HomeMy WebLinkAboutDavid BloombergMarch 24, 2017
Meridian City Council
33 E Broadway Ave
Meridian, ID 83642
Mayor Tammy de Weerd and Members of City Council,
We are writing to express our opposition to the proposed development of East Ridge Estates as
it is currently planned. As Blackrock homeowners whose property borders the planned East
Ridge development, we believe the proposed design and phased development plan will
adversely affect the character of the existing area as well as safety and security of our
neighborhood.
The Blackrock subdivision is a truly unique community within the City of Meridian. We waited
five years for one of the large Blackrock lots to become available. That happened in 2012 and
we were blessed to be able to purchase a lot with spectacular views of the valley and
mountains. We spent over a year designing and building our dream home.
When considering where to build and live, we appreciated the City of Meridian's vision. The
City's Master Plan says that a key community value is to "Enhance Meridian's quality of life for
all current and future residents." We also appreciated Meridian's commitment that "New
development should recognize existing..." However, the abrupt transition from Blackrock
estate lots (1/2 acre and larger) to R8 zoning does not seem to uphold the continuity espoused
in the Master Plan.
We believe the planned East Ridge development if R8 zoned will decrease our property values
and will degrade the uniqueness of the area. This location has the potential of being one of
Meridian's few premier estate communities, and we urge Council to reconsider the R8 zoning of
East Ridge.
In addition, we are very concerned about the traffic routing during development that directly
impacts the safety and security of the Blackrock residents and children. At the March 2nd
hearing, Planning & Zoning approved the plan knowing it gave exclusive access thru Blackrock
subdivision for the first two development phases, with Lake Hazel access being added much
later. It was only after the P&Z hearing that we residents received access to the ACHD report,
which appears to be based on the assumption that Lake Hazel Road access would be available
from the beginning of development. We believe there is a discrepancy between what P&Z and
ACHD understood about the traffic routing and analysis during development.
This phased development plan routes traffic along Taconic and Cyanite Drives from Eagle Road
through the Blackrock subdivision until the completion of phase 2. The route passes 15
driveways within Blackrock and residential school bus stops. The buildout and construction of
the 79 homes thru the first and second phases could last months or years. Besides safety
concerns created by this volume of traffic, it is expected that additional construction and sales
traffic will increase the potential of crime in our neighborhood.
We believe the developer wants to defer the cost of connecting to Lake Hazel Road for their
own financial purposes, but this comes at a direct cost to Blackrock residents in safety and
security. We urge Council to require completion of the connector road to Lake Hazel as the
primary entrance into East Ridge as part the initial development.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
David Blomberg
Joy Blomberg
2433 E Cyanite Dr
Meridian, ID 83642
(208) 936-1544
(208) 250-8850
dblomberg@maf.org
iblomberg@maf.org
CC: Meridian City Planning Staff
Meridian Planning & Zoning
ACHD