West Boise Library Petition Presentation and testimony to be given this Tuesday, July 11th, at the City Council Budget Meeting
This Tuesday, July 11th, Boise City Council is meeting at the Boise City Hall at 6 PM to review the FY’24 budget. Several of our neighborhood association members will present a petition to improve library coverage in West Boise. We invite you to come and support this too.
If you plan to attend Tuesday’s meeting in-person you can sign up to testify at City Hall before the meeting. The earlier you sign up the earlier you will be able to testify. Note the start time for the meeting is 6 PM. Testimony is limited to three minutes per person testifying.
Many, if not most of us, have firsthand experiences or stories that reflect how important public libraries are to ourselves and our families. Consider if you have a story to tell that reflects on better access to a public library in west Boise.
Taxes
We all pay equal taxes to support libraries, but we don’t have equitable access.
Cost Efficiency, Expediency West YMCA
A new, dedicated building would be preferred but we recognize this is expensive, the quickest most efficient path to improve access would be to lease space in an existing building. This could be done near the West YMCA in the Boise Research Center or other retail locations that have become vacant due to a trend away from brick-and-mortar retail.
Walkable City
We want Boise to be more walkable and bikeable. Part of making it more walkable and bikeable is having places to walk and bike to, within a reasonable distance.
Not Just Parks
We have good access to parks, for which we are grateful, but parks are not the only city service we care about.
Library Study
When the library study is completed in a year, the same coverage gap will exist. Can we not recognize this and begin to act now?
Library Study
The study doesn’t need to be completed to see where we have poor coverage. It’s obvious to anyone when they look at a coverage map of Boise.
Action Now
Action we could take now: Step 1) research different options – we can tell you about them, we know West Boise, we live there. Step 2) purchase land. Can we include money from this year’s budget to purchase land for a library in West Boise?
Action Now
We’ve identified locations near West Boise MacDevitt Park. We Don’t want to name it publicly. We’ve seen other potential locations disappear due to development. Great locations have been disappearing, West Boise is developed.
Action Now
It’s important to act sooner than later, as available space is only going away.
Our great supporters out gathering petition signers!
This morning (July 8) neighborhood association members collected signatures in support of this petition at Albertson’s at Eagle and McMillan. You can sign this petition online at https://citizensforalibrary.org/west-boise. Tammy and Jeremy Rampton along with their daughter, Eve, and Clair Salisbury gather petition signatures outside Albertsons at McMillan and Eagle Road. We want to thank our local Albertsons for being a great supporter of Centennial Neighborhood.
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West Boise Needs a Library Too – Door-To-Door Campaign Kicks Off Saturday, May 13, 2023
At our most recent board meeting, we agreed that having a library within or closer to our neighborhood would be a tremendous boost to our community. Supporters of this initiative will be going door to door on Saturday at 1:30 PM to collect signatures and distribute flyers. If you would like to help, please sign up here:
Mark Salisbury updated CTNA tonight on the library meeting that was hosted by Mark and his wife, Amanda, last night.
“We had a great meeting last night! I’ve started working on a presentation for the library board / city council, which I shared with everyone who was present. I got some valuable feedback – thanks everyone who was here for your ideas. We got a little more organization, with several people volunteering to help this effort in a variety of ways. I’m excited to see where we go.
And the pie — lots of pie, it was delicious.
If you believe having a library nearby is worth some effort, I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks especially to Amanda Salisbury for all your help “
It’s “Spring” or is it “Summer” already? No matter what it is, there must be some great pictures of our Centennial Neighborhood you could send in!!!
Wanted! -Send your photographs of our great Centennial Neighborhood to centennialnaboise@gmail.com. Each month we will select and feature a new photograph with credits to the photographer. Let’s “show” the rest of Boise how proud we are of Boise’s westernmost Neighborhood. Your photo will be displayed on Centennial’s website – https://www.centennialna.org as well as our Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/centennialna. Selections will be made at the end of each month. If your photograph doesn’t make it to our Home Pages this month, watch for it on a new special display page we are developing – no pun intended – well maybe a little intended 🙂
Email your photos to – centennialnaboise@gmail.com. as an attachment. Please include: your name and Description of where the picture was taken in our Centennial neighborhood. If you would like to be added to our neighborhood email list, please also add your email and street address. We will not show your email or street address in the post.
I am reaching out on behalf of Nicole who will be back on Tuesday to share community outreach events on the proposed Tenant Protections Package city staff presented to Mayor and Boise City Council.
Community members are invited to learn more about each of the proposed protections and provide feedback. There are two ways to provide input. Community event information is below, we also have an online form for those who are unable to attend in person.
Community Outreach Events
June 20 at 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at Ann Morrison Park Older Timers Shelter (1000 S. Americana Blvd)
June 27at 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Library! at Hillcrest (5246 W Overland Rd)
July 1 at 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Esther Simplot Park Central Pavilion (3206 W Pleasanton Ave)
July 6: First Thursday pop-up at City Hall Plaza (150 N. Capitol Blvd.)
Please share with your neighborhoods and let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you!
Lana Graybeal (she/her)Sr. Manager, Community OutreachOffice of Community Engagement208-972-8509lgraybeal@cityofboise.orgcityofboise.orgCreating a city for everyone.
After a unanimous recommendation for approval from the Planning & Zoning Commission, Boise City Council will consider the modern zoning code the week of June 12, 2023. Residents are encouraged to provide verbal testimony at the public hearing, either in-person or virtually. Written comments will be accepted until June 8, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. and should be submitted to zoningrewrite@cityofboise.org.
The full reserved hearing schedule is outlined below and will take place at city hall in the Maryanne Jordan Council Chambers; days and times will be adjusted as needed, please check the public meetings webpage for updates to the schedule.
· Monday, June 12, 2023 – 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
o Presentation from staff and neighborhood associations
Nicole Carr (she/her)Energize Our Neighborhoods Program ManagerOffice of Community EngagementCell: 208-805-2170Office: 208.972.8502ncarr@cityofboise.orgcityofboise.orgCreating a city for everyone.
Next week Boise City Council will hold a public hearing on the modern zoning code. The news release shared today includes a schedule, pre-registration for testimony, and an email address to share written comments.
The executive summary is attached and you can also view it online here.
For questions related to the hearing and/or zoning code, please reach out to Lindsay Moser, Communications Mgr. – Planning & Development Services (PDS) lmoser@cityofboise.org or 208-972-8496.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 5, 2023
CITY OF BOISE INVITES RESIDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC HEARING ON MODERN ZONING CODE
Next week Boise City Council will hold a public hearing on the modern zoning code and is inviting the public to participate by providing verbal testimony. Sign-ups are now available, and residents are encouraged to pre-register online. Written comments will be accepted until June 8, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. and should be submitted to zoningrewrite@cityofboise.org.
The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended staff create an Executive Summary, which is now available on the city’s website, along with all other project documents.
The full reserved hearing schedule is outlined below and will take place at city hall in the Maryanne Jordan Council Chambers; days and times will be adjusted as needed. Please check the public meetings webpage for updates to the schedule.
· Monday, June 12, 2023 – 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Presentation from staff and neighborhood associations
Here is the feedback Boise Dev received from Boise’s thirty-five neighborhood associations including our own Centennial Neighborhood. “We surveyed each of Boise’s neighborhood associations on the zoning code rewrite. Opinions vary widely”Boise Dev Neighborhood Feedback
The following is a communication from Don Day, BoiseDev followed by CTNA’s response. It’s a long piece to read but if you are interested or concerned in how the current Zoning Rewrite package could impact the future of Boise – then it’s well worth your time
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To Boise Neighborhood Associations-March 27, 2023,To Boise Neighborhood Associations
I’m reaching out to each of Boise’s Neighborhoods to gauge their stance on the proposed Boise Zoning Code Rewrite for an upcoming story. As you know, the first comment deadline has passed, and we want to help the public see how the city’s neighborhoods view the plan before public testimony in April. Could you answer these three questions, and reply by Friday, March 31?
1) Does your neighborhood association support the Zoning Code Rewrite as proposed? (Yes, no or undecided)
2) What if any changes would the NA want to see to the ZCR?
3) Does your NA feel the city conducted proper outreach to help shape/provide input on the rewrite?
Thanks! —
DON L. DAY |BoiseDev Founder & Editor
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March 31, 2023, Centennial Neighborhood Association Response – to be discussed on April 20, 2023, board meeting
To: Don Day, BoiseDev
The attached document is a position by consensus of the Centennial NA board of directors. We were unable to call a special meeting of the association’s general members within the timeline for response to your request. Accordingly, we cannot stipulate that this represents the consensus of the entire constituency of Centennial NA. We have been working diligently to keep the membership aware and informed and are therefore confident in offering this response. We are following through with an upcoming Centennial NA meeting on April 20, 2023, to further vet topic consensus and be prepared for the subsequent public hearings.
We are appreciative and are in admiration of the evident effort of BoiseDev’s “Deep Dive” into the ZCR. Thank you for the opportunity to weigh in.
On behalf of the Centennial NA board of directors,
Gary Dufault, President
Centennial Neighborhood’s Reply
1) Does your neighborhood association support the Zoning Code Rewrite as proposed? (Yes, no or undecided)
No, we support some of the rewrite, but are opposed to some.
We support mixed use residential and commercial zones.
We support high density housing.
We especially support high density housing along transportation corridors, should Boise ever have viable public transportation.
We support neighborhoods of mixed size and type housing.
We applaud zoning code leaning toward form based over use based.
We applaud a streamlined approval process for all developments that meet form and use code, not just affordable housing use.
We support bicycle and motorcycle parking minimums that encourage alternative transportation.
We do not support limiting public or private parking.
We do not support the city subsidizing housing, the city owning housing or the city competing with private real estate.
We do not support ‘affordable’, subsidized or rent controlled housing in Boise prime real estate areas where we have the opportunity to grow the city tax base and relieve resident taxes.
We do not support use deed restrictions for affordable housing.
While we support streamlined approval, we do not support the efforts to stifle public comment on any project.
2) What if any changes would the NA want to see to the ZCR?
Parking
Parking space restrictions are not appropriate for Boise. We are a private vehicle culture. The public brings up parking at every opportunity and it’s usually the #1 issue. The lack of parking affects everyone, but those without other options are impacted the most. Adequate parking drives the economy. We do not want to devolve into a city, like so many others, where commercial endeavors fail from lack of access and parking, motorists driving around in circles looking for parking and parking disputes turning into violence. We should encourage people to get out of their cars by positive actions and attractive alternatives, not by trying to punish them with negative actions and unrealistic options.
We applaud efforts to reduce traffic volume and we applaud developing walking neighborhoods, but we do not support limiting public and private parking in either the ‘modern’ or the old code.
The Treasure Valley does not have a viable public transportation system.
We understand the ‘chicken and the egg’ approach…
But those moving into housing without parking will need a fully viable public transportation system on day one. Viable means access throughout the Treasure Valley, not just transportation corridors, 24/7, all weather, affordable, quick, safe and sustainable.
This is the minimum a working person would need just for day-to-day use and does not include major shopping trips or recreation. Even those that prefer to use public transportation regularly will usually also require a personal car on occasion.
At what cost and for how long will the taxpayers support an unused public transportation system before they begin to trim off the edges by cutting routes, operating hours and trip frequency?
Walking neighborhoods require somewhere to walk to. The current focus on more housing will result in more housing, but without the commercial and public accommodations we might want to walk to.
Centennial Neighborhood is an example in which the city has denied commercial development in commercial zones and approved in-fill high density residential. There was nothing to walk to before. Now we have more homes and still nothing to walk to, but also less available parking.
Walking neighborhoods require sustainable businesses to walk to. In mixed use development, parking is essential for any business that cannot survive only on the clientele within walking distance.
Those of us in areas like Centennial and West Valley without a lot of commercial development have been in the habit of driving to other areas to spend our money. If we get to those areas and don’t have anywhere to park, we can’t patronize the businesses.
Affordable Housing
We do not support city subsidized housing, the city owning housing or the city competing with private real estate. We see this as an infringement on free enterprise and, perhaps even free elections.
We do not support ‘affordable’, subsidized or rent controlled housing in Boise’s prime real estate areas where we have the opportunity to grow the city tax base and relieve resident taxes rather than concede these areas to tax-free or subsidized-by-tax areas. The areas we consider prime are downtown, along the Greenbelt and bordering any parks or foothill access. These assets are places residents will, and should, pay a premium to live near. They should be reserved for either high tax base residential or commercial properties that all of Boise can enjoy.
We do not support fixed use deed restrictions, If the project fails, it might need to be repurposed without trying to change deed restrictions.
Project Approval
While we support streamlined approval, we do not support the efforts to stifle public comment on any project. There are pieces of the ‘modern’ code designed to limit public participation such as elevating the design review to a commission, allowing planners to make more desk approvals and creating the role of a ‘Fair Hearing’ that will be appointed by and accountable to the administration. We also note the current practice of reducing the time for public comment, especially for the Neighborhood Assns. which have been labeled as remnants of the old, failed urban renewal efforts of the past.
Public comment provides benefits.
It encourages the developer to present quality projects, not the bare minimums. What we build today will be with us and affect quality of life in Boise for years.
Even when a project ticks all the boxes legally, public comment has resulted in voluntary project refinement and improvements that make it more palatable to the neighbors. At least their voices were heard.
It allows for public participation which grows participation.
We’re told some projects will still require public hearings based upon “complex applications” and other considerations, but who will make those decisions? The temptation to make these decisions based upon political considerations would be great. How would the public hold the administration accountable for elevating controversial projects to a hearing? “Alternative form” hearings would be held for the reasons opposite of what the public may want…less density, more parking, etc.
3) Does your NA feel the city conducted proper outreach to help shape/provide input on the rewrite?
We feel that the city has made extensive, but meaningless outreach.
The administration appointed a ‘city wide advisory committee’ packed with developers and affordable housing advocates to represent us, but that’s not representative of all of Boise.
An intern was assigned to interview the public and she chose a laundromat to hold the interviews. Not very representative of much of Boise.
While the city has made some small perceived concessions such as:
leaving a zone named residential in the new code, but changing residential zone details that change the nature of this zone
calling for ‘stable neighborhoods’ while defining stable as restrictions moving toward more dense, affordable housing
changing the name of the ‘hearing examiner’ to ‘fair hearing’ and letting the Planning Director, who reports to the mayor, appoint the examiner instead of the mayor appointing that person directly. These changes do nothing to change the fact that one person, accountable to the administration, would still be making the decision and the only appeal would be an expensive lawsuit.
Affordable housing is needed, but that should not be the predominant goal and following the examples of cities that have failed in this effort will only lead to failure here. We have the chance to create a code that will encourage affordable housing while also encouraging vibrant, quality development that protects what we love about Boise
The final phase of the Boise Zoning Code Rewrite is upon us. This is public comment time, which is when the CTNA can choose to participate followed by approval by the city. The time to voice an opinion is now or never!
This link to Boise Dev is a great summary of the rewrite. It also contains the public meeting dates starting 4/24 and a link to the actual rewrite draft. Centennial Neighborhood Association will be considering its position on the “Rewrite” at its upcoming board meeting, Thursday April 2oth. https://centennialna.org/event/ctna-2nd-quarter-board-meeting.
Your Centennial Neighborhood Association supports the need for Boise to have a library closer to the citizens of West Boise. Ideally libraries are within walking or at least biking distance. The Library! at Cole & Ustick is more than five miles away from parts of our Neighborhood Association. Many citizens of Boise live within 1 mile of a library, and most are within two miles. “?” West Boise stands alone in a “library desert”!
If you are interested in supporting this effort, help is needed. You can help in the following ways:
Last weekend someone(s) put this on a common area fence in the Mahogany Park subdivision. It was reported to Boise Police the next day. BPD quickly responded. According to the visiting officer, this type of graffiti is not normally seen in West Boise but is more commonly found in Nampa and Caldwell and is gang related. Gangs customarily use such marking to claim “their” territory. Mahogany Park is NOT gang territory. The Centennial neighborhood is NOT gang territory. Once notified the Mahogany Park HOA quickly removed this graffiti. If you see unsightly graffiti in your area, immediately report to Boise Graffiti 208-377-6790.
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