As downtown Boise continues to grow - some developers are really doing wonders to the shape of the city, and some are missing the boat.

I don't want to be critical, and I won't be specific, but a topic came up amongst friends this weekend that I thought was interesting. I feel fortunate to get to work right downtown, in BoDo (8th Street Market Place), and although I have to commute here each day, I love the buzz of the city. I had the pleasure of attending a special pre-opening function at the Bonefish Grill (terrific by the way) this past Saturday evening with a few friends. Each of us works downtown, and we talked about driving into the city, the cool new restaurants, shops, etc. that have been going up all around town. This discussion lead to a "hot topic": Why are some of the new buildings downtown so "blah"? How is it that a developer can feel good about changing the gateway to the city by adding mediocre facades? We talked about great buildings, bad buildings, fantastic patio dining, poor frontage, store placement and more. I found the conversation fascinating; how passionate each person was about our city. These are people who work and live downtown - they want to see greatness.

Developers of downtown...you are changing the face of the city. This is your "art", your mark on Boise. You have an opportunity to make a difference, make an impact and create beauty.

Choose greatness.