Quote of the Day

"It really boils down to safety and connectivity, and the closing of Jefferson presents significant problems to both of these. For those who don’t know, Jefferson at Broadway is a preferred and heavily used bike route for accessing the East End Neighborhood from Downtown Boise and vice versa. When I used to live in this area, I used this intersection as my primary route in and out of Downtown, whether driving or riding a bike.

The closing of the street would be similar to the Downtown Library (another nonprofit) deciding it needed to shut down 8th St., another heavily used bike route, in order to expand and offer the best service to its customers. Perhaps the comparison is a little extreme, but those living in the East End of Boise may not think so."

—Jimmy Halyburton, Boise Bicycle Project / Certified Bike Safety Instructor

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Building a Greener Idaho Interview with EENA and KBC

Boise East Enders on the St. Luke’s Master Plan

Long-time East End residents discuss their history of involvement with the proposed hospital expansion, what it really means to Boise residents, and some of the largely unknown side effects.

http://buildingagreeneridaho.org/

A Tale of Two Hospitals, Two Neighborhoods, and Compromise

This story should look and sound very familiar to Boise residents.

Hearing examiner calls Seattle Children’s hospital expansion ‘too aggressive’

Plans for a controversial major expansion at Seattle Children's hospital hit a stumbling block this week after a hearing examiner deemed the project too "aggressive" to the surrounding community.

Here are some excerpts that seem particularly relevant in light of the past year:

• "Tanner cited potentially severe traffic impacts among her reasons for denial."
• While stressing that Children’s [Hospital] serves a vital public benefit, she said the hospital “is not necessarily entitled to this intensity of development, in this place, at this time.”
• “The hospital painted itself in a corner,” he said “They would not compromise. They wanted all or nothing.”

Ultimately, the result was a compromise:

Seattle Children’s, Laurelhurst neighbors agree on hospital expansion plan

Seattle Children's and the Laurelhurst Community Club have reached a deal to reduce the hospital's proposed 1.5-million-square-foot expansion.

BREAKING NEWS

Boise Council Cancels Public Hearings On St. Luke's Master Plan; 'Potential Revisions' Being Discussed

If nothing else, this provides a little breathing room for everyone involved. Hopefully it will allow a more objective process going forward. No predictions on a final outcome, but the best-case scenario would involve collaborative dialogue among those most affected and something all parties can live with in the long run. Time will tell.

See the story here