Idaho Smart Growth

Bringing People Together To Create Great Places To Live

Adopt a Bus Stop

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Photo Credit: Don Kostelec

Do you know of a Bus Stop that could use a little love?

Forlorn. Inhospitable. Forgotten.

Let’s change that!

Adopt a bus stop

Join us and Adopt a Bus Stop!

We invite neighborhood associations, businesses, schools, employers, and individuals to get creative and “Adopt a Bus Stop” during this year’s May in Motion (MiM).

Why May? To build on ACHD Commuteride’s May in Motion (MiM) campaign which is an exploration and celebration of alternative commute options and includes FREE buses throughout the month of May.

Interested? Here’s how it works:

  • Find partners – If you’re a neighborhood, is there a business that might want to partner with you? Businesses, see about partnering with your neighborhood association.
  • Select where – get VRT’s list of preferred locations they would like to see adopted. Look for chances to partner with nearby businesses/schools/libraries.
  • Decide when – MiM has identified the first week of May for adopt a bus stop, however if other dates work better for you these could occur any time during the month of May.
  • Design your bus stop – What do you want to do for the bus stop? Provide activities? Games? A coffee cart or lemonade stand? Music? Perhaps some amenities – seating, shade, shelter, greenery, bus schedule…. Be sure to follow VRT’s safety guidelines such as tripping hazards, not blocking ramps, keeping access clear, get a list of all guidelines.

Idaho Smart Growth can offer furniture, games and ideas. Be sure to reach out to get the guidelines, be included on the map and get confirmation of approval for location and design!

Contact Idaho Smart Growth to get started:
(208) 333-8066 or email deanna@idahosmartgrowth.org

Legislative Lookout

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Idaho State Capitol

‘Why Are You Afraid of a Vote?’

Those were the words of one of the sponsors of HB217, which passed out of the full Idaho House of Representatives on Monday, and is on its way to the Senate. The bill would further restrict the Local Economic Development Act, the main funding tool that local jurisdictions in Idaho have to catalyze economic development projects. Part of the bill would require a 55% supermajority vote on the use of any urban renewal district funds for any public building. We’re used to these attacks on local control from a number of Idaho legislators, who are comfortable with votes that allow a minority to rule. (Not surprisingly, some of them are now attempting to eliminate or restrict the recent citizen initiative vote to expand Medicaid in Idaho, approved by over 61% of voters.)

The alarming difference in the case of HB217 is that it is also supported by a number of prominent and progressive Boise residents, whose voiced concerns were not generally about economic development but specifically about two proposed large public projects: a new downtown library and a multipurpose stadium. They feel that these projects are too expensive and impactful, that citizen voices aren’t being heard in the planning, and they’re willing to adopt this legislation as a way to stop them, regardless of any other consequences.

I believe this is a symptom of the growth fatigue that is afflicting Boise and other Idaho metros. People are rightly concerned about the impacts of rapid population growth and the development that follows it. Idaho Smart Growth and others are working to help people grapple constructively with growth; our Citizens Planning Academy is one example. When people come together to solve problems there’s no expectation that everyone is going to be happy with the results, but they can feel good about the process. By contrast, requiring a vote on all public investments ensures even more divisiveness, especially when a minority of voters prevail. One reason to be “afraid of a vote” like this is because it’s undemocratic: if you’re for it, you get one vote but if you’re against it, your vote counts as more than one—10% more, in this case.  

Preemptive state legislation is the wrong way to deal with occasional local conflicts. Too many good and even uncontroversial projects won’t get built. Many of the Grow Smart Award recipients over the years had some public funding through urban renewal, including the Grove Plaza and the convention center in Boise, the Nampa public library, the Twin Falls downtown project and the Moscow transit center. It’s quite possible that these projects would have received a supermajority approval in a vote, but the time and expense it takes to mount a campaign, for an election that can occur only on two days in a year, would squelch public investment. Few lenders, bond purchasers or developers are going to put up with the uncertainty this would bring. A version of the project might occur anyway, but the public will not be part of it. The community will not have the sense of pride and ownership that comes from visionary investment in its public realm.

Communities are best served by local solutions and decisions. There already is a vote that we should not be afraid of: if you don’t like your elected representatives’ decisions, vote for someone else.

This editorial commentary was published in the Idaho Business Review.

Other legislation we are watching:

We opposed H127a which would have changed the Local Land Use Planning Act to allow counties to opt out of comprehensive planning and land use ordinances. We thought this bill was going in the wrong direction in the fastest growing state in the U.S. to ask jurisdictions to make important land-use decisions without a plan for guidance. As of March 12, the bill failed to move forward.

H76 regulates and properly defines e-bikes in Idaho Code. The bill has passed both the House and Senate and awaits the Governor’s signature. 

April Citizens Planning Academy

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Is your city covered? Comprehensive planning nightmares and heroes.

Wednesday, April 3 at 6 PM. Free and open to the public.

Attend Online:

Join remotely from any internet-connected device by clicking this link:
https://uidaho.zoom.us/j/110700170

Attend In Person:

U of I Legacy Pointe Conference Room, Idaho Water Center, 322 E. Front Street, Boise. Free off-street parking is available in the Idaho Water Center and Ada County Courthouse garages. More information and links maps can be found here.

As we continue our 2019 CPA series, our April 3 session will dive into comprehensive planning and the role it plays in community growth. We are excited to welcome Diane Kushlan as our speaker for this month. Diane has a passion for community planning that has brought her around the state, assisting communities and nonprofits. 

After working as a professional planner for a variety of local governments, Diane started her own consulting practice in 2002. Focused on Idaho local governments and non-profits, she has provided professional services on over fifty diverse planning projects.

Her firm, Kushlan | Associates, provides planning and management services to Idaho communities and non-profits. A full range of services are provided including: urban renewal, strategic planning, project management, municipal finance, general planning and zoning, community outreach and organizational development.

Diane’s creative approach to involving citizens and stakeholders in planning processes has produced plans that garnered effective support of elected officials resulting in committed and fulfilled implementation. With her firm, she has received multiple Grow Smart Awards and continues to share her knowledge as an adjunct professor for the University of Idaho Bioregional Planning program and through various professional presentations to APA, ULI, and Planning and Zoning Commissions.

The C.P.A. is a collaboration of Idaho Smart Growth and the University of Idaho’s College of Law in Boise and Bioregional Planning Program. Monthly sessions are designed to help citizens become effective advocates on a wide range of planning topics. Learn more about the Citizens Planning Academy here.

RSVP office@idahosmartgrowth.org. Learn more about the series here or view past session videos on our YouTube channel.

Lewiston – Wildfire Workshop

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IS YOUR COMMUNITY PREPARED?

Join this FREE four-hour workshop to learn about what communities
can do to be prepared for wildfire.
WHO should attend?

Whether you’re a homeowner, city planner, business owner, rancher, county commissioner, public works engineer, city police or fire, this workshop is for you.

Wildfire has no boundaries, the season is longer and fires are bigger. With these changes the importance for interdisciplinary planning for wildfire at the edges of development is growing. It will take all of us to make sure our communities are truly prepared to respond to a wildfire for best possible outcomes.

MARCH 15 from 10AM – 2PM

Bell Building 2nd Floor

215 D Street Lewiston, ID 83501
LUNCH PROVIDED – RSVP by Wednesday, March 13 so we have enough food.
Register to attend
Program:

You’ll hear from experts in this field who will share their experience and talk about the various roles we each have to play to help you understand what YOU can do to make your community more resilient to wildfires. You will also receive some resources to take away.

Presenters:

  • Tyre Holfeltz – ID Dept of Lands
    Fire Prevention and Risk Mitigation Program Manager
  • Jaap Vos – University of Idaho
    Bioregional Planning and Community Design Program Head
Panelists:

Kip Kemak, Nez Perce Tribe Forestry & Fire Management Division-Fire Prevention and Mitigation Specialist

Ivy Dickinson, Idaho Firewise-Executive Director

Jeremiah Miller, Idaho Department of Lands- Fire Warden for Craig Mountain Forest Protective District

Additional Upcoming Workshop:
  • April (date TBD) in Coeur d’Alene

Idaho Falls – Wildfire Workshop

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IS YOUR COMMUNITY PREPARED?

Join this FREE four-hour workshop to learn about what communities
can do to be prepared for wildfire.
WHO should attend?

Whether you’re a homeowner, city planner, business owner, rancher, county commissioner, public works engineer, city police or fire, this workshop is for you.

Wildfire has no boundaries, the season is longer and fires are bigger. With these changes the importance for interdisciplinary planning for wildfire at the edges of development is growing. It will take all of us to make sure our communities are truly prepared to respond to a wildfire for best possible outcomes.

FEB 22 10AM – 2PM

Idaho Falls Fire Station

343 “E” Street Idaho Falls, ID 83402
LUNCH PROVIDED – RSVP by Wednesday, Feb 20 so we have enough food.
Register to attend

Program:

You’ll hear from experts in this field who will share their experience and talk about the various roles we each have to play to help you understand what YOU can do to make your community more resilient to wildfires. You will also receive some resources to take away.

Presenters:

  • Tyre Holfeltz – ID Dept of Lands
    Fire Prevention and Risk Mitigation Program Manager
  • Jaap Vos – University of Idaho
    Bioregional Planning and Community Design Program Head
Panelists:

Liz Davy, USFS Caribou Targhee- South Zone District Ranger
Kevin Conran, BLM – Idaho Falls District- Fire Management Specialist
Hannah Sanger, City of Pocatello- Science and Environment Administrator

Additional Upcoming Workshops:
  • March 15 in Lewiston
  • April (date TBD) in Coeur d’Alene

Youth Lobby Day

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Idaho Smart Growth joined American Heart Association, Idaho Walk Bike Alliance and Treasure Valley YMCA Safe Routes to School at the Statehouse on Jan 31 with youth from around the valley for Youth Lobby Day.

On January 31, twenty local high school students met at the Idaho State Capitol for Youth Lobby Day. Coordinated by the American Heart Association, Youth Lobby Day is an opportunity for students to learn more about the Idaho State Legislature, meet with representatives, engage in issue advocacy, and see firsthand how our political system operates.

This year, students met with legislators to ask for continued funding for Safe Routes to School. They shared personal stories, and encouraged legislators to continue funding the program. Currently the Children Pedestrian Safety Program, which provides funding for projects that serve Safe Routes to School, is in the Surplus Eliminator bill which is set to sunset in May 2019, after which dollars would no longer be available. 

With the state’s revenues currently below original projections, students were told that the fate of the Surplus Eliminator extension is uncertain. However, the students were well received by the legislators and showed great poise and leadership.

A group of students met with Representative Wood, the House Health & Welfare Chairman.

As for February 8th, Senator Den Hartog introduced legislation(S. 1063) that would extend the sunset on the Strategic Initiatives Program, where Safe Routes gets its current state funding. We’ll see where it goes from here!  If you are interested in updates on this possible change in state funding, be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.

March Citizens Planning Academy

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Is congestion really the problem? Talking transportation with Don Kostelec.

Wednesday, March 6 at 6 PM. Free and open to the public.

Attend Online:

Join remotely from any internet-connected device by clicking this link:
https://uidaho.zoom.us/j/110700170

Attend in-person:

U of I Legacy Pointe Conference Room, Idaho Water Center, 322 E. Front Street, Boise. Free off-street parking is available in the Idaho Water Center and Ada County Courthouse garages. More information and links maps can be found here.

Don Kostelec, AICP, is a 17-year professional in transportation planning, health analysis and comprehensive planning. He is applying and researching Health Impact Assessments and integrated health/planning efforts through various projects throughout the United States. Don’s work extends from Alaska to Florida and California to New York.

Don Kostelec, AICP, is a 17-year professional in transportation planning, health analysis and comprehensive planning. He is applying and researching Health Impact Assessments and integrated health/planning efforts through various projects throughout the United States. Don’s work extends from Alaska to Florida and California to New York.

His specialty areas include: The Americans with Disabilities Act, Transportation Policy & Finance, Health Impact Assessment, Active Transportation Design, Complete Streets, and Governance. Don is a member of the Idaho Walk Bike Alliance Board of Directors and a past member of the Board of Directors of Bike Walk NC. He has also served on the TRB Committee on Transportation Demand Management and the Eat Smart/ Move More Leadership Team in North Carolina.

Don is known as a provocative speaker who helps communities better engage the design profession for more equitable and safer street design that prioritizes the safety of people over the movement of cars. He is a frequent contributor to national podcasts and stories on safe street design and walkability. Don has a Master of Urban Planning & Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Journalism from Western Carolina University.

The C.P.A. is a collaboration of Idaho Smart Growth and the University of Idaho’s College of Law in Boise and Bioregional Planning Program. Monthly sessions are designed to help citizens become effective advocates on a wide range of planning topics.

RSVP office@idahosmartgrowth.org. Learn more about the series here or view past session videos on our YouTube channel.

Wildfire Planning Workshop

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Remember the Soda fire, 2015 or the Tablerock fire, 2016?

IS YOUR COMMUNITY PREPARED?

Join this FREE four-hour workshop to learn about what communities can do to be prepared for wildfire.

WHO should attend?

Whether you’re a homeowner, city planner, business owner, rancher, county commissioner, public works engineer, city police or fire, this workshop is for you.

Wildfire has no boundaries, the season is longer and fires are bigger. With these changes the importance for interdisciplinary planning for wildfire at the edges of development is growing. It will take all of us to make sure our communities are truly prepared to respond to a wildfire for best possible outcomes.

FEB 4th 10AM – 2PM

Canyon County Administration Building

111 N 11th Ave Ste. 130, Caldwell, ID 83605
LUNCH PROVIDED – RSVP by Friday, Feb 1 so we have enough food.
Register to attend

Program: You’ll hear from experts in this field who will share their experience and talk about the various roles we each have to play to help you understand what YOU can do to make your community more resilient to wildfires. You will also receive some resources to take away.

Presenters:
  • Tyre Holfeltz – ID Dept of Lands
    Fire Prevention and Risk Mgmt.
  • Mike Pellant – BLM (retired)
    Senior Rangeland Ecologist
Panelists:

Mayor Jackie Aymon, city of McCall; Jerry McAdams, Boise City Fire, Wildfire Mitigation Coordinator; LaDawn Saxton, USFS Payette NF NM District Lead Fire Prevention; Brett Van Paepeghem, South Project Manager Idaho Firewise; Jared Jablonski, BLM, Boise District Fire Information.

We hope you’ll join us for this FREE workshop to learn more about wildfire and how you can help your community be prepared. If you are unable to attend this date, we have three additional workshops planned around the state. All are free and open to the public.

Additional Upcoming Workshops:
  • Feb 22nd from 10am-2pm
    • LOCATION: Idaho Falls Fire Station, 343 “E” Street, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402
  • March in Lewiston
  • April in Coeur d’Alene

February Citizens Planning Academy

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So we’re the fastest growing state, how does planning fit in?

Wednesday, February 6 at 6 PM. Free and open to the public.

Attend Online:

Join remotely from any internet-connected device by clicking this link: https://uidaho.zoom.us/j/236930382

Attend in-person:

U of I Legacy Pointe Conference Room, Idaho Water Center, 322 E. Front Street, Boise. Free off-street parking is available in the Idaho Water Center and Ada County Courthouse garages. More information and links maps can be found here.

The first session of the year will be a panel including:

Kelli Badesheim

Kelli Badesheim–
Kelli is the executive director of Valley Regional Transit. She serves on the COMPASS (Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho) board, is president of the board of the Community Transportation Association of Idaho and a founding member of the Treasure Valley Chapter of WTS International, an association dedicated to the advancement of women in the transportation industry.

Rob Hopper–
Rob serves as the vice president of the Idaho Smart Growth board. He has served on the Caldwell City Council since 2001, chairs the city’s urban renewal commission and is the chairman of the Valley Regional Transit Board of Directors. He is an IT manager at Blue Cross of Idaho.

Patricia Nilsson

Patricia Nilsson–
Patricia is the development services director for Canyon County. She has been a public sector planner for agriculture-based counties in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Idaho for more than 30 years. She has extensive experience in long-range planning and has been a project manager of a multimillion dollar open space and farmland preservation program.

Jaap Vos

Jaap Vos-
Jaap is the program head of the University of Idaho Bioregional Planning and Community Design program and the director of the Urban Design Center in Boise. Prior to joining the University of Idaho, Jaap was director of the planning program for Boise State University.

The C.P.A. is a collaboration of Idaho Smart Growth and the University of Idaho’s College of Law in Boise and Bioregional Planning Program. Monthly sessions are designed to help citizens become effective advocates on a wide range of planning topics.

RSVP office@idahosmartgrowth.org. Learn more about the series here or view past session videos on our YouTube channel.

2018 by the numbers

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Happy New Year!

We hope your 2019 is off to a great start! As we embark on the new year, we wanted to take a brief moment to look back. Check out some of the ways Idaho Smart Growth has empowered citizens and activated change from the state to the citizen level in 2018.

Technical Assistance:

Idaho Smart Growth provides technical assistance to communities around the state helping to create safe, healthy, vibrant communities. In 2018, we worked with 5 communities bringing stakeholders together on a variety of projects including: wayfinding plans, comprehensive plans, and neighborhood placemaking. Click here to view examples of this work.

We recently finished work with Idaho Falls, conducting visioning workshops for south downtown. Click to view the full report here. How might we help you? Click for the full list of services.

Grow Smart Awards:

With 114 awards since 2005, the Grow Smart Awards continues to grow, recognizing those working hard to practice smart growth in Idaho.

In 2018, Idaho Smart Growth celebrated 11 projects and people for excellence in smart growth. Click here to view the full list of recipients.

This year, also brought new outreach and programming to celebrate past and current Grow Smart Awards recipients. Click here to read more about the growth of this program.

Safe Routes to School:

In 2018, Idaho Smart Growth held the first ever statewide convening of safe routes workers with 15 coordinators attending. The statewide convening allowed coordinators to learn from each other and to network and build a stronger voice for safe routes. Click here to view notes from the convening.

For more information on our Safe Routes to School program, click here.

Citizens Planning Academy:

In its second year, 44 citizens attended our Citizens Planning Academy (CPA). The Citizens Planning Academy continues to connect citizens to information and tools to become more engaged and better informed advocates.

With 18 sessions since the program began, this year we were excited to add the option for attendees to join the session remotely. We also have recordings of the sessions available on our youtube channel.

Idaho Smart Growth | (208) 333-8066
910 Main Street Suite 314 | Boise, ID 83702
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