Tag Archives: caldwell

Housing Boom Insanity: Despite impending crash, Idaho’s housing construction set to explode!

13 October 2022 (12:23-UTC-07 Tango 06) 21 Mehr 1401/17 Rabi ‘al-Awwal 1444/18 Geng-Xu 4720/13 октября 2022 года

It has been established that there are not many good paying, steady, long term jobs spread across The Gem State, and that there isn’t a lot of available land for private ownership, resulting in a low population, and that there has been plenty of house construction since the end  of the 1990s.  In other words, sparse population due to lack of decent long term jobs (90% of the population growth has been in the Boise Metro Area), and decades of house building actually resulting in a glut of houses.  Yet, housing rental prices and purchase prices are too high.   This is the excuse that local municipalities and property developers are using to justify the approval, and acceleration, of massive residential construction projects.

For proof here is a list of links to articles (just the tip of the iceberg) proclaiming new housing projects, and reporting on housing cost problems, across Idaho, from the past month:

Yet another huge housing development project for tiny Southeastern Idaho city of Chubbuck!  The U.S. Census says Chubbuck’s population is just under 16-thousand!  Over the decades, the poverty rate has been consistently between 10% and 15%, in other words, all the actions of the local leaders have done nothing to drop the poverty rate!

Utah property developer to build massive 40 acres (16 hectares) housing rental operation in Caldwell, news media says it is “much needed”!  U.S. Census says Caldwell’s population is under 57-thousand!

Nearly 3-thousand house development announced, next to golf course near Kuna!  The U.S. Census says the population of Kuna is just under 21-thousand!

Sparsely populated Elmore County approves development that promises to build enough homes for more than 5-thousand people!  The U.S. Census says the population of Elmore County is only about 27-thousand!

Announced; three more massive apartment complexes for the Boise Metro Area, and yes, another promise of low income housing!

Revealed; despite promises of constructing affordable houses, in the Boise Metro Area, the data proves that property developers actually build more expensive houses!

Despite the decades of promises of affordable housing by developers, the National Low Income Housing Coalition says Idaho still needs more than 20-thousand low income residences, lists more than 42-thousand Idahoans as being “extremely low income renters”!  Mirroring a problem across the United States.  The entire population of Idaho is about 1.9-million!

Federal government expanding low income housing vouchers for poor people in the Boise Metro Area.

Revealed; more than 4-hundred Boise Metro Area homes are actually owned by California speculators/investors!

Naïve Christian church in Nampa gives away, yes gives away, more than 3-thousand square feet of land so that one affordable house can be built!  U.S. Census says the population of Nampa is under 97-thousand!

Coeur d’Alene considering annexing county land for massive housing project, which will build more than 4-thousand homes over the next 20 years!  The U.S. Census says the city of Coeur d’Alene has a population of about 51-thousand!

Idaho State Rural Development and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development took part in the first ever Idaho Rural Success Summit in Twin Falls.  U.S. Census says population of Twin Falls is under 50-thousand!

“Boise in full fledged housing crash”

Boise first in the U.S. to see housing price bust?

The Land Trust of the Treasure Valley is trying to to raise enough money to buy-out hundreds of acres of “prime real estate” for the express purpose of halting any future development!

Idaho Housing & Finance injects $7.2-million in additional mortgage back securities into the General Indenture of Trust, because the asset to debt ratio of the Trust has been declining!

Ada County area real estate agent says the number of actual available units are flat despite all the construction, and predicts inventory will actually go down, which means rents and prices will stay high.  Reveals a disturbing trend that was insignificant before 2008 and is also the cause of high prices; residential Institutional Buyers, aka Investors/Speculators, who outbid families trying to buy a home:

Proof that your government wants a revolving door housing market, the Idaho Department of Labor blames high prices on home owners/renters staying in their homes longer than previous generations: “The recent decline in Idaho’s existing housing inventory has been driven by a decline in homeowner and renter mobility. This means that the supply of existing housing is declining as a result of households owning or renting longer than they did in the past.”

Does this imply that the government will find ways to force people out of their homes to facilitate ‘development’? It has happened before!

U.S. Housing Collapse:  NO MORE ‘MY IMMIGRANT IDAHO’, MASS EXODUS BEGINS!

Global Economic War, Global Food Crisis, What Economic Recovery? Big Potato producer Simplot to close plants, laying off 800 east Idaho workers (updated with pictures)

In the name of efficiency, and international competition, J.R. Simplot is building a new potato processing plant.  It will use only 250 employees.  The problem is that the new highly efficient Simplot potato factory will replace three existing plants (in Nampa, Caldwell & Aberdeen), resulting in 800 Idahoans losing their jobs.  That’s a net loss of 550 jobs.

East Idaho doesn’t have a big population so the job loses will hit hard: “It’s going to have a negative impact on Nampa and Caldwell and the whole country. We’re encouraged that they will remain in Caldwell, but certainly concerned about the overall impact of job loss.”-Steve Fultz, Caldwell Economic Development Council

J.R. Simplot officials say it’s necessary to build such an efficient factory, because global competition in the food market is getting tougher.  In fact potato prices for this years potato season have fallen to the point that Idaho farmers will be lucky to break even.

At least Simplot employees have been given a decent heads up; it’ll be at least two years before the new super efficient potato processing plant will be completed.

J.R. Simplot has been streamlining operations in Idaho since the 1990s.  Simplot’s corporate headquarters used to be in Chubbuck, Idaho.  But they closed it down and moved to Boise right after I moved to Chubbuck.

Their Chubbuck HQ was replaced with the TJ Maxx/IHOP strip mall.

Former location of J.R. Simplot Corporate HQ, Chubbuck, Idaho

The metal awnings/canopies covering the Simplot HQ entryway can now be seen in front of the Pocatello City Hall.

Ex Simplot Chubbuck HQ canopies adding charecter to the otherwise drab Pocatello City Hall