HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC - Public Testimony 11-30 Peter and Gwnn CizmichTo:
Mayor Tammy DeWeerd
Meridian City Council
In reference to Project #RZ 15-012, PP 15-016, CUP 15-017, “The Easy Jet Apartments”, we are
wondering what it will take for the developer to get the message that his proposal is unacceptable as
submitted. At the Planning and Zoning meeting, the commissioners at least partially listened to the
more than one hundred people who attended. The P&Z final recommendation was to only allow two
story apartments in the proposed project. Yet, as we understand it, the developer is submitting the
proposal to the City Council with none of the changes recommended.
In addition to the P&Z meeting, there were two neighborhood meetings. The first was to try to
convince neighbors that this project was a good idea. There was so much opposition that the contractor
hired to build these apartments backed out saying that he didn't want his name on a project that so
many people were opposed to. The second meeting was presented by the architectural firm J-U-B and
was designed to convince us the apartments were a good idea anyway. The room was packed with
people and most put on paper our objections and concerns. We urged the developer to come up with a
different plan. Homeowners also wrote many letters to the Planning and Zoning Commission prior to
attending the P&Z meeting.
There were at least a hundred people in attendance at the P&Z meeting and a lot of them testified. The
committee had hundreds of signatures and letters on file in opposition to this project. All for what?
Did we all waste valuable time and energy jumping through hoops so the developer could go ahead and
build his apartments anyway? What happened to the majority rules? There is really something wrong
here. Isn't government, including city government, supposed to be for the people? And yet your
commission approved a slightly modified version of this project in the face of overwhelming
opposition.
We wish to reiterate our objection to this project. We still feel any apartments, whether they are 2 or 3
story, are inappropriate for this neighborhood. Most of the inhabitants of the surrounding subdivision
feel the same as we do. We have encountered no one who opposes the owners right to develop his
property. But his rights do not include development in such a way as to cause problems or financial
hardship for the owners in the surrounding subdivisions. Sutherland Farms and Sutherland Downs pay
to maintain the parks and walking paths in our subdivisions. Yet the apartment renters would be using
our parks and walking paths free of charge. And there is a liability issue as one of the parks contains a
pond.
We would welcome patio homes or townhouses similar to those in Sutherland Downs. These homes
were done at a profit by the developer so the Easy Jet project should be able to do likewise with similar
dwellings. It's time to tell this developer to build something compatible with the surrounding area or
sell the property to someone who will.
Sincerely,
Peter and Gwenn Cizmich
Sutherland Downs Homeowners
2599 S Legal Ave
Meridian 83642