The Cliffs' Blog

A recurring question we’ve been asked is whether or not The Cliffs will offer “large lots” – a half-acre (22,000 square feet) or more. Although some of The Cliffs’ opponents would prefer to see nothing but large-lot development on the site, it would simply continue the cycle of inefficient and fragmented use of land, such as the illegal subdivision on the plateau’s east side. Therefore, our plans call for only a handful of larger lots (in the 1/3 to ½ acre range) at The Cliffs.

Large lots in a place such as the plateau are neither socially nor environmentally responsible. Indeed, the issue of large lots is where our social and environmental consciences come together.

Our first priority at The Cliffs is minimizing impacts to the environment while demonstrating that real estate development can be a benevolent patron for natural resources. We also have a goal of building about 1,350 dwelling units – a number we feel is critical to create a sense of place, a series of ‘real neighborhoods’ and enough people to make our proposed main street economically and socially viable. Obviously, if we built all of those units as half-acre lots, we would overrun The Cliffs with homes in a fragmented, individualistic and homogenous land pattern that would not build community or conserve natural resources. This would run counter to everything we are trying to accomplish with The Cliffs: environmental stewardship and community building. Of The Cliffs’ 707 acres, more than half will be set aside as permanent open space with a substantial portion of this area being restored as habitat for big game, birds, amphibians, small mammals, reptiles and vegetation. That still affords us about 350 developable acres, which will accommodate roads, parks, public trails and a neighborhood commercial center, in addition to homes.

Another disadvantage of the large-lot-only scenario is that it would greatly limit the price and resident diversity of the community. We do not believe a wonderful place such as The Cliffs should be reserved for the enjoyment of an elite few who can afford a high price of entry, and choose only one style of living. We have received more than 100 emails from people in Ada County and nationwide inquiring about lot availability and there is strong interest from young families, public sector workers, retirees and active single people – all whose incomes, lifestyles and housing needs differ greatly.

One of the great things about The Cliffs is its location near high-tech and other employment centers. We are committed to making housing at The Cliffs attainable to not just to the executives at those industries and employment centers, but also to their core workforce and retirees. This is the so-called “workforce housing” that Joel Kotkin and other economists say is crucial to the Valley’s prosperity. Kotkin should know – a year ago, he wrote the Forbes magazine article that ranked this metropolitan area first nationwide for business and careers, after rating the area second in 2003 (the region ranked sixth in 2002). In April 2005, Inc. Magazine rated our area second nationally on the list of “Best Cities to Do Business in America.” Attainable workforce housing is crucial to the reality behind these rankings.

The Cliffs is committed to making housing available to a wide spectrum of potential home owners. We will put our first preliminary plat on this website next week, showing how we hope to achieve a wide range of products and lot sizes, all carefully inter-mixed and choreographed to create a great first neighborhood. The first phase will have a diversity of product type to accommodate the lifestyles of singles to small and growing families to "empty nesters," to retired persons and seniors, to upper-end estate homes.

Most of the discussion about The Cliffs has focused on wildlife and the natural environment, as well it should. But I don’t want us to overlook what kind of place The Cliffs will be for its human residents.

The word “community” gets used a lot – so much, in fact, that I think we should stop now and then to consider what it really means and does not mean.

“Community” is more than just people living and working in proximity. In fact, the auto-oriented areas that dominate Boise’s public realm erode community. Many great neighborhoods were originally laid out like a true community more than a century ago (the North End is an example of this traditional approach) and developers such as Skyline and others are now revisiting and improving on that.

More than anything, the concept of community is pedestrian based. We need physical settings to practice community and these include public squares, plazas, parks, recreation centers and walkable neighborhoods connected to small shopping centers with local businesses.

We advocate a socially sustainable model of development, much as our habitat restoration will be a model of environmentally sustainable development. At The Cliffs, we will have all the essential places necessary to conduct community. We are designing the development with sidewalks and pathways that connect neighborhoods with a school, the public square and neighborhood services and offices and each other. Pedestrians and bicyclists will have priority. We will connect to the regional Ridge-To-Rivers trail system, allowing all Ada County residents to enjoy the specialness of the plateau.

Ada County is an excellent place to develop a community such as The Cliffs. On March 8, the Idaho Statesman reported Boise is the fourth best city for walking nationally, according to Prevention magazine. Our area stood out for its percentage of adults who say they walk for exercise, our high rate of sports participation and our low crime rate, said Prevention magazine spokeswoman Sheryl Spain. The Cliffs will fit all of these criteria and will truly be a ‘liveable and walkable’community.

I recently came across an article on planned communities at Reason.org. It explains very well why, despite efforts to promote infill, the public is voting with is pocketbook and choosing planned communities. For those who see a better tomorrow and additional choices in living, these planned developments offer a sure way to restore community to American life.