Growth

This category contains 622 posts

Fire Dept. Bond & Why 2/3 Majority Is Good

The DAILY PAPER had a page one story today about the effort to gain a 2/3 approval of voters for the City of Boise to go into debt for 10 years. The measure previously failed. The STATESMAN story is fair, well balanced and accurate. It also dwells on the efforts of GUARDIAN editor Dave Frazier […]

Rotary Club of East Boise Adopts Table Rock

After eight years of the GUARDIAN promoting improvements at Table Rock, it looks like a group of Rotarians is about to succeed where we failed. The Rotary Club of East Boise has “adopted” the icon of Boise as a clean up project beginning with an anti-grafitti effort on the huge concrete bench which provides spectacular […]

Boise Councilor Seeks To Squeeze 10′ 3″ Bus Into 10′ Traffic Lane

At the risk of sounding too logical the GUARDIAN questions how Boise City Councilor Maryanne Jordan plans to squeeze a 10 foot 3 inch wide city bus into a 10 foot traffic lane. In a recent letter to the ACHD, she asserted 10 feet was plenty of room for traffic lanes. The question arose after […]

New Hawks Owners Try For Double Play

Its the same old story. New Owners come to town, love the place, love the fans, love the weather, love baseball, and love to have the community build them a new stadium. Such is the case with the new owners of the Boise Hawks Baseball team. No longer with the Chicago Cubs, the Hawks will […]

M3 Developers Owe City of Eagle $57,000

A public records request by the GUARDIAN has revealed the mega development in the hills north of Eagle is behind at least $57,000 in past due payments to the City for various plan reviews, attorney time, and staff time. We checked and the Eagle has not offered any payment deferrals like Boise has done with […]

New GUARDIAN Banner Photo

After years of sticking with the same picture for the banner, the GUARDIAN has caved to reader suggestions and updated the image above. While the old photo was what we liked about Boise–a clean view of the foothills over the downtown–the new one is much more compact, thanks to the intent of local politicos and […]

Boise Coppers “Absorb” BSU Costs

Boise coppers will be seeking additional funds from Boise State University as part of a contract renewal to provide police at BSU. The new deal will see the Boise Police Department continue to provide “customary and usual duties,” including investigation and enforcement, traffic control and accident investigations. But the contract would bump up the hourly […]

Gardner Courts BSU For Tax-Exempt Space

UPDATE 6/19/14 STATE BOARD OKed THE DEAL OUTLINED BELOW. Meeting in Idaho Falls, members of the State Board of Education approved the proposal. Looks like the Gardner Company has found a pot of gold in the form of government funding for downtown Boise projects. Latest move to get public funding for a pair of proposed […]

BOI Could Build $30M SkyWest Facility

We would eagerly welcome a $30,000,000 investment by regional airline SkyWest to build a maintenance facility in Boise as announced by Mayor Dave Bieter Friday. Taxes on a $30 million structure could amount to more than $500,000 a year for Boise Schools, ACHD, Ada County, and Boise City. But it is unlikely it will happen. […]

Loose Moose Putters Around Golf Course

IDAHO FISH & GAME PHOTO Boise police chief Mike Masterson likes to brag to his former colleagues back in Wisconsin about living in the wilds of Idaho where his officers have responded to animal calls within the city concerning, cougars, deer, elk, bear, coyotes. Now he can add a loose moose to the list. On […]

Social Engineering Or Prudent Planning?

The DAILY PAPER had a good story by reporter Sven Berg Sunday detailing plans by Boise officials to offer “developer welfare” for downtown apartments catering to young professionals. We see it as social engineering. Efforts to increase population density — not to mention traffic and urban crowding — have not been particularly successful due to […]

CCDC, Others Adopt GUARDIAN Sign Idea

After nearly a decade of ignoring the need for “way finding” signs in Boise, the major stakeholders in downtown Boise have adopted the GUARDIAN idea of being tourist-friendly. CCDC and the Downtown Boise Association are gathering ideas on the development of a wayfinding system for Downtown Boise. The meetings are set for Tuesday, June 10 […]

Who Will Pay For Airline Welfare In Boise?

Boise’s Airport (BOI) is asking the City Council for approval of even more welfare for airlines in addition to the $100,000 waiver of landing fees for the first year of new service routes. Now, they want to give away ticket counter space and parking with the hope such a discount program will encourage an airline […]

G-BAD Seeks To Skirt Voter Approval For Debt

The Greater Boise Auditorium District (G-BAD) is tiptoeing around the law once again. This time they are aiming to deprive voters of their constitutional right to approve long term debt for a $38 million dollar kitchen and ballroom. Article VIII, Sec 3 of the Idaho Constitution requires a vote of the people to approve debt. […]

Cycles And Cars: Watch Out For Each OTher!

BY STEVE HULME Two-wheel season is upon us again! As the days get longer and the temperatures warmer, bicycles and motorcycles come out of winter storage, and fair-weather riders take to the highways and byways. Cyclists (both bi- and motor-) are vulnerable creatures, compared to their brothers and sisters who choose car transportation. Those tons […]

Fate Of Downtown Boise Unknown In 2017

The GUARDIAN has been doing some preliminary inquiries regarding the fate of downtown Boise after the Central District urban renewal project expires in 2017. As it sits currently, no one can offer us a definitive answer to questions of ownership, management, and responsibility for certain Capital City Development Corp. properties. For instance, CCDC owns 8th […]

GUARDIAN Reader Seeks Second Opinion

Calling himself “Boise Cynic,” a long time GUARDIAN reader has taken it upon himself to seek a 2nd opinion on how downtown Boise should be managed with regard to traffic, pedestrians, and bikes. BY BOISE CYNIC Request to ACHD, Boise City, CCDC and/or BSU: Please pay for urban planner Robert Bruegmann to come to Boise […]

Caldwell GUARDIAN Vindicated Over Nampa Library

Thursday the Gardener Company sent Nampa Development Corporation (Urban Renewal) a letter backing out of the retail/officeportion of the Nampa Library Project. Caldwell GUARDIAN editor Paul Alldredge had filed legal action to allow citizens to weigh in on the indebtedness, but backed out when threatened with being forced to pay legal fees. In the letter, […]

Apply Emergency Brakes To Train Obsession

It used to be amusing to poke fun at Team Dave’s latest gimmick for a train, trolley, street car, etc. Now its time to derail this fantasy once and for all. The current topic is yet another round of consulting, planning, etc. for what amounts to a “cargo transit center.” The idea is to create […]

Is Boise Losing “Small Town” Flavor?

With all the pressure Boise’s Team Dave is putting on the Ada County Highway District, Urban Renewal, Autitorium District, and Valley Transit, we growthophobes have to conclude their efforts are aimed at justifying a TROLLEY through urban growth. While they try to make a case for trains, trolley, street car or circulator there seems to […]

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