HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC - Public Testimony by Christina Hall - 3/11
Machelle Hill
From:Peggy Gardner
Sent:Tuesday, March 01, 2016 11:47 AM
To:Christina Hall; Jaycee Holman; Jacy Jones; Machelle Hill; Joshua Beach
Cc:mayortammy; Anne Little Roberts; Genesis Milam; Joe Borton; Keith Bird; Luke Cavener;
Ty Palmer
Subject:RE: Proposed Multi-Family Housing Chinden/Linder
Dear Ms. Hall:
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
Follow City of Meridian updates on
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and at www.meridiancity.org .
From: Christina Hall [mailto:hallcrew88@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, February 29, 2016 9:15 PM
To: mayortammy
Subject: Proposed Multi-Family Housing Chinden/Linder
Dear Mayor DeWeerd and Meridian City Council,
Thank you for all you do for the City of Meridian. I am sure that while it is rewarding standing in the gap for
our city, that there are many days when you wonder why you are fighting the battles you do and dealing with
the feedback that comes with the job. Thank you for considering all the details on our behalf and making the
tough decisions that benefit the many and not the few.
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Thank you also, for considering the input of residents in your decisions. I would like to add my input regarding
the building of high-density housing in the Chinden/Linder area. I have lived in this neighborhood of Meridian
for 11 years now, first in the Verona section of Bridgetower and for the last nine years in the Lochsa Falls
subdivision. When we bought our current home, we loved that we could be close to the city and yet not
surrounded by it. How rapidly that changed.
You have heard all the comments regarding the housing devaluation that typically occurs when multi-family
housing is added to single dwelling neighborhoods. You know that the city of Meridian is being stretched thin
in other resources – our schools are crowded, our roads are congested, and public safety services are stretched
thin (which does not benefit as our numbers increase and so does petty and violent crime). While growth might
be good for the short-term in the case of developers and builders, the long term effects can be devastating to a
community (as some of our neighboring cities have seen). I see little benefit to adding more multi-family
housing to this area of Meridian at this time. It would simply be adding numbers to an area that has more than it
can frankly handle right now. Saying that, I realize that we do not have the issues currently that bigger cities
have, but they could easily develop in a short time without careful consideration. For years, Nampa/Caldwell
refused to acknowledge a growing gang problem and now it has become far more difficult to manage.
I very much want Meridian to remain the top city to live in the United States. I believe that is your desire as
well. That will require each of you to have a vision that goes even beyond your tenure at the City Council. As I
don’t personally know any of you with the exception of Anne Little Roberts, I don’t know your thoughts,
motivations or desires. I hope that you look beyond the temporary financial impact of decisions to the greater
socioeconomic picture, especially where city development is concerned. I would ask you to decide against
granting a special dispensation for this proposed multi-family housing complex.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Christina Hall
2378 W. Grand Teton Dr.
Meridian, ID 83646