2019-07-16 Joe LaGue of Bristol Heights Neighborhood AssociationBoard of Directors
President: Joe LaGue
Vice President: Ted Dawson
Tres & Sec: Scott Phillips
July 16, 2019
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Bristol Heights Neighborhood Association
6149 N. Meeker Pl. Suite 150
Boise, ID 83713
208-323-1080
Mayor de Weerd
City Council
City of Meridian
33 E. Broadway Ave.
Meridian, Idaho 83642
Sentry Management
Association Management
Chuck Degenhardt
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Transmitted electronically via Meridian City Clerk
Re: Three Corners Ranch — (H-2019-0006)
Comments in Advance of July 16, 2019 Hearing on behalf of
Bristol Heights Neighborhood Association
Dear Madam Mayor and City Councilmembers:
It is well-recognized that you have listened to and carefully considered a surprisingly large body
of testimony regarding Three Corners Ranch. We are grateful and appreciate your precision,
thoughtful consideration and well -seasoned dedication to your decision-making process.
THANK YOU -- on behalf of all stakeholders involved.
Bristol Heights Neighborhood Association and the overwhelming majority of its 544 residents,
owners and members, are in support of Three Corners Ranch as proposed by applicant,
Sweetland Development, LLC.
To be clear, and for your continuing consideration, we would like to briefly highlight our key
points of interest in review:
1. Bristol Heights accepts that W Barclay Street is necessary to service Three Corners
Ranch by providing access to our collector. Although 18 of our homes on W Barclay will
be directly and adversely affected, we acknowledge that the progress of building cities
often requires compromise.
2. Bristol Heights supports the plan that eliminates the public stub -connection for
vehicular traffic to N Stafford Place as that connectivity would directly impact 81
residential properties on several reasonably quiet residential streets. The discussion on
connectivity and cut -through traffic has been discussed exhaustively. Accordingly, your
planning and zoning commission has recommended this consistent with ACHD's
approval.
3. Bristol Heights is satisfied with the proposed pedestrian and bicycle pathway that would
extend from N Stafford Place to W Guinness St. Bristol Heights does not favor
developing this as an emergency access point to the Fuller Ranchettes provided ITD, as
is anticipated, ultimately allows for emergency access direct to Shandee via Chinden,
similar to the existing configuration for the north end of N Stafford Place.
4. Although it is conceivable that the commission's third gated access street could reduce
the W Barclay and E Dunwoody traffic flow, that seems negligible and the cost/benefit
would equate negative. Accordingly, this is a requirement of the applicant that Bristol
Heights is not supporting.
Having reviewed the July 12 correspondence from Mr. Clark to Mr. Parsons, we are disappointed
that the residents of E Dunwoody Court failed to exploit the opportunity to reach common
ground with the developer and jointly return a reasonable and acceptable solution for your
consideration. In contrast, the impact mitigation measures currently proposed by the applicant
to improve the safety of that street now appear more generous than before.
In essence, in exchange for a relatively low volume of traffic from Three Corners Ranch, East
Dunwoody Ct would be conferred safety improvements to their street to ameliorate pre-existing
safety deficiencies.
Of the surrounding neighborhoods, E Dunwoody Ct
may well be the top beneficiary of this project.
Council Members, we believe that, not only did you engage "productive deliberation" in your
pursuit of consensus, but in addition, you offered other stakeholders that opportunity to do the
same since the June 25th hearing — until today.
Yes, Three Corners Ranch is indeed a product of solution -oriented collaboration, creativity,
exceptional neighborhood participation and unusually thoughtful and well -intended
neighborhood considerations of an owner/developer.
While it was comforting to hear the Mayor say "we are not in a hurry' last month, we believe
this is the project that you want to build in this field. Three Corners Ranch presents an
opportunity to be seized.
It is now time.
We respectfully ask you to move to approve the Three Corners Ranch application and finalize a
reasonable development agreement. We believe acceptable compromise has been achieved
and we are confident that Sweetland Development will build Three Corners Ranch in a way we
will all be able to accept and appreciate.
Thank you, Madam Mayor, City Council and Staff.
/s
Joe LaGue
President
Bristol Heights Neighborhood Association
CC: Chris Johnson, City Clerk
Bill Parsons, Planning
Caleb Hood, Planning
Marcel Lopez, Conger Management
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