HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Testimony by Rick & Michelle Stott 2/10/15 - CCRICK R & MICHELLE G STOTT
3684 S. Caleb Place
Meridian, ID 83642
February 10, 2015
Mayor de Weerd and Meridian City Council
c/o Bill Parsons, Planning Supervisor
Meridian City Hall
33 E. Broadway Avenue
Meridian, Idaho 83642
Fax: 208.888.4218
RE: PP 14-020 Accommodations Subdivision
Madam Mayor and Councilpersons:
We hereby submit our opposition to the proposed application filed by Providence
Management, scheduled for hearing before the Meridian City Council on February 17,
2015. The subject parcels are adjacent to our lot, our next door neighbor's home and our
Dartmoor subdivision. Our opposition revolves around three key concerns which were
discussed with the developer and summarily dismissed with no accommodations.
The lot sizes adjacent to our property are inconsistent with existing transitions of
other subdivisions surrounding our parcels.
Consistent with surrounding subdivisions the adjacent lots should not allow
multistory structures and provide height limits thereby reducing the intrusiveness
of new neighbors upon our parcels.
The plat plan should resemble the previous approved Harcourt plan — the proposal
currently does not.
All three principals have been supported by the City Council in the past and we hope that
the Council will continue to apply the same wisdom in the present.
The Future Land Use Map of the Meridian Comprehensive Plan designates this area for
low density residential use with zoning of R-4. Although the plan may technically
comply with the R-4 zoning the density of homes along our property line is completely
inconsistent with the lot sizes and transition of other surrounding subdivisions and in
conflict with the design of our lots and subdivision. Even the larger lots that are on the
corners would require that the houses be built unreasonably close to our property.
Despite input during the neighborhood meeting there has been no accommodation by the
developer for our concerns and were dismissed.
All parcels in our Dartmoor Subdivision are acreage lots zoned RUT in the county. We
paid a premium price for our "view" lots twenty years ago. Our subdivision is now an
enclave, with all other lands surrounding us having been annexed and redeveloped over
the past ten years—and our "view" is now an urban residential landscape. Throughout
the redevelopment activities on multiple projects, we have attended more than a dozen
hearings in Meridian to press for some preservation of open space. The City has always
been sensitive to our desire for transitional density to help mitigate the impact of so much
urban development around us. This is entirely appropriate and consistent with the low-
density designation of this section in the Meridian Comprehensive Plan Map.
The City Council has wisely required, in the past, that the adjacent developments limit
their parcels to no more than two lots abutting each of our parcels. Currently the
developer has five lots abutting one Dartmoor lot.
In addition, adjacent developments had restrictions on the homes to limit the height to
one story structures so not to impugn the privacy of our property. This condition was
applied to not only the completed Kingsbridge subdivision but also the proposed
Harcourt project that was approved by the City Council in 2007. These Kingsbridge lots
became premium lots for the developer and sold very quickly.
Please refer to the letter submitted by Mr. and Mrs. Turner dated February 4, 2015 for a
more detailed discussion regarding the historical conditions placed upon the property in
question.
We would ask that the Commission continue to apply the same conditions as in the
past upon this development in order to maintain the proper transition and feel to
the neighborhood. This proposal is completely inconsistent with the existing homes,
adjacent property, and the historical plating of lots adjacent to our property and
will significantly negatively impact the current and future home values of the
neighborhood as a whole.
We respectfully request that the application now before the City Council be denied.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Rick and Michelle Stott
Block 2, Dartmoor Subdivision
cc: Sean Kelly, City Planner
cc: Tammy de Weerd, Mayor