Boise (670 KBOI) – A crowd estimated between 100 and 200 people turned out at a public meeting last night on the proposed baseball and soccer stadium the City of Boise wants to build at the corner of Shoreline and Americana.
Atlanta, Georgia-based Greenstone Properties is planning to build the stadium, which would have an estimated $40-million price tag. Boise taxpayers would pay most of that, either directly or indirectly.
Concerned Boise Taxpayers’ co-chairman Bill Ilett says putting the stadium there would hurt the tax base.
“Over 50% of the property in the City of Boise is non-tax paying property,” said Ilett. “It’s owned by government, university entities, so who’s paying for that fire and police protection? You and I are, the taxpayers.”
Greenstone plans to develop the surrounding area and reimburse the City through higher property values and property taxes, but Ilett says other cities across the country that have tried that have lost money.
He says if there must be a stadium, it should be built with private money.
Greenstone was represented by attorney Geoffrey Wardle, who faced the shouts of an often-hostile crowd.
The neighborhood meeting was a requirement that had to be fulfilled before Greenstone can submit its plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission.
