Walking Tour & Porch Party

October 15, 2018 by Sarah

You’re Invited!

Idaho Smart Growth is kicking off a new tradition leading up to the Grow Smart Awards! Join us on October 16 for a walking tour of prior Grow Smart Award recipients in downtown Boise. It’s your chance to see smart growth principles in action! We’ll end the tour with a social hour at the CSHQA front porch.

The Porch Party will be our official announcement of this year’s Grow Smart Awards. Be one of the first to know!

Walking Tour starts at CSHQA at 4:00 PM. Porch Party is from 5 – 6:30 PM. Join us for food and drink and the official announcement of the 2018 Grow Smart Award winners!

Click here to register to attend.

Reservations are required. Tour is limited to the first 30 people. Porch party open to all!

Click here for more information about the Grow Smart Award program.

Registration is now open to attend this year’s Grow Smart Awards! Register here.

2018 Grow Smart Awards Nominations are Open!

April 19, 2018 by Kate

Idaho Smart Growth (ISG) is now seeking nominations for the 2018 Grow Smart Awards. (Click here for nomination instructions and here for the required cover letter.) ISG has presented the annual Grow Smart Awards since 2005 to celebrate planning and development efforts around Idaho that exhibit outstanding implementation of smart growth principles. Nominations can be for buildings, plans, open spaces, studies, organizations and any other example of smart growth in action. Anyone can submit nominations, for projects of all types and sizes, from any year and from throughout the state. Awards are selected by a jury of professionals knowledgeable about smart growth principles.

Application deadline is midnight on June 4. We encourage anyone interested in nominating a project to get in touch with ISG staff soon—we can answer questions and offer suggestions to help make applications more effective.

Mark your calendar for the 2018 Grow Smart Awards celebration to be held at Boise Centre East on Monday, November 5. This event is the celebration of the awards and people who made them possible, and is a premier networking opportunity. The theme for this year’s celebration is the intersection of smart growth and urban renewal, with a special focus on Boise’s Central Urban Renewal District–the state’s first. We’re especially looking for nominations from Idaho communities that have used urban renewal tools to help achieve smart growth goals in stronger and healthier development. (Non-urban renewal projects are always welcome, too.)

Contact us with any questions at 208-333-8066 or office@idahosmartgrowth.org. More information on the Grow Smart Awards program is available here.

Idaho Smart Growth Adds New Board Members

April 17, 2018 by Kate

Date: April 13, 2018
Contact: Scot Oliver, 208-333-8066

BOISE, ID – Just as the US Census Bureau names Idaho the fastest growing state in the nation, three new members have been elected to the Idaho Smart Growth Board of Directors, to help guide the statewide nonprofit that works with Idahoans to build stronger and healthier communities. The three include a former mayor, an economic development director and a real estate banker, and they bring a wide range of experience and expertise to the organization.

“We’re fortunate to have these folks step up to our team,” said Scot Oliver, ISG executive director. “The challenge of accommodating new growth in Idaho while preserving our quality of life has never been greater, and right now we have a stellar group leading us.”

Nancy Chaney headshot Nancy Chaney grew up hearing stories about her dad’s youth in Sandpoint, then moved from California to Boise in 1969. In 1980 she moved to Moscow “for a couple of years,” and has made it her home since. She served on the Moscow City Council, two terms as Moscow’s mayor, and is a past president of the Association of Idaho Cities. In 2015 she was the recipient of the Idaho Smart Growth Charles Hummel Award. Chaney and her husband operate a small business in his specialty of veterinary ophthalmology. She holds degrees in nursing and psychology from Boise State University and a master’s in environmental science from the University of Idaho.

Nathan Murray headshot

Nathan Murray lives in Twin Falls, where he is the city’s director of economic development as well as executive director for its urban renewal agency. Presently, he is overseeing four separate infrastructure improvement projects in downtown Twin Falls, valued at $20M. He also leads business recruitment and expansion efforts for the city which has received roughly $1.2B in capital improvements since 2012. A Boise native, Murray worked for 15 years in city planning and economic development in Utah. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies from Brigham Young University.

Ben Casiano headshot

Ben Casiano is an assistant vice president in US Bank’s Commercial Real Estate Division specializing in real estate development financing. In this role, he works with the Boise area’s largest developers to provide creative financing solutions for development projects. Born and raised in Idaho, Casiano received a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Oregon and will complete a master’s in real estate from Georgetown University in August, 2018. He has conducted research on the world’s first LEED Platinum certified building and on assessing life cycle costs for high-performance building systems.

The new board members were elected for three-year terms. They join current directors Gary Allen, Matt Blandford, Hethe Clark, Melissa Galli, Sharon Grant, Michelle Groenevelt, Rob Hopper, Wyatt Johnson, Renee Magee and Sarah Martz.

Idaho Smart Growth is a statewide nonprofit organization that brings people together to create great places to live, through education, advocacy and training on issues in land use, transportation and community development. For more information contact 208-333-8066 or go to www.idahosmartgrowth.org.

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