this thread…toughest one I have ever posted.

What I was stating above is that they have made a CHOICE not to participate. No one has forced their hand. All I’m asking for is that they be responsible enough as corporate citizens to live with their choice and be willing to accept the consequences of that choice.

Last time I looked, both the CCDC and GBAD were conducting business in a manner that is both general accepted in the business world and legal under the Idaho Constitution.

EDITOR NOTE–The supreme court apparently sees it differently.