HomeMy WebLinkAboutPZ - Laurie Bower Public Testimony - 4.201
Machelle Hill
From:Laurie Bower <plainjump@msn.com>
Sent:Thursday, April 20, 2017 5:28 PM
To:Tammy de Weerd; Bill Nary; Keith Bird; Ann LIttle Roberts <; Genesis Milam; Joe Borton;
Luke Cavener; Trevor Palmer; clerk
Subject:Rental Units Being Proposed at McMillan and Ten Mile
Dear city officials and the city attorney,
I am excited about the new growth and development going on the area in which I live, and I usually embrace
change. However, I'm deeply concerned about the development and the rental storage units being proposed
just around the corner from my home in Kelly Creek. My husband and I moved here two years ago from Boise
to get away from dense traffic problems, overcrowding by the addition of several high-density developments,
and high taxes. We are both semi-retired, still holding part-time jobs, because, as you well know, Social
Security is not an income most can live on. We lived in our previous home for 35 years before it got so
miserable to live there (we couldn't even get out of our subdivision due to dense traffic) that we had to move.
Development for development's sake is never good, but planned and thoughtful development is something
we can all agree upon. Meridian is growing, and that's not going to change. But when government desires only
to see what tax revenues can be exacted and not how existing homeowners will be impacted, that's
when development has a detrimental effect on everyone.
First of all, I want to address the traffic situation. Goddard is a busy street, more at certain times of the day
than others. We exit that way because it is the closest route to get to the freeway. Kids walk home
from school buses and the grade school down that street, and it's not unusual to see 30-40 kids going home
after school. When kids want to cross now, I've watched them almost get mowed down, as people do not
stop. My husband and I have experienced something similar when we walk our dog on a daily basis. Even in
the marked crosswalks at the roundabout, cars will speed up so they don't have to stop, and even though
we've already left the curb, we've had to run through the crosswalk for safety reasons. Many drivers do not
observe the 25 mph speed limit. And now you want to add more kids walking and more traffic to that area. At
the bare minimum, you should install a traffic light at the busy intersection of Goddard and Apgar and another
at Goddard and McMillan, if you desire to keep your residents and their families safe. The other safe
alternative is to allow access to the storage units and residential development to exit or enter via Ten Mile or
McMillan. Either of these would be a suitable alternative. Goddard wasn't designed for the kind of negative
impact on traffic that you are proposing. You're making me want to move back to Boise.
Right now, I live near houses that have been rented out by the original owners because they moved out as
they felt the area was declining. The only times these properties look sharp are when one tenant leaves and
another moves in. The rest of the time, no improvements or enhancements are made to the properties, and
they are barely kept up. Now, you're going to further degrade this area by allowing 80 rental units plus other
high-density but low-cost development. We already have a huge apartment complex and have been
experiencing a tremendous increase in crime in the last two years, judging from the posts in Next Door. At
least some, if not all, of the perpetrators of property damage and theft in our area have come from that
apartment complex. I checked the crime statistics for this area before we moved in, and it was very
low. That's no longer the case, although I'm not sure all of the car break-ins have been reported. Other
damage includes kicking in garage doors and breaking into backyards. Some thieves have been bold enough
2
to enter a home with the residents still inside. I hate to speculate on what this new development will do to
our property values and the safety of our area, but such action will definitely make this area a less desirable
one in which to live. Several of my neighbors on Apgar have put their homes up for sale in anticipation that
you will not listen and will not respect our viewpoints.
According to a recent independent study done for the storage unit industry, over 27% of the people who use
storage units are apartment dwellers, and over 70% make less than $75,000/year. According to a news article
by ABC News in 2013, storage units are also easy prey for thieves. So, you are attracting a lower income
clientele and also thieves to a relatively unpopulated area of town (and we've already experienced thievery
stemming from the apartment complex you approved), and you're going to tell me that, while they're here,
they won't also check out the adjoining houses? Storage units have also historically been used to store drugs
and other contraband.
What I was hoping to see and what is really needed in this area are more retail offices and restaurants. We
end up having to battle with traffic on Eagle Rd. every time we need to do any kind of retail shopping, medical
appointments, or eating out. Why can't you curtail more medium to high-density residential and commercial
development, and instead give us what this area truly needs, which is more retail, restaurant, and business
space?
Sincerely,
Dr. Laurie Bower
5057 N. Lolo Pass Way
Meridian, ID 83646