well, the fireworks weren’t there like they were at past meeting. there was some tension mind you, but not the overwrought anger people exhibited about development previously. the meeting was packed- approximately 150-200 people, so all the publicity got its job done. neighbors mobilized and came together to discuss the future. YAY Boise! Hightlights:

One individual from the collective attacked Kay Newell, longtime neighborhood activist stating she made a racist comment and requested an apology to the group. this was a strange situation since Kay is a community leader and has won awards for such work. i think it was someone taking words out of contexts and blowing it out of proportion.

The Kirisu family, which owns the Mississippi Ballroom and other property on Shaver, east of Mississippi presented their development plans. They plan on keeping the existing buildings and adding a third, a 4 story building with 1 level for commercial use and 3 levels for condos. The condos would be “market price.” The also plan on buidling a community garden.

Mississippi Lofts, a project on N. Mississippi, between Skidmore and Shaver, layed out their design again and stated they had passed design review with the city. Nothing much had changed - a condo building with retail on the first floor. Leed gold and all that. A beautiful looking building and project. They also stated they were looking to bring in a grocery store.

the audience was cordial and listened and commented and asked questions. yes, most of the discussion revolved around the negative aspects of the projects and how N. Mississippi used to be working class. One person did point out that as part of the Albina community plan, not all new housing needs to be low income, there does need to be mixed income housing in order to build a community. All the developers joined in and supported that statement (obviously.) All the units would be going for more than $200,000+.
In the end, it was a good meeting and i’m glad to see a neighborhood come together to discuss the issues at hand. I discovered later at drinks that both initiatives to give letters of support to the developers had passed. In 6-9 months, N. Mississippi will be a different place.

If you would like more info regarding the presentations and designs, i have copious notes and some handouts. I can detail them in a private email. Just leave a comment with email address.

Related posts:

1. Boise Neighborhood Meetings - Fireworks to come
2. Re-development on N. Mississippi moves forward
3. I’m confused - does voting not count anymore?
4. What I Did at my Neighborhood Association Meeting
5. Kurisu development on N. Mississippi