Comments on: Wanna SuperSize That?

By: Treva

Treva — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 15:49:50 +0000

I agree with Anne – the commissioners/planning and zoning need to stop allowing zoning to change. I can’t see how the rights of property owners to make massive amounts of money should be more important than maintaining a livable community, not just for ourselves but for future generations. This isn’t socialism – it is just good sense.

By: RiverCity

RiverCity — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:28:49 +0000

boisean, I thought that “8 years ago” comment was funny and ironic as well. I’ve lived in my house for 8 years and in Boise for 35 years. I remember being a kid in Boise when there was literally nothing outside of downtown but farmland and ranches.

By: Clancy

Clancy — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 02:51:51 +0000

Harris Ranch is an interesting conundrum. Will those same people rallying against The Cliffs do the same for Harris Ranch? Main points of contention at The Cliffs- Traffic and Wildlife. At Harris Ranch, the traffic issue gets solved at taxpayer expense. The wildlife mitigation will be woefully inadequate as it was the first time.

By: dog

dog — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 14:33:12 +0000

You can bet that as more million dollar homes are built next to the Boise River, there will be a cry to channelize the river bed after a few bouts of flooding. It will eventually resemble a large canal. All the wildlife will move away from the people who want to live by it. Funny, it used to be that only the poor would live by the river alongside all the former municipal dumps. This town is run by greedy “deciders” who tell the people everything they do is about “freedom” as they get us to shell out more tax dollars so they can make more profits.

By: Robert

Robert — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 10:45:23 +0000

Take a walk sometime between Eagle and Clenwood on the green belt. Not a public entrance to be found. This is what Ada County has allowed to support the big developer. I say fired the whole bunch and start over.

By: Grumpy Old Guy

Grumpy Old Guy — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 03:53:19 +0000

OK, instead of grumping, maybe we should act like “we the people” and begin some citizen action – how about a State-Wide effort to make building within x feet of a river, creek, stream, lake, pond, whatever, which has flooded within the past 25 years.

I lived in Washington State when a citizen lead initiative forbade any further private ownership of any additional land which bordered / abutted a public water-way. The public water way was defined as any body of water which had shores / banks on land owned by X or more people (I think that the X was 10, but am not certain) Such land not already in private ownership became State owned. Prior to that any pond or lake had to have public access to at least one public boat-launch / fishing / picnic area.

Any legal types around who could draft such an initiative petition? I’d be willing to contribute to the expense(s) involved and to aid in the circulation of such a petition if drawn well.

By: boisean

boisean — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 03:48:01 +0000

It always makes me laugh to hear someone complaining about grow in sentence one and in sentence two say they move here 1, 5, 8 years ago, and how it was a quiet little town.

YOU ARE THE GROWTH. If you have come here less than 20 years ago, don’t bash the problem that YOU and your family has made. If you build it they will come? When they come it has to built, is more like it.

By: Anne

Anne — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 03:24:28 +0000

The first thing cities and counties should do is stop with the constant zone changes, except in rare cases. You buy a piece of property, you can do what the zoning allows — period. You bought it with that zoning; you live with that zoning. None of this: Please change my zoning because I want it — Oh, Ok, what do you want?

By: Clippityclop

Clippityclop — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 01:49:24 +0000

I couldn’t agree more with you, Guardian. The public footing the bill for the Parkcenter Bridge to subsidize the profits of a developer and serve a few is beyond absurd, and the paying public needs to speak out.

Further, check out Eagle’s initial planning efforts for the foothills (even though they’re not in Eagle’s area of impact) — 22,000+ homes with much of the traffic to be dumped onto the soon to be no longer scenic nor functional Highway 55 (www.cityofeagle.com, click on Foothills and follow the links). This madness needs a reality check. Wake up, citizens of Ada County!!! You’re about to kiss it all goodbye unless you demand better and NOW!

By: Joe Moran

Joe Moran — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 00:31:43 +0000

It’s not a mental dis-order ,Guardian,it’s out and out uncontrolled GREED by developers and our local politiicians who they keep in office as long as the new, unregulated construction is unchallenged.

I came here 8 years ago and this was still a quiet little western city-town. Now downtown Boise resembles a large parking lot surrounded by streets full of road-rage and drivers vying with each other to see how many red lights they can go through.The graffitti, the damage to the beautiful Green belt and the Boise River along with the destruction of Idaho 55’s beautiful habitat nauseates me. The State legislature has done nothing to stop this uncontrolled growth along with county and city gov. We, the People, need to demand of these politicos that definite laws and regulations are passed to REGULATE new construction so that it does not 1- damage the local environment 2-Is in the best interests of the People already occupying the area 3-Since these developments usually wind up costing 4&5 times more than their original price tag ( which the taxpayer usually gets stuck paying for) a law saying that if said development can not stay within it’s original price quote it should be stopped immediately and turned into a cost effective community serving project.