Citing destruction of neighbors’ houses, 19 more Terra Nativa homeowners ask for tax reductions

About six weeks ago, Ada County Commissioners exempted six homes in the most recent phase of Terra Nativa, a subdivision in the Boise Foothills, from 2017 property taxes.

Most of those homes have sustained major damage over the past year because the land underneath them is slowly sliding downhill.

On June 20, commissioners canceled 2016 property taxes for five bare lots owned by the developers of the same Foothills subdivision.

Now, the owners of 19 homes in older phases of Terra Nativa have appealed their own property tax assessments, asking the county to reduce their taxes, county spokeswoman Kate McGwire said. The homeowners argue that their properties have lost value since Terra Nativa came to symbolize dashed dreams, Mc Gwire said.

Commissioners plan to hear the appeals Monday, McGwire said.

It’s unclear when the Ada County Assessor’s office last conducted a physical appraisal of the 19 homes. At least once every five years, the office visits each property in the county and appraises its value. The assessor relies on comparisons the other four years, McGwire said.

The owners of the damaged homes have sued the city of Boise, Terra Nativa’s developers and engineers who examined the ground under the homes. That case is scheduled to go to trial next year.

Monday’s hearing is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. in the public hearing room on the Ada County Courthouse first floor.

This story was originally published July 10, 2017 at 7:47 AM with the headline "Citing destruction of neighbors’ houses, 19 more Terra Nativa homeowners ask for tax reductions."