HomeMy WebLinkAboutDon BaumgartnerMarch 27, 2017
Re: Opposition to Devco East Ridge Estates Subdivision
Dear Mayor de Weerd and Members of the Meridian City Council,
My name is Don Baumgartner and my wife and I have owned the ten acres on the west side of the
proposed Devco East Ridge Estates subdivision for almost twenty-five years and we adamantly oppose
Devco’s request for R-8 Zoning on the proposed development site. This property has been home for
me, my wife, and our four children. It is here that we have taught our children the value of hard work
and integrity, whether moving irrigation pipe, caring for animals, learning how to manage a business or
how to be a civic leader. While city planners referred to our property in the March 2 nd , 2017 Planning
and Zoning Committee Meeting as “un-developed property”, we call it “home”, and hope that the
members of the City Council will recognize it as such. An R-8 zoning is completely inconsistent with the
density and community atmosphere of the existing estate homes surrounding this proposed
development.
We are realistic and recognize that growth is coming, is positive for many, and we want to be good
neighbors. We do not oppose the development of the Brace property, but only that you require large
estate lots to maintain continuity with the established estate homes immediately surrounding the
development on all four sides. The developer, Mr Conger, has gone through all the required steps of
meeting with the neighborhood and working with planning and zoning. Mr. Conger is a businessman
and is looking first and foremost to maximize profits by maximizing the number of lots and the value of
the lots, while making minimal investment in amenities. While he indicates that he is concerned about
the quality of life in Meridian, at the end of the day, he returns to his home in East Boise as he is not a
resident of Meridian with little long term concern for the quality of life here. It therefore falls to you,
our elected officials, to balance the plan for growth with the consideration of the existing
neighborhoods into which the City of Meridian grows.
Approving this subdivision with such small lots will look entirely out of place with all the other homes
around it. The southern Meridian rim property, from Cloverdale to Locust Grove, already has large, high-
value, existing homes that are on large estate lots. The approval of this new subdivision would be the
only exception to this precedence. Granting such an exception diminishes the value of existing homes
that are already established on lot sizes that are ½ acre, ¾ acre, 1 acre, 2 acre, 10 acre and 15 acres. The
Brace property is one of the last remaining properties on this prestigious rim, yet the developer is
proposing a step up in zoning from RUT to R8 zoning with lot sizes as small as 6,000 sq. ft. The proposed
development is very inconsistent with the established rim lots as noted above, and a poor use of
property that could provide unique estate lots for the City of Meridian.
To maintain continuity with the existing estate homes on the southern Meridian rim, we ask the City
Council to:
• Reject the proposed step up in zoning to R8 and only approve R2 zoning, requiring minimum lots
sizes of .5 acre to 1 acre.
Should the council disagree and chose to approve the Devco subdivision proposal with such small lot
sizes and set-backs, regardless of how inconsistent it will be with the adjacent properties; we would ask
for one other consideration from the City Council. The Devco proposal indicates that many of the home
sites will be single level. We personally request that the City Council require that the homes built on the
7 lots along the north end of the west boundary of the subdivision be single story. This would at least
provide some transition from our 10-acre home site, preserve value in our home by preserving some of
the view, and help reduce the negative impact of such a dense development right on top of what has
been our home for years.
Thank you for your consideration of our position along with that of the other homeowners on adjacent
sides of the Devco subdivision. While we recognize it is challenging, we are hopeful you will be able to
fulfill your responsibility of balancing the plans for future growth, while respecting the lot continuity,
home value, and established lifestyles for the existing homeowners on the southern Meridian rim.
Thank you,
Don Baumgartner
2310 E Lake Hazel Rd.
Meridian, ID 83642