Garden City, Idaho is only four square miles—but right now, it feels like the center of the Treasure Valley. With a professional soccer team arriving, the Expo sports park taking shape, and the river and Greenbelt drawing more people every season, the stakes for smart, human‑centered growth have never been higher. We sit down with mayoral candidate and longtime community leader Molly Lenty to map out how a small city can make big moves without losing the people and places that make it home.

Molly’s path started with “accidental leadership”—showing up for hard school district votes, winning bond and levy campaigns, and guiding visioning work that translated values into buildable plans. That experience informs a clear framework for Garden City: pair a shared North Star with practical tools like urban renewal, targeted incentives for mixed‑income housing, and neighborhood pocket parks that make streets safer and families feel rooted. We dig into the Glenwood–Chinden corridor’s potential as an entertainment and mobility district, the role of a pedestrian bridge and better north–south connections, and why active transportation can’t rest on the Greenbelt alone.

We also get candid about zoning friction and “first do no harm” governance. Molly explains how to simplify approvals without lowering standards, collaborate with Ada County and nearby cities, and protect long‑time residents from displacement as investment accelerates on the east side. And because local elections are personal, she shares what she hears at the doorstep, why she handwrites her phone number on campaign cards, and how four thousand votes could redefine the city’s future.

If you care about inclusive growth, safer streets, and a riverfront that welcomes everyone, this conversation will give you a blueprint and the motivation to act. Listen, share with a Garden City neighbor, and if the show resonates, follow, rate, and leave a review—then text a voter who needs to hear this.

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