Canyon
Growthophobes Beware Can-Ada Population Of 1,000,000 Predicted By 2040
August 25, 2013 
Massive population growth may sound great to politicos and others eager to solve problems like transportation, sewer, water, education, and air quality, but to growthophobes it signals a call to action.
The Sunday Idaho Press Tribune published a story predicting the population of Canyon and Ada Counties would hit one million by 2040. They even claim Canyon County will see an 83% increase in population. Most of the data was drawn from a report by the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho–COMPASS.
Strict building regulations, impact fees, eliminating subsidies to business, preserving agricultural interests in Canyon County, and similar measures will go a long way toward improving the quality of life in Southwest Idaho–further than adding more people. How about combating growth instead of encouraging it?
We see COMPASS as an organization that is able to create havoc among communities under the guise of “planning for the future” with endless surveys, studies, and meetings. Regardless of one’s political views, the idea of planning for a wide area sounds great, but seldom works in reality. Cities and Counties pay dues to the advisory group which has no authority–or obligation–to implement its decisions.
While it would be nice to make decisions based on common sense and logic, we see little chance that Boise City would allow Meridian to set standards for fire service or Garden City would allow Boise to annex the city it nearly surrounds or Boise would dissolve its police in favor of Ada County sheriff law enforcement. In short: regional planning is as fruitless as trying to stop growth–neither works. Local control is hard to relinquish.
When it comes growth, the less we see the better. Growthophobes oppose growth for the sake of growth. If individuals or businesses wish to come here and pay a fair share of taxes and fair wages, we welcome them. If they need any sort of “incentives” (read that “welfare”) we suggest they help some other places grow.
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Comments & Discussion
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Aug 25, 2013, 7:51 pm
Considering the massive shrinkage in high quality local jobs, most of the growth will be welfare recipients from Mexico and those fleeing the failed Cali system. This is sweet music to the liberals and RINOs who dominate the local politics and the local businesses which thrive on welfare spending. Expect a massive increase in Cali time crime. No wonder Team Dave wants to invest in poverty-attractions so badly.
Aug 26, 2013, 4:30 am
Zippo, at least in California they would have made Eagle Road a freeway.
Most of the growth…welfare…????? Zippo, do you ever get out of the house? Have you seen Harris Ranch lately? How about the areas near the river in Eagle? Poverty attractions? What are you even talking about?
Zippo, if you have a problem with the type of growth and think it’s one of race then maybe you should look at the white race because if I’m not mistaken, this valley is still well over 90% white.
So we hit a million, the Boise area won’t be the first metropolis to have done it. In fact, the population is growing EVERYWHERE. Well almost everywhere, there are exceptions like Detroit.
Aug 26, 2013, 11:46 am
I agree with the Guardian that growth is a bad thing. It’s great for the people moving here but bad for those of us who already live here.
I disagree completely with Zippo, who sees racial conspiracies everywhere and a “liberal” Mayor and City council. They couldn’t be more pro-business – and that ain’t “liberal”. More people hasn’t brought us more crime, but it has brought us more repressive laws and more oppressive and militarized law enforcement, both here and nationwide.
We (the world) are running out of water and cultivatable land. If we don’t stop population growth, some virus or other catastrophy will stop it for us, and not in a pleasant way.
Aug 26, 2013, 4:03 pm
As Rod has said the problems are growing for the entire world, and those problems are ours whether our population grows or not. Climate change, power scarcity, water shortages, increased militarism, increasing religious zealotry world-wide are all problems. Racial and ethnic tensions increase the barriers and inhibit resolution of problem solving. Fear(s) stymie the problem solution searches. Plans and planning for both the immediate and long range futher are essential and the need for them is immediate.
EDITOR NOTE–Grumpy, plans are of no value unless implemented. Almost every city council meeting has approval for “variances” to the master plans. Seldom do the variances benefit the current residents or neighbors.
Aug 26, 2013, 7:59 pm
I made no “racial statement” RSEB. I stated a fact about where the massive new influx will be coming from. The MexiCali culture of poverty and to some extent crime will represent most of the growth. If this happens, CAN/ADA will become one big welfare valley with the new arrivals who want to work fighting over a few new call center jobs. With very few exceptions, high quality jobs have moved away from CAN/ADA. If you are a hard working taxpaying ADA family, prepare for a doubling of your local taxes due to these planners planing to put all this growth on your back. This has already happened in CAN Co. and most other metro areas in the USA. (Tax in CAN Co. same as ADA for property of half the value). Rod, crime is low in Boise cuz, unlike MexiCali, the criminals are afraid of the Boise cops. Thank you BPD.
Aug 27, 2013, 11:30 am
It’s hilarious to read what Zippo writes and then read where he denies that what he wrote is racially based.
Aug 27, 2013, 4:41 pm
I’ll never forget one of the Ada County Commish hearings on the now defunct planned community slated for Hammer Flats. The Ada County Development Services planner was going on and on about how Micron would serve as a blackhole, drawing all the traffic toward it while simultaneously providing jobs for those who would flock to the new PC and buy homes. Apparently not. Thank heavens because Micron isn’t hiring, they’re firing. There is not the job base in this valley to support large scale development.
Aug 28, 2013, 9:05 am
Zippo, the kind of people moving to can/ada are just like you! Have you been to Meridian lately or Nampa /Caldwell? Scared, white, mostly retired, racist, republican, and just plain ignorant. None will lay the sprinkler pipes, weed a beet field, (those will be gone) or mow a mega lawn. That will be your friends from Mexico. What they will do is keep electing morons, choke the airshed in the valley with more cars, suck up all the water, and strain the hospitals and emergency services. Oh, and they will accept the police state as a “safety” hedge. You should rejoice Zippo!
Nov 16, 2013, 9:03 am
The cities of the Treasure Valley have already proven that they cannot handle growth while maintaining a quality of life. The Boise area is a hit-and-run developers dream. That is why so many outside mega developers came in the last 10 years and essentially did whatever they wanted. The few things that attract people to this area will be gone soon. Just keep lining the ridge tops of the foothills with mcmansions and rolling out massive low quality development, while building a traffic nightmare. Then this will be one of the places that people are bailing out of.