BOISE, Idaho — Boise is growing, just not in the way you might think. Boise's population shrank in 2022, by about half a percentage point, according to the latest Census numbers. The population should jump back up when we get the numbers for 2023. Regardless, the city's buildings are growing up and the city is sprawling less. That increased density is by design and a hallmark of the newly rewritten zoning code.
Some Boiseans are very concerned about the changing face of their city. Boise's mayor, Lauren McLean, acknowledges that is a concern, stemming from the fact that everyone loves this place so much. But she also said, it's necessary to increase density to address the number one concern of residents: housing affordability.
"When I'm talking to people on the doorsteps, I often hear, 'You know, my child just finished college, just finished trade school and wants to come back. There are great job opportunities, but they can't find a place to live. I wish they could live in the neighborhood where they grew up,'” said Mayor McLean. “Well, we can only make that happen if we ensure that there are homes in our own city, rather than sprawling throughout the valley."
The mayor also acknowledged some criticism out there, that all those new Boise homes are almost all luxury apartments, like the massive Arthur Building, which just got topped off. She said developments like that are part of the solution... but just one part of the solution, “We need homes for all budgets. And as a city, we've focused on developing public private partnerships to make sure that we have homes at working people's budgets, because those are the ones that the market won't necessarily do on their own. But we need private companies to decide to build apartments at all different budget points, because we've got people of all walks of life in the city that need a home."
The mayor also pointed out the various affordable housing developments the city has incentivized or partnered to build or is building. That includes the Thomas Logan, at Franklin and Orchard, on State near Taft, and by Boise State in the Lusk District. At that spot, they'll also have housing for families exiting homelessness.
On the issue of homelessness, there are Boiseans who cannot afford even affordable housing. So, where do they turn? It depends. But the Mayor said, the city is helping to make sure there are organizations all along the way to meet them and help them get into a home. "We're a big part of what's called a continuum of care. That's a group of organizations that together serve those who are experiencing homelessness. They seek to prevent homelessness, and then they work to get folks housed, whether it be in temporary housing, like shelter, or ideally in long-term homes with the services they need wrapped around. That's a big part of our strategy."
If housing is the first concern of Boiseans, traffic has to be the second. Neither Mayor McLean nor the city controls the roads in Ada County, that's up to Ada County Highway District (ACHD), which was created years ago by voters. But she says the city is working closely with ACHD to expand public transportation and walking and biking paths.
She's also upset that a bill introduced last year in the Statehouse, which did not pass, would've made the ACHD Board partisan and put the entire Commission up for re-election. "I'm going to tell you first what doesn't help traffic and that is the Legislature deciding to try to change the way our community voted years ago to govern our roads. They're making it partisan. They want to add more people. That's not going to solve the traffic problem. What's going to solve the traffic problem is rolling up your sleeves, working hard together, figuring out where you can agree, and what cities roles and plans are."
The mayor said they'd also continue to invest in and partner with Valley Regional Transit, which runs the buses in the Valley.
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