Steve MarshDear City Counsel,
I am writing about the proposed development called Cherry Blossom Place off Cherry Lane and
W 7th. I'm not writing to stop the building altogether as I know that is not going to occur, just
for you to keep the R4 zoning. It is not right for a developer to purchase land and just assume
that the zoning will automatically be significantly changed for their profit. It is also not right to
affect the current surrounding homeowners with significant change to their existing longtime
neighborhood.
Developers should be required to work with the existing zoning at the time of purchase. If they
don't like the zoning, then the seller should request the change and if not granted because the
surrounding neighbors disagree with the increase in zoning then the developer has a financial
decision to make. NOT ASSUME! I did a little research on Ada County Assessor's website and
found the average home lot in my area surrounding this proposed development is .289 acres.
Mine being just above .385 acres. I purchased my home in 2013 when looking for a quiet, well
maintained older neighborhood with sizable lots and the feel of OLD TOWN MERIDIAN. I also
brought a well-established 23 -year-old business to the Meridian area two years prior.
The bulk of the homes in the area were built in the 50's and 60's with no sidewalks or street
lighting. We walk with our dogs in the evenings with little or no traffic. That would surely
change with the new development. In regard to the traffic from the development would most
likely use W Washington as a thoroughfare to get to Meridian Road to access the freeway.
Without proper lighting, (there is one across the street), and proper sidewalks, I fear it would
be a matter of time before a child gets injured or, God forbid, something worse.
Safety is our biggest concern as kids walk to and from school in the street, yes the street
because there is NO sidewalks surrounding at least 50-60% of he proposed site. In addition to
safety is traffic, speed, noise pollution, and disruption of the eco -system along the irrigation
system in the immediate neighborhood.
We also are highly concerned with property taxes increasing at a significant pace. In 2013 my
taxes were $780 for the year. Today just 4 years later they are $1111 a year based on an
assessed value of $180,000 (2017 appraisal of $195K). With homes proposed in excess of $250-
300K or higher, we will automatically adjust in 2019 or 2020 as those homes sale the market to
a much higher assessed value based on new home sales in the immediate area. Yet we did not
profit as the developer will to offset the increased tax base, and we have to live here well after
the developer sells off the last property and moves on to the next parcel of land.
Open space is so limited in Meridian as farmers have sold off existing land. It is a shame we are
even discussing putting 59 homes in such a small location. It would appear by simple math that
that's an average of 6.55 homes per acre before setbacks, roads and easements. This simply is
unacceptable for the neighborhood and OLD Town Meridian. There are multi hundred -unit
complexes currently in the building stages across Meridian. If you need infill like this for City
revenues, lets go to the edges of town where there is plenty of open space that does not affect
an existing neighborhood, right in the middle of that neighborhood.
I am simply asking the counsel to keep the existing zoning of R4 for this area as that is the
existing standard. I think it would be a travesty to allow anything larger to be centered in our
existing neighborhood. Mid-century homes surrounding Modern larger homes on tiny lots is
not what I expected when I purchased my home. I always knew there would be change but
cramming as many homes into a single acre for the profit is not acceptable to myself or the
many other home owners who are opposed to this development.
Best Regards from a concerned homeowner
Steve Marsh
525 W Washington Ave
1
Chris Johnson
From:Steve Marsh <stevemarsh@getmpi.com>
Sent:Tuesday, April 17, 2018 3:00 PM
To:City Clerk
Subject:Written Document Against Proposed Development
Attachments:Cherry Blossom Development.pdf
Importance:High
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