EAGLE, Idaho — A 34.5-acre parcel of land on the west side of Eagle has been auctioned off for $9.1 million to a former Boise State basketball player.
In an email, a city official confirmed that Matt Bauscher bought the lot on the southwest corner of Floating Feather and Meridian roads. Bidding for the property started at $5 million.
Back in 2018, the city announced plans to make the lot into a neighborhood park. The land is surrounded by homes. However, that plan was made by former Mayor Stan Ridgeway who lost his bid for reelection in 2019 to Jason Pierce.
In an interview last week, Pierce told KTVB that the land is not the right place for a park because a lot of homes around there are on three, four, five-acre lot parcels. It is zoned for residential development. The mayor expects up to 70 new homes to be built in the area.
Pierce said the city paid $2.5 million for the lot and plans on investing the money from the sale in other facilities such as a brand-new sports complex.
Some residents expressed disappointment that the city failed to follow through on its original plan, saying there are no parks within walking distance of the neighborhood.
KTVB has reached out to Bauscher to find out his plans for the land, but we've not heard back from him.
Bauscher played for the Broncos from 2005 to 2008. He is a founding partner with Amherst Madison, a real estate agency in Boise.
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