EDITOR NOTE–John Smith, your rude and condescending attitude sounds like that of a planner. FYI, all future comments containing personal attacks and allegations will not be posted. You owe Rod a public apology.

That being said… trees & park (if you can call it that) or not, the University/Capitol/9th/Boise intersection is a disaster. If the city has been unprepared to deal with the Lusk street area, they are correct to do something about it, meaning the royal street extension. If anything, it will cut down on the sheer amount of people darting across 9th & capitol at rush hour to go to Boise State.

Please see page 6 http://pds.cityofboise.org/media/256686/luskstreetmasterplan.pdf for an aerial of the loss of green space in a public park (Tourist Rest Stop), including a stand of mature trees. This will put a road within 70 feet of the Greenbelt (set back issues?) and the John Booth Memorial, a set of lights at the beginning of the newly-restored Pioneer Bridge on Capitol Blvd, interrupting whatever is left of the visual corridor between the Depot and the Capitol (a big deal to Boise old-timers and counter-productive for the Capitol Blvd streetscape, plans) and just happens to coincide to where the Mayor wants to turn his trolley. In addition, the Lusk St neighborhood is in the floodway. The City has allowed a canyon of relatively high-rise buildings at the entrance to one of the City’s signature parks.

The City and its PDS has been caught unprepared to deal with the Lusk St area. The solution to a land-locked area is not to shove as many people in there as you can, and mow through public parks with an admittedly useless road that is being pushed through to serve the Mayor’s next career as a trolley driver. Please ask ACHD to stop the madness.

If you are looking for a free lunch sometime, “Like” a facebook page or two. It seems this places promote heavily to get signed leases for when they open.

https://www.facebook.com/RiverEdgeBoise
https://www.facebook.com/TheVistaBoise

Crazy? Wars have been started for less.

http://www.troublingdevelopments.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/AvalonBay-Fire-Record.pdf

EDITOR NOTE–I don’t think anyone claimed the sprinklers made them safe. As I recall, someone simply asked if they had sprinklers. In NJ there was a lot of talk that sprinklers merely made it possible for people to get out alive. There are indeed many factors involved like fire walls, type of materials used, void spaces, etc. We hope to get some expert info soon.

For what it’s worth, I think apts that close to the university, mostly marketed toward students, do not need a high number of parking spots.

EDITOR NOTE–As I read the decision, it appeared the city refused to consider the parking issue at every turn, citing only the height variance. The Supremes said they indeed had authority to require more parking based on the extra floor. The fire issue for stick-built tall buildings more than three floors is very real and needs to be addressed. I suspect greed to make the project “pencil out” is a major factor in granting a permit.

Regarding parking, the city failed the citizens of Boise at Whole Foods and Trader Joes, where neither store has enough parking spaces, and each parking space is too small.

1,700 apartments will require 3,400 parking spaces.

But what does it mean? The city will retroactively need to require more parking? This seems to be a huge can of worms. Someone at city hall is probably already working on putting out the fires, pun intended.

Regarding the fire issue, and limiting my research to just 1004 W Royal, aka River’s Edge Apartments, sprinklers and many other strong fire codes are in effect, I assume it’s the same for the two other buildings.

See permits:

http://pdsonline.cityofboise.org/pdsonline/details.aspx?id=FIR14-00638

http://pdsonline.cityofboise.org/pdsonline/details.aspx?id=FIR14-00890

And as I asked over at SSP, I hope to god Mcalvain has overnight security guards to prevent a repeat times a thousand of the mysterious 15th and Hill Road condos fire.

EDITOR NOTE–We have done some additional cursory research and discovered the NJ apartments also had sprinklers. The chief there was seen on TV claiming, “If these had been built of concrete and steel it wouldn’t have happened.”