2019-12-05 David Reyes1
Charlene Way
From:David Reyes <davidareyes1985@gmail.com>
Sent:Wednesday, December 04, 2019 4:57 PM
To:Meridian City Clerk; cc: Jeffrey Hall
Subject:Silverstone apartments near movado meridian idaho
APologies for the resend. I hadnt titled the email the first time.
To the Meridian City Clerk,
My name is David Reyes. I’m a Movado resident (estates) and am writing this on behalf of my wife and daughter as
well. We were unable to attend the public hearing on 12/3 due to lack of childcare, but I had something happen last
night in particular that made me positive that I needed to reach out in regards to the proposed apartment project
changes.
We moved into Movado (2192 S rolling hills) in September of 2019. We moved from a nearby established neighborhood
(Pepper hills- 2167 S sumpter way) and we we loved what Movado offered during our househunt. We made the decision
to come to Movado because of the existing area plan, the lifestyle offered, and we would maintain the same schools for
our daughter, but the recent proposed changes are not the neighborhood and lifestyle promised to us just a few short
months ago and we likely wouldn’t have moved here for numerous reasons if this plan was presented upfront:
1. School zoning being affected- We chose this neighborhood specifically for the schools in the area as they
matched what we had in pepper hills. The schools are highly rated and an absolute #1 priority in our home
choice.
2. Access- The primary entrance to the estates is via Movado way, but this already gets congested trying to come
in or out while (Especially around 8 am or 5-6 PM). Adding approximately 100+ people to get in or out during
these times will do nothing more than add to congestion, especially given the area was not built to
accommodate this traffic initially.
3. Unappealing atmosphere- Lets be frank. Apartments tenants tend to stay for about an average of 3 years. They
aren’t making the same long term investment in the community as the homeowners, making this a 100% for
profit proposition. As the apartment tenants have a much shorter duration of stay, they tend to take less care of
the area as they simply move when their lease is up and it is no longer convenient or appealing. This isn’t an
option for those of us that invested in the area as a forever home.
a. Increase in crime rate also applies- Transient tenants also brings a lower quality of life in the
neighborhood and increasing crime rate. this proposition represents a population spike that affects this
in a negative way.
I want to specifically reference point 3.A based on an encounter I had with Meridian PD on the night of 12/3/19. I had
accidentally left my garage open and an officer making rounds in the neighborhood was kind enough to notify me after
passing it twice in the span of an hour between 10 and 11PM. The officer indicated that with the current number of
apartments in the area and ongoing construction that there have been increasing reports of undesirable activity (drug
use and burglary). He indicated that most burglaries or home invasions are primarily “crimes of opportunity”. They
aren’t premediated, but something that individuals make snap decisions for if an opening appears to be present.
To me, having an officer patrol my neighborhood 2 times in the space of an hour indicates this is already a potential
problem. Adding additional transient tenants decreases the pride of ownership in the neighborhood, and multiplies
exponentially the likelihood of additional undesirable activity. These apartment complexes aren’t adding neighbors you
grow with or trust your children spending time with. It’s a permanent rotating roulette of possible destructive behavior.
2
When I was younger I didn’t have a choice but to live in apartments and I can’t count the number of times my car was
broken into, my area vandalized, and disruptive neighbors had the police called on them. While it’s true that not all
tenants are that way, the reality is that the good ones are likely not going to be there forever as they in turn move into a
home like I did. This isn’t the home or the stable environment I wanted when we chose to move here only 3 short
months ago. I can’t bring my 2 year old to meetings that last 2-6 hours, but please let me know if there is anything else I
can do to stand against this decision
David Reyes
Davidareyes1985@gmail.com
208-996-9643