Jeffrey and Lori Badigian - Linder Village 7-24July 24, 2017
City of Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission
Regarding: The Linder Village application
My wife and I are residents of the city of Meridian and have owned our home in the
Paramount subdivision for 11 years.
We are writing today to express our concern with a proposed large commercial
development on the southeast corner of Chinden and Linder. Our home is located at
6161 N. Booth Ave, and is backed up to the property where the proposed
development is to be built.
When we moved to Meridian in 2006, we were concerned about purchasing a home
that had undeveloped land behind it, yet we loved Paramount. That’s when we turned
our attention to the city’s comprehensive growth plan. Which we continue to believe is
a great plan, if it is followed. We considered this comprehensive plan to be a
“roadmap” to the direction that Meridian would ultimately develop this property when
the time came.
Since the day we purchased our home we knew that there would be growth and
development around our property. We feel that the mixed-use community/medium
density residential designation, that is current in the plan, meets the expectations of
residents who have based their decisions to live in North Meridian on the documents
that the planning and zoning commission have put thousands of work hours into, and
published as the vision for the city.
We are not against growth or commercial development of this area but we feel
transitioning from residential to CG zoning that is proposed to be developed is too far
from the comprehensive plan to be approved. We would enjoy having the kinds of
residential areas and businesses that are consistent with the current mixed-use
community designation.
Changing the designation to CG will have a domino effect of negative impacts on the
surrounding community. Including noise pollution, light pollution, excessive traffic,
possible increased crime rates, and reduced property values.
It is also our opinion that there should not be any additional access points allowed on
Chinden. Allowing additional access points other than what currently exists at the half-
mile point, would go against the current Compass plan for Chinden. The additional
road access seems to be a necessity for a CG development and we fear that we
would be looking at the beginning of another “Eagle Road situation” unfolding.
With the proposed CG plan, traffic could enter/exit Linder Village through four
Paramount streets. Shoppers who wish to avoid the traffic congestion on Chinden and
Linder could filter through Paramount causing increased safety and noise issues for our
neighborhood.
We have listed just a few of our concerns of the potential impact of approving this plan.
Purchasing a home is the single largest investment that most Americans make. The city
of Meridian has a fiduciary responsibility to the residents who decide to make these
investments in our city. In 2007, a plan very similar to this one was proposed. We
contacted the Planning & Zoning Committee and eventually Mayor de Weerd. In the
attached reply, Mayor de Weerd stated that the comprehensive plan is a blueprint for
the City’s growth and development and that proposed changes to the plan are rarely
approved, especially if those changes do not have the support of the neighborhood.
We request that you reject the developer’s application and require something that is
more in line with the current plan and that supports the quality of life we have here in
North Meridian and Paramount.
Respectfully,
Jeffrey and Lori Badigian
6161 N Booth Avenue
Meridian, ID 83646