Idaho News (Boise, Meridian, Council: big house, pine, mayor)

[banjomike]

Portland put the brakes on its urban sprawl years ago by setting the city limits to its present size.
That means that the availability of housing at any price is almost as limited as it is in San Francisco from just price alone.

An old house in Portland will have to come down for a replacement to be built on the land now. The aim of the program is to make the living space in Portland more dense than it is now, without becoming any larger in its physical size.

The effect of the program is just the same as it is in San Francisco. The rent goes up every time someone moves out and the wages aren't keeping up with the COL. Both my sons live there, and one said last year that despite all this being very well known, Portland is still getting 1,000 new people moving there every month.

This tends to make me think that Boise could take over Portland's position as a hi-tech startup center. Since Portland is a lot closer to Boise than it is to San Francisco, I think it's possible that some of the big companies that are established in Portland may be looking to Boise for the same reason why Silicon Valley is now looking at Boise.

[Syringaloid]

Originally Posted by banjomike

Portland put the brakes on its urban sprawl years ago by setting the city limits to its present size.
That means that the availability of housing at any price is almost as limited as it is in San Francisco from just price alone.

An old house in Portland will have to come down for a replacement to be built on the land now. The aim of the program is to make the living space in Portland more dense than it is now, without becoming any larger in its physical size.

The effect of the program is just the same as it is in San Francisco. The rent goes up every time someone moves out and the wages aren't keeping up with the COL. Both my sons live there, and one said last year that despite all this being very well known, Portland is still getting 1,000 new people moving there every month.

This tends to make me think that Boise could take over Portland's position as a hi-tech startup center. Since Portland is a lot closer to Boise than it is to San Francisco, I think it's possible that some of the big companies that are established in Portland may be looking to Boise for the same reason why Silicon Valley is now looking at Boise.

Boise has already attracted some companies from Portland bringing in jobs with good pay and benefits. It isn't going to stop either. I think Boise is on track to keep on growing until the end of time.

The 25 most innovative cities in US share affinity for technology

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...s-us/38330651/

[dcisive]

Yeah I see Boise becoming the next "Salt Lake City" and that is in a bad way Just glad I'm not particularly close to that region. Those that see unlimited growth as a good thing will learn their lesson soon enough.

[Syringaloid]

Originally Posted by dcisive

Yeah I see Boise becoming the next "Salt Lake City" and that is in a bad way Just glad I'm not particularly close to that region. Those that see unlimited growth as a good thing will learn their lesson soon enough.

I don't think Boise will become the next "Salt Lake City". SLC is peculiar and Boise is cool. Boise is really its own "brand" and will always be "Boise'. SLC is the same; it's own brand.

BTW, the Magic Valley/Twin Falls is also seeing "unlimited growth". So are the other urbanized areas of Idaho. Boise isn't the only area growing within the state.

[Syringaloid]

https://magicvalley.com/entertainmen...7dba8ef5d.html

Find Idaho's hidden gems with the new book 'Discovering Idaho's Scenic Drives & Backroad Treasures'


https://www.idahoscenics.com/apps/we...s/show/7966556

[volosong]

Originally Posted by Syringaloid

BTW, the Magic Valley/Twin Falls is also seeing "unlimited growth". So are the other urbanized areas of Idaho. Boise isn't the only area growing within the state.

I knew about Post Falls/CdA and it's propensity for runaway urban growth/sprawl, but if I knew how growth-crazy the Rathdrum city council is/was, I would have decided to move elsewhere. The cities on the Rathdrum Prairie are growing tremendously, and unchecked. I understand Sandpoint is also, but cannot say from personal knowledge.

I think that Kootenai County is ready for something similar to the Ventura County SOAR initiative. Only problem is that it is a "California idea" and will never gain any traction here.

[Cnynrat]

Originally Posted by volosong

I knew about Post Falls/CdA and it's propensity for runaway urban growth/sprawl, but if I knew how growth-crazy the Rathdrum city council is/was, I would have decided to move elsewhere. The cities on the Rathdrum Prairie are growing tremendously, and unchecked. I understand Sandpoint is also, but cannot say from personal knowledge.

I think that Kootenai County is ready for something similar to the Ventura County SOAR initiative. Only problem is that it is a "California idea" and will never gain any traction here.

I haven't seen that kind of growth in Sandpoint itself. There is some room for new development to accommodate some growth, but nowhere near what you are seeing in the Rathdrum prairie. Some demand for additional housing is being fulfilled in Ponderay, but I think there is a limit imposed by available open space.

IMO, the current demand for people to move to Bonner county is out of balance with the available supply of housing, which is a big part of the reason why property values have increased as much as they have in the last few years. It's an issue the county will need to wrestle with since the residents in the rural areas want to see those areas retain their current rural character, which runs counter to the idea of building more housing that the average person working in this economy can afford. One of the comments you hear is that people don't want Bonner county to go the way of Kootenai county, and specifically they don't want it to become like the Rathdrum prairie. I completely understand that sentiment, but it's also important for the long term health of the area to find ways to address the housing affordability issue.

It's a conundrum.

Dave

[Syringaloid]

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...300904025.html

Sunwest Bank Reaffirms Commitment to Idaho Growth - Moves Operations Center to Nampa and Purchases Middleton Branch Building

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by volosong

........The cities on the Rathdrum Prairie are growing tremendously, and unchecked..........

It's a sad thing to see all the farms being paved over. It's very much like most Americans have no idea where their food comes from and don't realize that it will be a problem when all of our food is grown outside the country.



I look at all the new houses under construction and I wonder who is going to live in all of them. We are headed for a housing glut.


I'm sure the local governments are enjoying all the flood of new property tax money which is probably why they encourage all the growth.

[movedintime]

Quote:
Originally Posted by volosong View Post
........The cities on the Rathdrum Prairie are growing tremendously, and unchecked..........

It's a sad thing to see all the farms being paved over. It's very much like most Americans have no idea where their food comes from and don't realize that it will be a problem when all of our food is grown outside the country.



I look at all the new houses under construction and I wonder who is going to live in all of them. We are headed for a housing glut.


I'm sure the local governments are enjoying all the flood of new property tax money which is probably why they encourage all the growth.


I stopped posting in the Idaho forum because I could see others didn't appreciate my saying how CDA & Kootenai County used to be. (I do continue to read the Idaho forum though) Lately, there has been plenty of posters/recent transplants writing about how nice it was when they arrived & how things are changing. Not for the good.

You might now understand why I was upset when the forest was being cleared on the north side of Appleway.
Canfield homes went in. 95 & appleway was 55mph all the way to Sandpoint with no stops or signals.

Rathdrum Prairie...whats that, there was nothing there. We just referred to the area as 'the prairie'. Is it now proper to say "Rathdrum prairie ? Is there a different prairie.

Town was basically a triangle with the borders of N.W. Blvd. along the river - Hwy 90 - and the lake.

Some outlying buildings out 95 North of Appleway, but it was mostly a target shooting area, and my old home where Fred Myers now sits.

To bad for some, great for others. People who arrived yesterday have found a cute little town with a lake (in their mind)

All the recent transplants sound like great people. I'm sorry you're feeling the pains of growth. I know the feeling.