2019-09-11 Robert Shepard1
Charlene Way
From:Robert Shepard <robert.shepard@hotmail.com>
Sent:Wednesday, September 11, 2019 11:08 AM
To:Meridian City Clerk
Subject:Opposed to Adera MDA H-2019-0092
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 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 2nd 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.
• In addition, we are being overrun by storage units which are very visually unappealing and could lead
to increased crime in the area. The amount of lights that are needed for security provide a large
amount of light pollution for neighboring single family homes.
There are many reasons that this project is a bad idea (as outlined above) and there appear to be no good
reasons to approve this property.
2
I respectfully request that you deny this application. 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.
Additional green space should be added to keep Meridian visually appealing.
Thank you for your consideration and your service to the city.
Sincerely,
Rob Shepard