Southwest Boise was promised a park. Not anymore. Here’s what is upsetting residents
In the late 1990s, Judy Hobson attended a meeting the city of Boise held for her southwest Ada neighborhood. There, the city of Boise announced plans to turn 160 acres of local land just south of Victory Road into a park.
Hobson and other neighbors remember city officials showing them maps of the site containing a large regional sports complex, fishing ponds, a swimming pool, equestrian trails, a nature walk and space for large events like festivals.
It would be a park to rival Ann Morrison Park, residents say they were told. The city officially approved a “Murgoitio Regional Park Master Plan” in April 1997. It was named for the Murgoitio (pronounced Mer-GERT-ee-o) family that sold the land to the city.
“And I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, finally,’ ” Hobson said. “Because when we moved here, I had little kids and there was nowhere for them to play, so I had to try to find a park for my kids to play in, and it was quite a drive.”
More than two decades later, Hobson was invited to a meeting to discuss a very different course of action: The city is now considering turning over the long-promised parkland to a developer.
The city would swap the Murgoitio parcel, which stretches for a mile between South Cole and South Maple Grove roads just north of the New York Canal, with a developer who wants to build houses there. In exchange, Boise would receive land in the Foothills, which are 20 to 30 minutes away for most southwest residents.
Seven acres of the Murgoitio parcel would still become a small park which the developer would pay for and then give back to the city. The city is looking into making an additional 40 acres of Boise School District land that adjoins the northern border of the Murgoitio site available to the public.
“I think the attraction (for) the city is it would create more housing stock within the city if it was annexed into the city, which we are woefully short on right now,” Boise Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway said.
Holloway told the Idaho Statesman that he can’t reveal the name of the interested developer or the location of the proposed Foothills land.
City sets Zoom meeting to discuss annexation, use of site
Before the city can move forward with the swap, the Murgoitio parcel must be annexed. Though currently owned by the city, it lies just outside of city limits.
Residents living within 500 feet of the land were informed by postcard on June 10 that the city was considering annexing the site. The annexation would include the 160 acres and the bordering Boise School District land. None of the surrounding homes would be annexed. The card did not mention the possible land swap.
The Parks and Recreation Department will hold a public meeting on Zoom at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 17, to “discuss proposed annexation and land use.”
The meeting is unlikely to go happily. Residents are upset with the proposal. The two local neighborhood associations, South Cole Neighborhood Association and the Southwest Ada County Alliance, have been distributing flyers urging “as many people attend as possible” to “state their concerns.” A petition against the land swap had garnered 764 signatures by Tuesday.
“The neighbors are just heartsick,” said Paula Triplett, whose property overlooks the Murgoitio parcel.
Rumors fuel indignation
A longstanding and oft-cited rumor maintains the Murgoitios either donated the land or added a deed restriction stating the land must be turned into a park. Holloway said there is no truth to either story.
The city says it paid former owners J.C. and Ruth Murgoitio $1.2 million without any official park promises. A grandson of Murgoitio says that is consistent with what he knew of the exchange.
“I don’t anticipate any Murgoitios are going to come out of the woodwork and reveal some hidden manuscript,” David Murgoitio told the Statesman by phone.
However, there are two resolutions, also referred to as property covenants, made by the City Council stating its intent to turn the Murgoitio land into a park. The first passed in 1993, following the city-run Boise Airport’s purchase of the land from the Murgoitios. The second passed in 1998 when Parks and Recreation bought the land from the airport.
“Now therefore, be it resolved by the mayor and council of the city of Boise City, Idaho ... that the Boise Airport not make any use of this property which would be inconsistent with its development as a park in the future,” states the 1993 document.
These covenants can be removed by the City Council through a secondary resolution. The council previously removed them from 1.6 acres of the land in 2009 so it could be used for the fire station now on South Cole Road.
No need for sports complex anymore, parks director says
Holloway emphasized that there is no longer the need or appetite for sports complexes the way there was in the 1990s. But talking to neighbors, it is clear that whether sports equipment goes into the park is beside the point. The neighbors want a green space, not more houses.
A point of contention is that many neighbors don’t live within city limits, including the homes surrounding the Murgoitio parcel. According to Holloway, the park was planned at a time when the city believed it would annex the area. The fact that annexation never happened is the main reason the park was never developed.
“That park was purchased for a regional sports complex down the road if and when annexation were to ever occur out there,” Holloway said. “And it’s pretty clear it’s not going to occur.”
Holloway said Molenaar and Peppermint parks, which have a combined 27 acres, fit the needs of the southwest population within city limits — the implication being those outside city limits are not Boise’s responsibility.
“Even if we did do the park, those houses that abut it aren’t part of the city,” Holloway said. “So they’re not paying for the development of the park, and they’re not paying for the maintenance of the park. That’s paid for by the residents inside the city limits. … It would be like developing a park for Kuna. Whether you live 100 feet from it or you live 10 miles from it, you don’t pay city taxes to support that park.”
Residents just inside the city line say they are paying city taxes but not receiving as many city amenities and services as residents of northern Boise. They have fewer parks and sidewalks, fewer places for kids to kick a soccer ball or ride a bike.
“Today, what Boise classifies as the Boise southwest region makes up 21% of the population of Boise, but there’s less than 1% of the parks,” said Kathy Corliss, president of the South Cole Neighborhood Association. “And no pool, no access to the Greenbelt, no Foothills access.”
Southwest neighbors say they’re not represented
Earl Hinrichs, who also serves on the South Cole Neighborhood Association, says the area is not represented in city government, noting that none of the city’s current council members live in Southwest Boise. Three live in the North End, one lives in the East End, one lives in the northern Highlands neighborhood, and one in the northwest neighborhood of Centennial.
“It seems like the city is favoring the North End over any other part of town,” Triplett said. “All they give us out here are more houses, more houses, more houses.”
Those living outside the city limits feel unrepresented, too. They do not receive the same city services and amenities. Many would like to be annexed, but the city does not seem interested in doing so anymore.
“People out here feel like they have no recourse,” said Marisa Keith, president of the Southwest Ada County Alliance. “They can’t vote for anyone, they can’t run for office themselves within the city. And yet they get all this influence from the city on their community.”
In the past, those across the city line have fought annexation due to the additional city taxes. But those sentiments appear to be changing. Of the 11 residents the Idaho Statesman spoke to, all expressed interest in annexation.
“Our taxes are already high, but we’re not getting any benefits,” Southwest resident Kathy Taylor said in an interview.
But without the income city property-tax payers generate, the costs of building the park has been prohibitive, Holloway said. To “green up” a property costs between $175,000 and $200,000 an acre, which includes sewer, grass, parking and pathways, he said. With Murgoitio’s 160 acres, he estimates those costs would fall somewhere in the $30 million range.
“If you add any amenities in, like the fields, like the playgrounds, you could be pushing double or triple that number,” Holloway said. “The funding just isn’t available in the city in any foreseeable future.”
The city plans to reveal the name of the developer and more information on the land swap proposal in coming weeks.
Sally Krutzig covers Treasure Valley growth and development. Have a story suggestion or a question? Email Krutzig at skrutzig@idahostatesman.com.
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
