Robert Shepard1
Charlene Way
From:Robert Shepard <robert.shepard@hotmail.com>
Sent:Wednesday, October 10, 2018 1:51 PM
To:City Clerk
Subject:Opposed to H-2018-0096 - Buyrite LLC Apartments
To the Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission, Growth and development is inevitable and I support a vibrant
and growing community. My issues with this application have nothing to do with wanting to stifle growth in Meridian.
This specific location is inappropriate for large 3-story apartment buildings for the following reasons: The current
zoning of the property is community commercial which is appropriate and fits in very well with the comprehensive
plan designation of mixed-use community on this site. The original plan for small-scale commercial that is described
in the development agreement for this property is a good plan and although the property hasn't developed yet, as
Meridian grows, commercial space on corners like this one will be needed to meet demand. Tall, 3-story buildings
are not appropriate for this part of Meridian. This area is primarily single-family residential. Although apartments can
work next to single-family residential in some cases, large 3-story apartments are more appropriate for large roads
like Fairview, Franklin, and Overland. Another very significant concern is school overcrowding. Hunter elementary is
already overcrowded with some of the largest classes in the district. My daughter is in 1st grade and she has over
30 kids in her class despite additional classrooms in portables. This fact alone should reinforce that the current
zoning for commercial is more appropriate than any type of residential and especially high-density residential. Right
now Meridian is undergoing a detailed review of its Comprehensive Plan and is identifying ways to mitigate many of
the issues that come with growth. Until this process is complete, it's inappropriate for the city to make major
changes in zoning such as is proposed. Zoning is critical and the city should only change zoning when there is a
clear need to do so. In this case, it appears obvious that the only beneficiary from re-zoning this area would be the
developer of this high-density apartment complex. The height and architectural style are not in line with the
surrounding neighborhoods and do not reflect the quality that would be expected in the city. The schools are not
properly set up for the influx of additional students. The roads also are not fully developed to handle the increase in
traffic that these apartments would bring. There are many reasons that this re-zone is a bad idea (as outlined above)
and there appear to be no good reasons to re-zone the property and amend the development agreement. I
respectfully request that you deny this application for a conditional use permit, re-zone of the property, and
amendment of the development agreement. If this project is chosen to move forward (which would be a mistake) the
buildings must be limited to 2-stories and many amenities and architectural enhancements should be added to
improve the quality and decrease the impact on schools and services in this area. Thank you for your consideration
and your service to the city. Sincerely,
Rob Shepard
1
Charlene Way
From:Robert Shepard <robert.shepard@hotmail.com>
Sent:Wednesday, October 10, 2018 1:54 PM
To:City Clerk
Subject:Opposed to H-2018-0096 - Buyrite LLC Apartments
To the Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission,
Growth and development is inevitable and I support a vibrant and growing community. My issues with this
application have nothing to do with wanting to stifle growth in Meridian.
This specific location is inappropriate for large 3-story apartment buildings for the following reasons:
The current zoning of the property is community commercial which is appropriate and fits in very well with the
comprehensive plan designation of mixed-use community on this site. The original plan for small-scale
commercial that is described in the development agreement for this property is a good plan and although the
property hasn't developed yet, as Meridian grows, commercial space on corners like t his one will be needed to
meet demand.
Tall, 3-story buildings are not appropriate for this part of Meridian. This area is primarily single-family
residential. Although apartments can work next to single-family residential in some cases, large 3-story
apartments are more appropriate for large roads like Fairview, Franklin, and Overland.
Another very significant concern is school overcrowding. Hunter elementary is already overcrowded with
some of the largest classes in the district. My daughter is in 1st grade and she has over 30 kids in her class
despite additional classrooms in portables. This fact alone should reinforce that the current zoning for
commercial is more appropriate than any type of residential and especially high-density residential.
Right now Meridian is undergoing a detailed review of its Comprehensive Plan and is identifying ways to
mitigate many of the issues that come with growth. Until this process is complete, it's inappropriate for the
city to make major changes in zoning such as is proposed. Zoning is critical and the city should only change
zoning when there is a clear need to do so. In this case, it appears obvious that the only beneficiary from re-
zoning this area would be the developer of this high-density apartment complex.
The height and architectural style are not in line with the surrounding neighborhoods and do not reflect the
quality that would be expected in the city. The schools are not properly set up for the influx of additional
students. The roads also are not fully developed to handle the increase in traffic that these apartments would
bring.
There are many reasons that this re-zone is a bad idea (as outlined above) and there appear to be no good
reasons to re-zone the property and amend the development agreement.
I respectfully request that you deny this application for a conditional use permit, re-zone of the property, and
amendment of the development agreement. If this project is chosen to move forward (which would be a
mistake) the buildings must be limited to 2-stories and many amenities and architectural enhancements
2
should be added to improve the quality and decrease the impact on schools and services in this area. Thank
you for your consideration and your service to the city.
Sincerely,
Rob Shepard