HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC - Public Testimony by Marshall Italiano - 3/11
Jacy Jones
From:Peggy Gardner
Sent:Tuesday, March 01, 2016 4:38 PM
To:MARSHALL ITALIANO; Keith Bird; Anne Little Roberts; Genesis Milam; Joe Borton; Luke
Cavener; typalmer@meridiancity.or; mayortammy; Jaycee Holman; Jacy Jones; Machelle
Hill; Joshua Beach
Cc:Karen Chaney
Subject:RE: Re zoning for apartments
Dear Mr. Italiano:
Your email has been received by the Mayor’s Office. We appreciate you contacting us to let us know of your concerns
for the proposed changes to development plan for the Knighthill project. I will forward your comments to our City Clerk
for the record and to be included in the packet the Mayor and Council members receive for the public hearing. Once an
application is made, Mayor and Council are only able to make comments during the public hearing.
I have copied Josh Beach, the staff member assigned to this project. He will be able to answer any questions you may
have regarding the Modification of the Development Agreement or the process.
Thank you for your comments and being part of the public process.
Peggy Gardner
Administrative Assistant to
Mayor Tammy de Weerd
City of Meridian
33 E Broadway Avenue
Meridian, ID 83642
Phone 208 489-0529
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-----Original Message-----
From: MARSHALL ITALIANO [mailto:marshitaliano@msn.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2016 3:07 PM
To: Keith Bird; Anne Little Roberts; Genesis Milam; Joe Borton; Luke Cavener; typalmer@meridiancity.or; mayortammy
Cc: Karen Chaney
Subject: Re zoning for apartments
Good afternoon,
My name is Marshall Italiano, I am a homeowner in Lochsa Falls. It has come to my attention that it is the intention of
the city council to grant a request for re-zoning on a parcel located on Chinden, between Linder and Ten Mile. The parcel
was not originally intended to be apartments, but as usual, developers seem to have more of a say in our communal
development than the people who actually live in the community.
2
Let me start by saying that I am interested in a pro growth platform for Meridian. However, putting more apartments in
this area does not seem to provide any real benefit in my opinion. In fact, the opportunity costs of another apartment
are unacceptable. I'm sure you've heard all the arguments. Schools that are already excessively overcrowded, will
become more crowded. Roads that are extremely congested, will become more so. Home prices, which are finally
beginning to stabilize and rebound in some cases, will be depressed once again. I have spoken to the schools, and they
cannot handle any more kids. Willow Creek is brand new, but it is already overcrowded. Rocky Mountain is only a few
years old, and it is severely overcrowded, Sawtooth is severely overcrowded with up to 35 kids per class. I realize that
the school district is responsible for some of the blame, but you are all responsible as well. You are allowing the
development of apartment complexes before the facilities to accommodate the needs of the occupants are even built!
What does this mean to me? It means higher property taxes and assessments, as well as my children being affected by
school overcrowding. It means that it takes 20 minutes to drive a couple miles on Chinden during rush hour. In short,
you are putting the proverbial cart before the horse for short term financial gain without thinking through the
consequences of the community developing too fast. How many apartments do we really need in such a small area?
How many can we handle? How densely populated can one area between Linder and Ten Mile be before it is too much?
You hav e an entire city that you can develop. Please spread the development evenly in order to avoid obvious problems.
Since Selway apartments went in, which was another contested development, we have seen an increase in crime in our
neighborhood, which includes theft and vandalism, as well as dogs defecating all over the neighborhood lawns. I now
have cameras installed outside my home because I had to chase a young man trying to break into our back door. I
followed him out of my back yard, and over the fence and chased him for quite some time. Ultimately, I watched him
run into the apartment complex. I filed a police report. We receive neighborhood watch notices about car break in's and
garage theft on my street. We have had Halloween and Christmas decorations stolen out of our yard. Am I saying that
this can all be attributed to apartments? No, not all of it. But... this type of nonsense was NEVER a problem until that
complex went in, so basic deduction provides me with the direct correlation that petty crime has increased since the
Selway development opened. Also, we pay association fees for our parks in Lochsa Falls. Yet they are enjoyed by people
from the apartments that do not contribute to our HOA fee . How do I know that? Because I run into people I know at
the parks who live in the apartments. Do we need to put a keyed entry gate around our parks to enjoy them for
ourselves? Is the city going to reimburse us for that expense?
Also, an empty parcel next to Selway, has a sign saying that it is zoned for APARTMENTS! There are apartments next to
Walgreens off of Linder as well. My question is; What is the occupancy rate at these locations? Are 2 more apartment
complexes even warranted? Is Meridian interested in becoming the land of apartments? If so, Eagle will become a much
more attractive place for homebuyers in the future. What is the benefit to Meridian to overpopulate one small area with
a disproportionately dense cluster of apartments? I really would like an answer. I also want to make it clear that if this
passes, it is clearly against the wishes of your constituents, who are directly impacted by the development. The sneaky
way in which this has been handled is preposterous. Most homeowners had no idea that this was an issue until late last
week, or yesterday in some cases. If it wasn't for our HOA trying to get the word out, nobody would have known about
this. Remember, you are elected to serve the interests of your constituents, not just developers. Future elections can
have consequences.
Thank you for your time. I hope you make the right decision here, and listen to the will of the homeowners in this area.
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