BOISE, Idaho — Election Day is coming up on November 7th. One of the biggest, if not the biggest, race in the area is the Boise Mayor's race. From homelessness to affordable housing to the new zoning code, Mayor Lauren McLean and former Police Chief Mike Masterson debated all the major angles during the KTVB Mayoral Debate.
The candidates first debated the City of Boise's new zoning code, approved just months ago by the City Council. The code’s aim is to increase affordable housing by building up and not out.
Critics, however, like mayoral candidate and former Boise Police Chief Mike Masterson, say it will only push people out of older neighborhoods. He also says it was rushed through, “We've taken that voice away from some of our citizens with that. 711 pages is a pretty technical type of report. I have seen some of our architects in this community, long-standing architects, who have come together and created 200 questions, because they were concerned about some of the issues that came up in the zoning code… We should at least answer those questions to our public. They deserve it."
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean countered that the process to craft the zoning code took years, and included public input from thousands of residents before it was ever passed by council, "We heard from 1000s of people in the city, whether it be surveys at neighborhood meetings that we had at libraries and parks and other places, and conversations and emails that I received. Changes were made to reflect the character of the neighborhood… They made changes based on the feedback they received from the public and passed it unanimously."
That discussion led to the major issue facing most communities in the area: a lack of affordable housing. McLean touted her accomplishments in helping get more than 1,000 affordable units built or in the pipeline, and credited partnerships in making that happen, "I mentioned the land bank where we said, 'Okay, we've got city land that's parking lots and weedy lots. Let's put it out for the best idea, in partnership with developers with agencies that manage affordable housing and requirements, that this housing be affordable for years to come. So, the folks that are building our city, that are working in our restaurants that want to live here, have opportunities.' We've partnered with our urban renewal district, and we're seeing, with their partnership, and the partnership of developers, new housing downtown that's affordable, not just for those with lots of money. We've worked with nonprofits like LEAP on homeownership options. There's so much more I can't even begin to name all the partners."
But Masterson believes that's not enough affordable units. And, that total does fall short of the City's goals so far. He also wants to see growth not just up, but also out. He says it would not be sprawl, but smart, controlled growth, "We're pushing all of our housing needs to these to these cities to our west. We haven't done anything. We are landlocked in the foothills, we are landlocked to the West, but we are not to the south and east and we can continue to grow. Listen, we have opportunities. Do we want to be a city like Manhattan that is landlocked and has to grow only vertically? Do we want to be locked like Los Angeles with a vibrant downtown and community suburbs and bedrooms (communities)? I think we can have a hybrid of both, and we can accomplish our housing needs by looking to create more housing opportunities in the city, beyond just creating more density?"
A discussion on homelessness was the final piece of the housing debate, specifically, how Boise can continue to avoid the homeless crises seen in other cities in our area.
McLean said, "As I think about what's happened to other cities, I have the same reaction that I think all residents do. It's terrible. It's sad. I made a commitment, as have so many Boise Ian's that we wouldn't let that happen here. Now I see lots of fingers pointing. All those cities that have failed policies have said, 'Well, it's because of Boise.' Well, let me tell you, the partnerships and commitment that the city and her residents have to each other is the foundation for the success we've had. We're beating the odds."
Masterson agrees that the housing first programs, where the city and non-profits provide homes for the unhoused before making requirements of them, are a good idea. But says they're not working as well as they could be, because the rent is too high, and some organizations are not involved enough, "Because the rents are so high, we're not able to funnel people into there that graduate out of it, because they can't afford rents in the city. I have a different plan to address homelessness and is to bring every partner to the table. I don't think that we've had every partner. We have Interfaith Sanctuary. We've got some great partners in Jesse Tree and CATCH and other social service agencies in town. The Boise Rescue Mission, which has been a longtime partner in sheltering homeless, has not been invited into that discussion."
The entire debate is right here.
We have your voter guide right here.