It’s no secret that Treasure Valley land has become more sought after than gold during the rush in the 1800s. The rapidly booming area is facing a housing shortage, a 30%+ increase in mortgage prices, and real estate being sold within hours of being listed. In the crosshairs of the housing dilemma is the roughly 160-acre plot, named Murgoitio Park. Purchased in 1993 by the Boise Airport, the land has been expected to become a sprawling public park to the surrounding residents. The land has sat relatively untouched and unknown, except for some crops, until a recent land swap with a housing developer ignited a heated and much-needed debate about open space in Boise.
On July 19th, Boise Mayor Lauren McClean declared that the land swap was off, citing “with knowledge of recent bids on land adjacent to the Murgoitio parcel, the proposed trade agreement doesn’t make financial sense for Boise residents and is no longer under consideration.”
Next Steps For Murgoitio Park
The City of Boise has announced the following plans in regards to the loved land of Murgoitio Park:
-The August 9th Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing on annexation and land use map amendment applications for the adjacent Boise School District property and airport-owned properties will move forward without the Murgoitio parcel. All correspondence received to date related to the Murgoitio parcel will be submitted with future applications.
-According to the city’s zoning ordinance, the Planning and Zoning Commission can only make recommendations on the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map every six months. If the Planning and Zoning Commission recommends approval of the school district map amendment, the earliest the commission could consider updated applications for the Murgoitio parcel is February 2022.
-The removal of restrictive covenants and the surplus process previously considered for the Murgoitio parcel will not move forward at this time. No date has been identified for this action.
-At the August 17th work session presentation to Boise City Council, staff and council members will discuss the process moving forward. Work sessions are open to the public pending capacity limitations. Meetings are also streamed live on the city’s Public Meetings YouTube channel. Work sessions are not public hearings so no testimony will be taken.
City of Boise Public Meetings Youtube Channel
Murgoitio Park Supporters
Local residents of the park area have rapidly rallied resources and a team to speak up for the open space on behalf of the land and neighboring communities. They call themselves the Friends of Murgoitio Park. On their website, they’ve stated why they view keeping the land open and free of housing development is so important to them,
“We’re told they don’t build regional parks anymore, but the city keeps adding to the green spaces downtown and in the east end, as well as preserving open space in the foothills. The east end of town is on one end of this proposed land swap, yet it already has many options to enjoy nature, recreation, and protect wildlife, with more planned for the future”
You can learn more about the Save Our Park mission at the link below.
Save Our Park
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