COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE
INVESTING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Harris Ranch continues to be one of the most highly sought neighborhoods in Boise, and there is no mistaking why. Residents of Harris Ranch know that this is not a typical subdivision. With its parks, paved walking paths, green space and smartly designed roads, Harris Ranch provides a haven for its residents.
Harris Ranch is a master planned neighborhood with amenities that are specifically designed for livability, walkability, safety, and connection in the community. It is unique on many fronts and represents several “firsts” in the state of Idaho. Most notably, it is the first Specific Plan approved by the City of Boise, gaining approval after many years of neighborhood charrettes, discussions, and public hearings. It was approved with much fanfare and praise from all stakeholders for its attention to the smart growth and pedestrian-friendly design.
In 2008, the Idaho Community Infrastructure District Act was approved by the Idaho Legislature as a means of financing a limited class of infrastructure in response to rapid growth. Shortly following the approval of the CID Act was another first, the formation of the Harris Ranch Community Infrastructure District (HRCID). This special district has allowed for many of the amenities that Harris Ranch residents enjoy today and will allow for additional community benefits that are currently planned. Residents of Harris Ranch enjoy such a beautiful, congruent, and connected community because they invest in it. Several common questions about the CID, including maps to visually show CID details, are below:
WHAT IS THE HARRIS RANCH CID?
Harris Ranch created the first ever CID in the State of Idaho. The Harris Ranch CID (HRCID#1) was put into place to facilitate the cost of the development’s public infrastructure. The innovative CID model allows growth to pay for itself.
HOW WAS THE CID FORMED?
The HRCID was formed in 2010 after passage of the Idaho Community Infrastructure District Act (the “CID Act”). The CID Act is one of the few tools created by the Idaho legislature to permit growth to pay for itself by financing a limited class of community infrastructure, including roads, public safety facilities, utility infrastructure, and parks or open space.
HOW IS THE CID FUNDED?
There are three parts to the taxes and assessments that residents pay: a general obligation bond levy tax, an administrative levy tax, and a special assessment.
The general obligation consists of .003 of the assessed value of the home and a .0001 tax for administration cost. The special assessment bond is calculated based on the square footage of the lot size. The per-square-foot tax cannot exceed $.38. Both taxes are itemized and listed on the homeowner’s Ada County tax bill.
WHAT INFRASTRUCTURE CAN THE CID FUND?
The HRCID has helped finance several improvements that fit within the narrow categories of reimbursable improvements identified by the Legislature. These improvements include a sediment retention basin, which helps protect the homes from the HRCID from the possibility of run-off from the foothills. It also includes the deflection berm that was installed to prevent flood damage from the Boise River. Additional reimbursements helped facilitate acquisition of the land for the fire station, acquisition of the Alta Harris Park property, relation of Warm Springs Ave., and the storm water retention ponds south of Warm Springs Ave.
To be reimbursable under the CID Act, community infrastructure must not only be of the types identified (roads, utility improvements, etc.), but also must meet other standards. In addition to being either owned outright or located in an easement in favor of a government entity, the community infrastructure must also, per the CID Act “have a substantial nexus to the district and directly or indirectly benefit the district.”
WHAT AMENITIES AND PROJECTS HAVE BEEN FUNDED, AT LEAST IN PART, BY THE CID?
Projects funded by the HRCID directly benefit residents and help maintain the high standard of living in Harris Ranch that residents have come to expect. CID funding will be critical to the future Village Center, which will bring retail and dining options to the heart of the neighborhood. The upcoming Village Green will be a world-class public space which will serve as a gathering place for residents. Both the Village Center and Village Green are currently under contract and architects are developing plans.
To date, the projects listed below are among the major projects CID has allowed for the construction and maintenance of, to the benefit of residents:
FIRE STATION IMPROVEMENTS
Boise Fire Station #15 is located within the HRCID and forms part of the remarkable visual entry to the neighborhood. It was opened in July 2013, with the HRCID providing land, right-of-way, and utility connections. In addition to the resources provide by the CID, the remaining costs were provided by the City of Boise. The station itself provides a substantial benefit to residents in the area as fire response times are nearly immediate anywhere in HRCID.
GREENBELT IMPROVEMENTS
The CID provided for the continuation of the greenbelt through Harris Ranch. This section of the Boise Greenbelt is considered among the highest quality in the city, with wide, safe, well-maintained paths.
WETLANDS PROJECTS
The CID facilitated the preservation of wetlands areas adjacent to the Boise River in Harris Ranch, which provide open space and wildlife habitat and can be viewed and accessed by HRCID residents via the Boise greenbelt and the Dallas Harris Legacy Pathway. Delivering on their commitment to Dallas Harris’ vision of a thriving neighborhood in the Barber Valley, the Harris family preserved far more open space near the river than what was required by the City of Boise at the time.
ALTA HARRIS PARK
Preservation of the land for the future Alta Harris Park was also made possible by the CID. Equipped with the land provided by the CID, the City of Boise will be able to construct and maintain the Park in the future.
WARM SPRINGS AVE BYPASS + ROUNDABOUT AT E PARKCENTER
Key to enhancing walkability and pedestrian safety in the neighborhood, the relocation of Warm Springs Ave. was a self-imposed pre-condition to creating the planned Village Center and Village Green within the pedestrian and family-friendly neighborhood. This relocation allows for Harris Ranch residents living in the CID to access a travel corridor to connect the community without fast moving traffic passing directly in front of homes.
SEDIMENT BASIN
Often out of sight from the residential portions of the project, a sediment retention basin has been constructed on the northern area of the project. It was built specifically to protect the homes in the HRCID from the risk of flooding. The sediment basins substantially mitigate the risk of flood in the event of large rainstorms, a fire that destroys vegetation and destabilizes soils or a combination of both.
There are many in the community who remember the last time this occurred, including in 1959 when the “pot boiled over” after a large fire and rainstorm event. Large parts of Boise, including Warm Springs Gulch and the Barber Valley, were flooded with mud and other debris. This led to the creation of the Boise Front Watershed Restoration Project, as well as the trenching on the foothills that is now a familiar view. The sediment retention basin protects the HRCID from future flooding damage and is built and maintained to standards agreed to with the City of Boise.
STORM WATER COLLECTION + RETENTION PONDS
As with the sediment basin, the storm water collection and retention ponds on the river side of the project are specifically engineered to retain runoff from within the HRCID, protecting homes from weather related issues and damage.
HOW ARE REIMBURSABLE FUNDS APPROVED?
Each reimbursement request is submitted in accordance with the District Development Agreement No. 1 for the Harris Ranch Community Infrastructure District No. 1. Reimbursements are only permitted for the narrow category of development costs that are allowed to be reimbursed per the CID Act, as established by the Idaho state legislature, and each request must be proven up.
Before any reimbursement, there is a review by HRCID Staff, including the District Engineer and District Manager. Each of these reimbursement requests are public upon submittal to HRCID Staff. Each reimbursement is only finalized and repaid after review is complete and the HRCID Board authorizes a bond to repay the approved reimbursements. Provided funds are available and requested reimbursements are categorically qualified, it is a requirement by Idaho law that the reimbursement be paid. This process has been ongoing in a very public manner since the HRCID was created more than ten years ago. The HRCID Staff has worked diligently and in good faith to protect the public while upholding the obligations of the Development Agreement and the CID statute. The HRCID Staff and Board are employees and elected officials of the City of Boise.
DOES THE DEVELOPER PROFIT FROM THE CID?
No, the developer is reimbursed only for infrastructure defined as reimbursable in the CID Act.
WHERE CAN RESIDENTS LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HRCID?
More information about the HRCID page can be found on the City of Boise’s website here.
The full text of the Idaho State CID Statue can be found here.
Download a map outlining the CID district within Harris Ranch here.
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ORIGINAL
Original Property Purchase by Harris Family Limited Partnership
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DEVELOPERS IMPROVEMENTS
Improvements Paid for by Developers
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PENDING REIMBURSEMENTS
CID Reimbursement Submitted and CID Reimbursement to be Submitted
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PAID REIMBURSEMENTS
CID Reimbursements to date