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I do not claim that what should be done is necessarily the most popular CrownVic... what I do claim should happen is what is best for preserving land and the beauty of idaho. Keeping city... city.. and country country...
I do not think it should be illegal to sprawl.. but I think it should be economical to NOT sprawl.. You can have all the elbow room you want, but that puts a strain on local services and if you choose to do so.. then YOU better pay for it... problem is.. people aren't.. and the cities are having to cough up huge amounts of money for new fire stations, more roads, large multi lane freeway systems. And if the demand isn't so popular as you suggest then why is downtown boise in a HUGE demand for condo developement right now? because people are tired of driving, and all the added costs associated with it. If you want to live in the country.. cool.. more power to you.. go build a cabin up in stanley.. but don't go 2 miles outside of boise city limits and build 10,000 houses. Dense urban developement allows for public transportation to be successful.. You may sit and scoff at the idea, but calculate your car payment as well as how much you spend in gas per month.. and you will find that it free's up hundreds of dollars that could go towards other things.. all by living in a city that is controlled and serviced within managable bounds. Believe me.. I've done it. I didn't have to buy a car until I moved to boise.
You're right though it is not popular in the broad sense of everyone in the metro area, but it is catching on in boise.. and you will see some seriously large dense highrise developements coming downtown very soon.. 3-5 years time...
What I will say to you though is... live your life how you want.. just don't ask tax payers to pay for it! buy a house out in "meadow woods" or "sprawling spruce" just be prepared to pay for the roads and schools and infrastructure.. because some of us are tired of it.. I actually live downtown and love it..
Peace!
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrownVic95
I can scarcely believe what I’m reading here. 1000 square miles of high-rises? Give me a break.
Anchorless and boiseguy, why are either one of you in Boise and not mid-town Manhattan? Do you not understand why "sprawl", as you put it, happened in the first place? It happened and will continue to happen because most Americans DO NOT want to live in the manner that you are trying your best to impose on them against their will. I have no idea where this radical and unrealistic point of view comes from. But you are swimming upstream and will continue to pointlessly pound your heads against the wall until you realize that Americans want a little elbow room around their own personal space and that isn’t going to change in the foreseeable future. Life has more than enough real challenges along the way without dreaming up new crises that largely don’t exist outside of your own minds. Give it up, gentlemen, or live a life of completely unnecessary frustration.
Ok, look at your first sentence. In it you admit that most don’t share your view, and then you apparently grant yourself the power to decide what is best for the rest of us. It’s not gonna work, my friend.
The cost issues and who is going to foot the bill have always been debated and will continue to be ad infinatum. It will be worked out along the way and always has been. Market forces and individual choices will determine how much growth is too much. That is the way it works in a free society. You and Anchorless need not burden yourselves with that task.
You live downtown and love it? That is your choice and no one’s business but yours. The converse is also true.
Ok, look at your first sentence. In it you admit that most don’t share your view, and then you apparently grant yourself the power to decide what is best for the rest of us. It’s not gonna work, my friend.
The cost issues and who is going to foot the bill have always been debated and will continue to be ad infinatum. It will be worked out along the way and always has been. Market forces and individual choices will determine how much growth is too much. That is the way it works in a free society. You and Anchorless need not burden yourselves with that task.
You live downtown and love it? That is your choice and no one’s business but yours. The converse is also true.
lol.. you're getting way too worked up and defensive about it.
Government plays a role in the market, the fed just cut interests rates to spur the economy. so to sit and say its all up to the market is ridiculous..
Local government can structure tax incentives to guide growth the best way.. its up to everyone to decide, and actually the mayor of boise believes this as well.. and he was re-elected.
Saying I'm not the majority is partly right if you factor in the rest of small town idaho.. but in boise.. there are many who feel the same way as we do.. and we re-elected our mayor... so quit freaking out...
sprawl all you want.. I'm just saying.... don't turn around and whine about all your "hunting and fishing and outdoors activity" spots are being ruined.. because then I'll tell you.. "I told you so" I understand the libertarian views here in idaho, and it is actually very good approach to MOST things.. but Its just my opinion that some people have come to equate liberatarianism to apathy when handling important issues such as growth...
So have you spoken to the mayor about your 1000 square miles of highrises? What did he think?
you need to follow the thread.. that is an example of extreme's.. if the boise area is to continue to grow.. dense developement in a smaller area is better in my opinion than endless sprawl... either you lack intelligence or you are just trying to be a jerk.. either way you discredit yourself each time you post... if you're so much older and wise and knowlegable.. then act like it and grow up please...
Amen to that! I agree with you that tighter growth boundaries need to be structured to force some density and cut down on the "sprawl" in the Treasure Valley. Portland HAS done a great job of having a very tight urban growth boundary and it has resulted in dense development. I know density is not ideal for most of us but you have to give a little if you want to sustain/maintain many of the things such as air quality, short commute times, etc..that people associate with quality of life. A public transportation system is the other number one item that needs to be at the top of the list for the Treasure Valley, again if you want to preserve the things people love about it. People are not going to stop coming to the area so plan AHEAD for the inevitable growth. In any community if you really want elbow room you can get it, you just need to pay for it. Like it or not it will be the same way in the Treasure Valley in years to come.
Quote:
Originally Posted by boiseguy
the cities of the treasure valley need to work together, all these small cities gobbling up farmland for a tax base only to use them for sprawl is ridiculous. It needs to stop. Its ruining the valley in more ways than one. sprawl is expensive and just makes cities have to pay more for providing services to the outlying areas. They think its helping their tax base, but in 10-20 years time you have to build massive freeway systems so people can get out to where they live.. not to mention fire and ambulance services.. it just gets worse and worse....
Controlled growth can happen, and it does in many area's Vancouver Canada is a good example of "perfect" city planning. Places like Portland Oregon are adopting such principles to limit the sprawl. Set up a tax structure so that the incentive is catered to those who build infill dense developements. Along with this, you must change zoning laws to allow for these developements. Growth is happening.. and I'd rather see 1000 sq miles of highrises in the treasure valley than nonstop sprawl from Ontario to twin falls...YUCK!
This thread has run its course. People, take a deep breath, try hard to play nice. Anchorless, thank you for your commendable restraint.
Last edited by Sage of Sagle; 12-13-2007 at 02:54 PM..
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