UPDATE:
The Ada County Treasurer says only one of the properties deemed uninhabitable by the city after a landslide received payment. Payment on those properties was required by Thursday, August 1st, at 5:00 pm.
The property that was paid for is the lot at 143 N. Alto Via Court. The minimum bid on that property was $6,597. Twenty people bid on that property and the highest bidder took it away at a price of $28,100.
As far as what is next for the properties, Idaho Code § 31-808 governs the sale of county property. The statute states: “should the county be unable to sell at a public auction any real or personal property belonging to the county, including property acquired by tax deed, it may sell the property without further notice by public or private sale.” The Board could also grant the property to the federal government, the state of Idaho, a historical society or another political subdivision.
The Ada County Treasurer stated in an email that the proceeds from the sale would be distributed as follows: "Ada County collects the delinquent taxes, late charges, interest and costs. Ada County then notifies parties in interest of the sale, proceeds, and right to submit a claim to those proceeds. Claims will be paid in priority of lien under Idaho law. Ada County does not keep the excess proceeds or profit from the sale. All funds available after payment to parties in interest will be returned to the owner of record at the time the tax deed was issued."
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Five Boise Foothills properties that were deemed uninhabitable after a landslide just below Table Rock forced people out of their homes, were auctioned off over the last weekend.
That landslide caused around half a dozen homes to slide completely off their foundations, ultimately forcing multiple residents to leave, after the properties were deemed unsafe. Since, most of the homes have been demolished, and the city has auctioned some of those properties off for a lot more than their minimum asking bid. Those bidders had until 5 o’clock Thursday evening to pay for those properties.
Talk about homes with a view, but nobody is here to enjoy it anymore; not after the landslide forced homeowners to leave their homes in 2016.
Now, nearly all the lots on Alto Via Court sit vacant; all but one home, which is still safe to live in. The only other home still standing on Alto Via neighbors five lots where homes have been demolished by the city. City of Boise Spokesperson Mike Journee said the landslide currently has not impacted the structural integrity of that vacant home.
And a lot directly below those, sitting on Strata Via Place, is also vacant and impacted by that landslide three years ago.
Homes were demolished, sidewalks buckled, and about halfway down Alto Via Court, the city has closed off the road, marking the properties with “no trespassing” signs.
But regardless of the property history, four lots on Alto Via Court, all of which sit behind the roadblock, and one on Strata Via Place, were up for auction last weekend.
These were the properties auctioned:
140 N. Alto Via Court: valued at $500,000 in 2016, and valued at $16,900 in 2019, auctioned at $33,200;
143 N. Alto Via Court: valued at $143,800 in 2016, and valued at $4,500 in 2019, auctioned at $28,100;
159 N. Alto Via Court: valued at $125,000 in 2016, and valued at $3,100 in 2019, auctioned at $36,400;
177 N. Alto Via Court: valued at $100,000 in 2016, and valued at $2,600, auctioned at $36,300;
270 N. Strata Via Place: valued at $1,000,000 in 2016, and valued at $14,400 in 2019, auctioned at $65,100.
City of Boise Spokesperson Mike Journee said in an emailed statement, “The City of Boise has a licensing agreement with ACHD to allow the city authority for 'marking, posting and signing the unopened rights-of way, as necessary, to lawfully exclude unauthorized persons from the unopened rights of way.' Those signs are in place and will remain as long as the area continues to present a safety hazard to the public. We do not have control over the maintenance of the road. The city will not be issuing building permits for these parcels until the underlying geologic conditions of the area are suitable for building.”
Whether or not those five lots are actually sold is still up in the air. While they were all bid on in the auction, those bidders were required to turn their payment in in full by this Thursday evening.
We’ll have an update on whether or not that happened by Friday.
