Glenn Selander, September 29, 2010 and October 20, 2010

File

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

This collection contains recorded interviews with Boise citizens. Notable topics include Boise Bench history, Greenbelt history, Foothills Levy history, Boise Fire Department history, Boise Police Department history, and personal and political histories of former mayors and councilmembers.

Dates

September 29, 2010 and October 20, 2010

Biographical / Historical

Selander grew up in Houston, Texas in a neighborhood similar to Boise’s North End Neighborhood. When he came to Boise he lived in the North End. He taught at Boise State, and served on the State Humans Rights Commission. Selander sought a state legislature position in 1976 but lost. Bill Onweillor encouraged him to run for Boise City Council after this. Selander served on the Boise City Council from 1978 to 1985.

Extent

1.2 Gigabytes

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Abstract

Glenn Selander served on the Boise City Council during the last years of urban renewal. The mall had still not been built downtown, and the community was upset. He served to 1985 when the mall was finally approved in the suburbs, and there was a change in the city leadership.

In an interview with Brandi Burns on September 29 and October 20, 2010, Glenn Selander discusses the growth Boise experienced in the 1970s, the trend to develop west of the city and into the foothills. He describes how the population growth put a strain on the city’s fire and police departments, and how the city allocated its resources to provide services to the growing community. He also discusses his work with the Boise City Arts Commission and efforts to build support for arts and history in Boise. He touches on the creation of ACHD, city and county planning, and the changes in land use around the river to allow for construction of the Greenbelt.

Names and Places Index

Houston, Texas; Boise’s North End Neighborhood; Zoning; Westward development; 1980s Recession; Foothills; Housing; City services; Downtown; State Human Rights Commission; State legislature; City Arts Commission; ACHD; Ada County Organization of Government (ACOG); Greenbelt; Shoreline Park; Portland; Susan Stacy

Time Index

September 29, 2010 Interview

Minutes Summary

00:00 Introduction

00:33 Glenn Selander explained that he grew up in Texas. He described growing up in a neighborhood similar to Boise’ North End neighborhood. 00:57 Selander discussed the issue of rezoning and down-zoning the North End area. He mentioned the deterioration of the area before their rezoning efforts. Their goal was to keep the North End primarily residential.

02:30 Selander discussed the growth of the city in the late 1970s. He mentioned the shift towards developing the west end of the city. Boise has now spread all the way to Eagle in the west.

05:03 Selander explained that no large corporations had come to Boise yet in 1978, this led to a slow down of development during that time period. This preceded the recession of the 1980s.

07:15 Selander elaborated on the recession during the 1980s. He said that this recession did not effect him very much personally, but that it had a noticeable impact on the city economy.

09:53 Selander discussed the development of the foothills. He explained that the land would have collapsed under the pressure of too many new structures. He mentioned the development of the Lakewood subdivision by the Tate family.

14:30 Selander described the effect that the increase in development in Boise had on the city council. He gave the example of council members who pandered to construction firms.

14:50 Selander spoke of the cooperation between developers and the city planning department. He described the difference in quality between the different subdivisions around Boise.

16:18 Selander described the increase of new housing subdivisions around the city as the amount of industry in the area continued to grow. This put a strain on the city’s fire and police departments as well as forcing the city council to evaluate the allocation of its resources.

19:45 Selander discussed further how city services were impacted by growth. He described the need to balance expansion with maintaining city services.

21:20 Selander explained that the city pushed for development in the east to avoid having to develop the western area of Boise. This was due to the easier accessibility of the eastern side of town to fire and police services.

22:05 Selander described the debate surrounding placing the new mall in the west end of Boise. He mentioned an increase in traffic as well as the pressure for new subdivisions in that area. He said that a better option would have been to put a shopping center downtown.

23:45 Selander discussed the preservation of historical buildings in downtown. There was tension between those who wanted to preserve the buildings and those who wanted to tear them down and redevelop the area.

30:15 Selander described his life before his time on the city council. He spoke of being on a human rights committee in Dallas and working on civil rights issues.

31:38 Selander spoke of being appointed to the State Human Rights Commission. He said this experienced helped him become better at decision making and community involvement.

32:15 Selander explained that he had run for state legislature in 1976 and lost. It was after this that Bill Onweillor encouraged him to run for city council.

35:56 Selander discussed his role as the liaison between the city council and the City Arts Commission. He described working to have the city give more support to the arts and to city history.

38:49 Selander discussed the formation of the Ada County Highway Department (ACHD). He described the poor quality of Boise’ streets. Selander spoke of the tension between the Boise City Council and ACHD.

42:40 Selander mentioned the Ada County Organization of Government (ACOG) and its role in city planning. He described the tension between city and county officials. 44:35 Selander discussed the Greenbelt and the development of the area along the river. There was pushback from landowners along the river who had wanted to develop the land. There was also a concern about flooding.

47:35 Selander spoke of Shoreline Park and the small celebration which was held to open the Greenbelt.

48:40 Selander spoke further about the development of the south and west areas of Boise. Specifically he described the arrangements that were made to regulate use of land abutting the river. This was intended to minimize flood damage.

End Recording