At its July 17 meeting in Boise, the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners authorized the Idaho Department of Lands to turn over about 5,700 acres of scattered grazing land to the J.R. Simplot Co., including property with phosphate ore potential in Southeast Idaho’s Caribou County. In exchange, the state acquires 31.5 acres of near-term development property near Federal Way and Gowen Road on the southeast edge of Boise, and an access easement across other Simplot property to 560 acres of state endowment land with no other legal access. That easement unlocks the future development potential for the property, which could be annexed by Boise, said Kathy Opp, deputy Department of Lands director.
The land deeded to Simplot and that acquired by Idaho were appraised at about $7.8 million, Opp said. The state retained all subsurface mineral rights for the Caribou County property and grazing land in Southwest Idaho’s Owyhee County, which has limited or no access. Much of the property is far from supervisory area offices, she added.
The 31.5 acres the state is acquiring are occupied by a mobile home park and the vestiges of a campground. The 17 tenants still living there have been on month-to-month rental leases for some time, Opp said. Simplot will be responsible for their orderly evacuation and remediation for the mobile homes. All tenants will get cash incentives to find other housing or be given the opportunity to remain where they are for two years at existing rental rates.
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter recused himself from the discussion and vote on the land exchange with Simplot. Otter, a past Simplot vice president, is divorced from the daughter of J.R. Simplot.