PZ - Applicant Request for ContnuanceNK BUTLER -.
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
T. HETHE CLARK
(208) 388-3327
HCLARK@SPINKBUTLER.COM
Via electronic mail (sleonard@meridiancity.org)
March 29, 2019
Stephanie Leonard
Associate City Planner
City of Meridian
33 E. Broadway Ave.
Meridian, Idaho 83642
Re: Three Corners Ranch - Preliminary Plat Application
1890 E. Dunwoody Court, Meridian
SB File No. 21895.12
Dear Stephanie:
This firm represents the applicant for the foregoing development approvals. Please consider this letter a
formal request to defer the Planning & Zoning Commission hearing on this matter based on the outcome
of neighborhood meetings, subsequent discussions with ACHD Staff, and the ACHD Commission's
action on this item on March 27, 2019.
Each of the foregoing resulted in a revised plan that Meridian City Staff has not yet had the opportunity
to review. The preliminary plat currently on file with the City will be revised to match the plan that the
ACHD Commission reviewed and approved, which removes the ring road and includes connections at
Sweet Valley Drive and Shandee Drive, a pedestrian connection between Shandee Drive and Stafford
Place, and public bicycle and pedestrian connections throughout. This design is supported by the Three
Corners Subdivision, the Bristol Heights neighbors who attended our March 25, 2019 meeting, many
of the individuals who attended the March 27, 2019 ACHD Commission meeting, and, ultimately,
ACHD Staff and the ACHD Commission.
The attached materials provide additional background for this request. In the meantime, we would
appreciate the opportunity to sit down with you, Mr. Hood, and any other members of City Staff that
would like to be involved. Thank you in advance for your attention to these items.
Very truly yours,
T. Hethe Clark
HC/bdb
MICHAEL T. SPINK JOANN C. BUTLER T. HETHE CLARK GEOFFREY M. WARDLE TARA MARTENS MILLER
251 E FRONT ST • SUITE 200 • PO BOX 639 • BOISE. IDAHO 83701 • 208.388.1000 • FAX 208.388.1001 • SPINKBUTLER.COM
Background for the Modification to the Current Design
As you know, this application has been the topic of a great deal of discussion in light of the unique
development pattern that has occurred here. In particular, there are six stub connections to this property,
which is located in the central area of a larger block without a collector network. That same block is
almost exclusively residential. There is a park on the southeast with no internal roadway connections—
only pedestrian. A Maverik is located on the southwest, which also has no internal roadway connections.
And Ambrose School is located on the northwest corner, which is a regional (not neighborhood) school
with many of its students arriving by vehicle from outside of these neighborhoods.
While there is no collector network on the larger block; however, the neighborhood roadways have been
functioning and the residents appear to be relatively content with the status quo. For example, Vienna
Woods has five entrances onto McMillan and one onto Locust Grove, as shown below:
Similarly, the Bristol Heights neighborhood (immediately to the east of the subject site) has the
Bennington Way collector access onto Chinden and Eagle Road.
The Dunwoody Subdivision (immediately to the west) has its own access onto Locust Grove Road, while
Three Corners Subdivision has a similar approach. The Fuller Ranchettes on Shandee Drive currently
have access directly onto Chinden; however, it is our understanding that ITD may restrict that access in
the future when Chinden is widened.
As you are aware, one of our primary concerns in connection with our design of this project is to avoid
cut -through traffic. As the above maps illustrate, the connection between Dunwoody Court and Barclay
Street is proposed to be gated because, otherwise, that connection would become a de facto collector and
cut -through route from Locust Grove all the way to Eagle Road. This is supported by a majority of the
neighbors. It is a solution implemented solely to avoid the hazard a cut -through would create. There is
no exclusionary intent; in fact, the A22licant will be allowing full public pedestrian and bicycle access at
all of the stub streets in this project. This was committed as a condition of the ACHD Commission's
March 27, 2019 approval of this project.
Connectivity - How Much is Too Much?
The gated -street solution has not been the subject of much dispute; instead, the question has been how
many of the six stub streets should connect. The Applicant's initial proposal contained a ring road that
was provided at the urging of Staff. That ring road has been the topic of much thought and, frankly,
much debate and discussion with our neighbors.
In terms of background, we all agree that connectivity is, in general, a good thing. But like everything
else, too much of a good thing can also be a problem. And that is the case here.
ACHD Staff shares these concerns, and at ACHD Staff's urging, we prepared a back -of -the -napkin design
of the project with connections only on the north side—at Shandee Drive and Stafford Place an
emergency -only connection at Sweet Valley Drive. Why? Because ACHD Staff (on its own and also
likely as a result of the many neighborhood comments) recognized the threat of cut -through traffic,
turning local roads into de facto collectors through a residential block that lacks an internal collector
network. As stated by ACHD Staff:
The perimeter road will add 1/z mile of new public roadway for maintenance by ACHD with little public
benefit.... Because this square mile was developed without a collector network, ACHD staff is concerned
about east -west cut -through traffic.
After putting together the design requested by ACHD Staff, the Applicant took that design to the
neighbors. Based upon those discussions, the Applicant discussed the possibility of a new design with
the neighbors, including the Bristol Heights neighbors at a meeting on March 25, 2019. The Applicant
then submitted a revised design that was responsive to the comments of ACHD Staff and the neighbors
in connection with ACHD's March 27, 2019 hearing.
This revised design removed the connection at Stafford Place and replaced the roadway between Shandee
Drive and Stafford Place with pedestrian facilities, as further shown below:
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THREE CORNERS RANCH SUBDIVISION
MERIDIAN, ID
This design is supported by the Three Corners Subdivision, the Bristol Heights neighbors who
attended our March 25, 2019 meeting, many of the individuals who attended the March 27, 2019 ACHD
Commission meeting, and, ultimately, ACHD Staff and the ACHD Commission.
Why? First, it leaves the existing roadway networks intact, with Bristol Heights and Vienna Woods
retaining their current traffic patterns.
Second, it resolves the potential issue for folks on Shandee Drive as it provides them an alternative for
when their access onto Chinden is restricted. And, finally (but most importantly) it avoids the de facto
collector scenario that the neighbors and the Applicant want to avoid. As shown below, if we connect
Stafford Place, there is a fairly straight -forward connection to Bennington Way that would provide a cut -
through all the way from Locust Grove to Eagle Road or Chinden Blvd.
We are concerned that this connection creates the de facto collector that we are trying to avoid, on roads
that weren't designed for it. We do not want to be the developer that puts that cut -through in place. The
ACHD Commission agreed and voted to approve the design presented and shown above.
Conclusion and Request for Deferral
We understand the desire for connectivity. However, in this case, it very rapidly becomes too much of a
good thing. This is not a mixed-use area. Roadway networks on the block are functioning for these
subdivisions. The park on this block has only pedestrian connections. The school on the block is
regional, and we do not want to see additional traffic pouring past it, which we believe would be the
result of City Staff's current recommendation.
These issues are critical to the neighborhood and to the developer. Based on our discussions, we believe
the neighborhood will attend the upcoming hearings at the City of Meridian and support this proposal.
This applicant is one of those neighbors, as the developer lives in this neighborhood—on the triangular
parcel on the northwest side of this property.
This design is a commitment on the part of the developer to do the right thing. We know that because the
road connection that will now be installed at Sweet Valley Drive will go right in front of the developer's
own home. This clearly shows these choices are not a matter of wanting an isolated enclave; instead, the
developer is taking the neighborhood's concerns incredibly seriously. They see the need for Sweet Valley
Drive and Shandee Drive to connect, and they're willing to do that even though the road will go right by
their home. They see the need for pedestrian and bicycle access and have provided it through all six stub
streets.
The best outcome in this case is to adopt the proposal that was approved by the ACHD Commission. In
order to allow City of Meridian Staff the opportunity to review and digest that proposal, we respectfully
request a deferral of the currently scheduled Planning & Zoning Commission hearing.