Uncategorized
Forum To Discuss Bench CCDC Plan
May 26, 2019 
City of Boise official map of Vista portion of proposed Urban Renewal District.
State Rep. John Gannon will be hosting an informational forum on the proposed Central Bench urban Renewal Disitrict.
Date: Wednesday 5/29 6-8 pm Location: South Jr High This will be an opportunity to learn about and understand the issues around the proposed Central Bench Urban Renewal District. Representatives from various agencies will be on hand to answer questions and provide information.
The plan is to convert the commercial property along Vista, Latah, Orchard, and Curtis to an urban renewal districts.
Coincidentally, Boise City is currently running a mobile “history exhibit” which details the failed trolley that ran on similar routes around 1910. The GUARDIAN fears they may be “grooming” citizens as part of a “desire named street car.”
To insure more advertising-free Boise Guardian news, please consider financial support.
Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
May 26, 2019, 3:38 pm
More Urban meddling in the works. What could they possibly have in store for us? This smacks of Deep Pockets $$ that want to clear out small business opportunities that can’t afford the so-called “easy credit” model that is all the rage in financial circles. Problem is, only certain people or groups can get this “easy credit” to start or keep a business that can grow and is supported by decent infrastructure.
If you struggle along without making capital improvements to raise the quality of the aesthetics, you run afoul of the Big Plan and now you can be Urbanized. Is this going to be a new push for the sought after density?
How long til we need poop patrols?
https://allthatsinteresting.com/poop-patrol-san-francisco
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it….if we keep printing fiat $$, just expect prices to rise. Nothing is affordable except for those who have special access to the real easy credit…governments and the UberRich.
May 28, 2019, 1:31 pm
Orchard badly needs a facelift and investors are not stampeding to pour money into a blighted area without infrastructure. I sense this will be a completely different animal than downtown with infrastructure; water, sewer, curb and gutters being the focus. Plus some affordable housing component. Similar to Garden City’s.
May 29, 2019, 5:08 pm
If the exorbitantly higher property taxes in the past two years are any indication, it is abundantly clear what the city has in mind: tax the senior citizens out of their homes. I just received my new tax statement, where it showed my property value went up $20,000 in 2018, the property value this year, for 2019, it is going up another $30,000. $50,000 dollars in two years for a now old home (bought it in 1972)which we raised our productive children in, and now the city wants to gouge us even more with much higher taxes… The city improvements are few and far between, the road ways are breaking up, and the night lighting is sparse. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a police cruiser in the area. Maybe that is a good thing. But I would not think about going for a walk in the area of what used to be the Holiday Inn motel, on the east side of south Vista. Lots of illegal things going on in the area, if you can name it, it is going in the area… Thanks but no thanks to the urban renewal stuff. New ideas are only a ploy for higher taxes in Boise. I was born in Boise nearly 78 years ago, and WOW, what a difference… This country boy likes it like it was. Be careful what you wish for, folks, the city fathers are ready to pick your pockets clean, any way they can, and THAT you can’t take to the bank!!
May 30, 2019, 11:16 am
I saw the news review of the meeting.
What struck me was
“People don’t know what a URD is,” and the proponents’ explanation of it as
“it reinvests tax dollars back in that area”.
Also notice the digligent Gaurdian was there with his camera in hand.
Well, 1) EVERYONE’s regular tax dollars are already supposed to be ‘reinvested back in that area’. The area is and ‘should be’ the WHOLE county, not just one street or a small area to benefit commercial property owners there.
2) The proponents skip the 2nd part of the explanation. It HURTS the rest of the nondesignated areas.
It is effectively geographic tax discrimination.
3) It really supports the notion that tax payers are not informed and the proponents may be just as screwed up in their understanding of it; other than it gives them a paycheck or they profit from it some way.
My example:
Imagine if YOUR neighbor was allowed to keep the increase in their taxes and put it back into just THEIR property. That would be a “1 property URD”; just your neighbor. They get to keep their tax increase and you pay yours to the county. Fair?
Better yet, imagine IF you were allowed to keep all the tax increases and put it back into your own property. You would have your own little “1 property URD”!
As noted on the next story here- if your property taxes increased from $1,620 to $2,054 (Bikeboy’s numbers)– but instead of paying that extra $434 to the county you could INSTEAD keep it and pay for something on your own property, maybe new exterior lights, or new landscape shrubs in the front yard or maybe a fresh paint job. And of course you expect your value to increase when you go to sell it, because you would be able to continually afford improvements. In fact you would be required to use the increase for your own improvements. And yes, next year’s tax will increase too– but once again you get to keep that money too and make more improvements- for the next 20 years. You will have a really nice house, because all your additional tax money gets to stay right in your own property– meanwhile your neighbor can’t afford the new paint because they are paying all their money to the county. Not only do they pay their increase of $434 but hey have to help pick up your share of the tax increase. They support the county, schools, ACHD, and other agencies at a much higher rate than you have to.
What a wonderful deal for YOU!
IF you could only have your own little “1 property URD”.
May 31, 2019, 8:53 am
I like the analogy. But as the mayor has said, “Let’s spend it while we have it.”
The IT is ours. He lacks the experience of wage earning and property buying/maintaining.
The analogy represents my situation exactly.
May 31, 2019, 12:39 pm
“Let’s spend it while we have it”,is a universal government mantra.
Also done in big corporations and most households across America.
Jun 10, 2019, 12:27 pm
Big land grab. Was urban renewal ever required to develop the Park Center area in Boise? I don’t thing so. Somehow the developers go or had money. Interest rates were higher in the 80’s when I believe it all began. Urban renewal seems to be just a way to take control of property. Why not instead enforce codes for maintenance upon the existing owners? Don’t make the general population pay for the transgressions of a few. Hold them responsible.