The Cliffs' Blog

How to best plan for growth is a huge topic in the Treasure Valley. A few weeks ago, my dad and I were honored to participate in the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Leadership Conference in Sun Valley. These annual conferences bring together leaders in business, government and education to discuss regional initiatives to find ways of keeping our quality of life, while allowing growth.

Each conference has a theme and this year’s dealt with planned communities. I was invited to give a presentation on one of our new projects – Arbor Hills, proposed for Ada County – alongside several other developers and planners. At other points in the two-day conference, local elected officials discussed the obstacles they face in balancing private property rights with the community good.

There was some consensus, however. People at the conference agreed that planned communities should have an identity, and that master planning should avoid the faceless blandness of so much of suburbia. They also agreed about the need for diverse housing types and price ranges, that they should be walkable and accommodate people in different stages of life. Open space, nature and parks, farmer’s markets and public squares are crucial, because they give people places to gather and practice community. Too often, we’ve become a society of one, with headphones and iPods, people who come and go in the garage door and don’t see our neighbors…a.k.a. the “click” generation.

I want to look back on this valley in 10 years and say, “We got this right.” Events like the Leadership Conference are key to finding the secret to getting it right.