Comments on: Boise’s Bungled Property Deals Focus of CCDC Project

By: Zippo

Zippo — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 05:11:49 +0000

I wonder if they can talk Target Stores into a downtown location?

By: chicago sam

chicago sam — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 21:23:20 +0000

When will the vote by the citizens be held?

By: Eric T

Eric T — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 20:43:00 +0000

In other news ( which involves Boise selling land) that scream you hear is Tony Jones up on Hammer Flat as IDFG has taken the locks off the gates and is allowing public access on Hammer Flat.

Well Mr. Jones, you had your own private Idaho for a little bit.

By: Eric T

Eric T — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 17:33:25 +0000

Cynic: The Goodman Oil property sold a couple of months ago.

By: Voter

Voter — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 17:26:07 +0000

Dave K – The Guardian is very correct in his evaluation and his “education” is extremly deep. Just a suggestion…please contact the City of Boise and volunteer to pay more taxes and higher levies on your properties…the rest of us would gladly support your personal contributions so our levies can be lowered.

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:37:37 +0000

And another thing, the most visible and onerous property tax gizmo of all and one we never hear about is the homeowner’s exemption.

Sure, homeowners get a break but thousands of renters are getting the shaft by having to cover the landlord’s greatly increased property tax.

If renters only knew!

END THE UNFAIR HOMEOWNER’S EXEMPTION NOW!

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:29:52 +0000

Why should all those out-of-downtown taxing districts receive any of that revenue? It’s the URD that creates the new revenue. New revenue that would not have even existed without the URDs help. Twenty years of recycling the tax increment is a fair trade off in my opinion.

Some complain that the public works projects generate no tax revenue but forget that downtown Boise is subject to demands that no other section of town, county or any place in the whole State is subject to. Sun Valley is a comparison and the State has given Ketchum the local option tax capability.

Thousands of people flood downtown every day from outside city limits and even from outside the county. Office workers, State gov’t workers, college and high school football games, bike races and triathlons, and river floaters and so on…

If all those people were flood water then downtown would be deemed a disaster area.

Hate to sound like a broken record but cities have little power to run their own affairs. URDs give them a little extra power that’s something more than just planning and zoning.

By: Dave K

Dave K — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:23:03 +0000

I believe the Boise Guardian needs to reeducate itself on the taxes and levies around Urban Renewal Areas. Boise does benefit from taxes collected on these properties. Future increases in property tax assessments go to the URA. This is a great tool to generate funds to rebuild, renew blighted areas. The past owners sure did not do anything with it. Not all taxes, levies are a bad thing.

EDITOR NOTE–As noted, much of the area is bare ground. Taxes on any improvements constructed or appreciated value go to the CCDC for at least 20 years. You can argue improved economy, trickle down, visually improved, but the fact remains the city, county, schools, and highway district receive NO REVENUE on any of the “increased property value” through either construction or price hikes. Public works projects like libraries, court house, ball park, convention center, etc. are all TAX EXEMPT and generate no taxes period.

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:53:59 +0000

One of the worst things that never happened was ACHD’s failure to build the 30th Extension for all these years. The 30th Extension and a watery park at 31st and Pleasanton were proposed all the way back in 1968. ACHD was formed in 72.

44 years! That’s how long ACHD (city of Boise before 72) has been working on widening roads for the suburbs and ignoring the obvious need for a boulevard to connect State to Fairview/Main and cap off the ugly and useless dead end streets which are a safety hazard due to fire trucks having not enough room to turn around.

44 years of spending tax money collected downtown on projects outside of downtown.

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:43:13 +0000

There already are community gardens, bus stops and low income housing in the area and that is the problem. If you’re even moderately successful you’re not going to want to live near any of those things. To wit: The Boise Cascade folks demanded that a new transit center NOT be built in their back yard.

Many things led to disinvestment in the area, but the final nail in the coffin was the extension of the connector completed in 92.

Read this history of the West End:

http://www.cityofboise.org/city_clerk/012511/30thstreet.pdf

Guardian: You seem to blame the city for the blight and vacancy. That was already there before city ownership of the 2 lots. Bare lots which are regularly mowed are lots better than the Goodman Oil property. I don’t get it. Why don’t you go after private entities with the same vigor that you go after public entities?

If there’s any criticism to be doled out to the city, it’s the city’s refusal to make the Goodmans tear down those dilapidated buildings which are clearly a threat to health and safety and an impediment to any development in the area.

Who would want to build anything near the Goodman property?

You can also blame Mayor Amyx for cutting the deal with the Quinns in the annexation deal of 1970 or 71. All planners back then wanted open space zoning for the area but the Quinn’s got their industrial zoning and got to operate/sell off a site that had industrial zoning for another 25/30 years.