Vanishing Boise

Mission Statement

Vanishing Boise is a group of concerned citizens who advocate for a sustainable community in Boise and the Treasure Valley that will preserve the qualities that make Boise such a desirable place to live. We support sustainable growth that is linked to appropriate infrastructure, minimizes environmental impacts, preserves our irreplaceable farmland, architectural heritage, and open space, and promotes a safe, accessible, and affordable way of life.

We accomplish our mission through public outreach and advocacy on issues that affect all corners of our community. We encourage informed public participation with city and county governmental decision-making processes to ensure growth is sustainable and pays for itself. By working together, we hope to ensure our exceptional quality of life exists for all people for generations to come.

Information

• Advocates for open and transparent government processes that encourages all voices to be heard and considered in critical decisions that affect our local community.
• Creates public policy solutions that allow people of all incomes to successfully live, work and raise families in Boise and the Treasure Valley.
• Advocates for housing that is both affordable and equitable and promotes stability for low income families and communities of color.
• Prioritizes environmentally sustainable public transportation options.
• Encourages the preservation of natural lands in and near Boise for the ecological services they provide: wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, cleaner air and water, and community well-being.
• Promotes preservation of our architectural heritage for future generations.
• Educates and informs the public about current planning and economic developments that will affect their daily lives.

Change is inevitable, and the right kind of change can be a positive force in the community. Like you, Vanishing Boise cares about our community and wants to protect our wonderful way of life for all who call it home. Join us in supporting plans that evolve our community the right way and fighting proposals that are detrimental to our collective future.

Objectives 2020

Monitor the public participation process to ensure due process as governments shift to remote hearings; Track the Ada County Fairgrounds / Expo Idaho discussion to protect the public’s interest; Develop a public policy mechanism to let farmers save farmland; Advocate for an Adequate Facilities Ordinance to prohibit new residential growth unless essential public facilities are in place; Advocate for regulation of short-term rentals; Monitor Boise’s 2-year zoning code rewrite to prevent deregulation that removes the neighborhood’s voice from the development process; Encourage public participation and transparency in the creation of any new Urban Renewal Districts to prevent gentrification of affordable neighborhoods and the inequitable distribution of resources obtained through Tax Increment Financing; Advocate for innovative affordable housing solutions that do not rely on high-end private market development to solve issues of unaffordability.

Objectives 2019

Help Vanishing Boise become a sustainable, long-term model of a nonprofit to continue their important work advocating for sustainable development practices that link growth to appropriate infrastructure and provide a safe, accessible and affordable lifestyle. Incorporate paid professional staff toward achieving these goals.  about rapidly changing immigration laws and policies; and to build muscle at local, state, and national levels to promote policies and rule changes that benefit the immigrant community.