HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter from Don & Jeannine Moor
10-18-2004
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Conceming: October 26, 2004 Hearing-Mountain West Bank
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Dear Meridian Council Members:
CITY OF IvìERIUIAf,
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Over a year ago, our family purchased a very private park-like acreage in Venture Subdivision. We chose this location for
our home having read the City of Meridian Comprehensive Plan, 2002. We, along with many of our neighbors, have
invested significantiy in making improvements to our properties, and we enjoy our rural residential living with livestock and
mini-farms within our neighborhood.
We think that this bank (with limited hours) has the potential be a good neighbor, and that it is a compatible use of the land
in question. We now trust that the City will comply with the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan including "Preserve
farmlands and keep rural residential areas; Minimize the impact of commercial development on the integrity of existing
neighborhoods; do not violate private property rights or adversely impact property values..." and Goal IV:
1. Protect existing residential properties from incompatible land use development on adjacent parcels.
2. Require screening and landscape buffers on all development requests that are more intense than adjacent
residential properties. (Meridian City Code definition: "SCREENING: See definition of Buffer Strip or Zone."
"BUFFER STRIP OR ZONE: An area established to protect one type of land use from possible undesirable
characteristics of another."
We have significant concems regarding the proposed landscaping plan for the bank's north boundary, which consists of a
row of deciduous and conifer trees which would be an insufficient buffer. This plan would provide almost no acoustic
filtering due to the landscapes Sound Transmission Coefficient. Any landscaping plan would be inadequate as a visual
buffer in the summer for many years, with even less protection in the winter months. Openings in the winter landscaping
would negate any acoustic or visual protection. The bank plans to operate a portion of their business outside with drive-up
windows. There may also be a 24-hour ATM. With the proposed landscaping plan, the integrity of our neighborhood would
be unprotected from the negative impacts and undesirable characteristics of bank business such as: teller/customer
conversations, sight and sounds of business traffic & parking, vehicle noise, exhaust, headlights, lack of security,
homeowners' view of bank business activities,.and loss of homeowner privacy.
The proposed landscaping on the north boundary does not provide required "screening and landscape buffers" to Venture
Subdivision as required by the City of Meridian Comprehensive Plan.
We respectfully request that you implement the following items to preserve the integrity of our neighborhood:
. A six-foot, acoustic, cinder-block type, sound/visual/privacy/satety screening wall on the north boundary
with the necessary Sound Transmission Coefficient to block the bank's undesirable characteristics.
. Maintain P&Z's ruling calling for neighborhood and P&Z input on any businesses that will eventually be
located on the this property.
. Maintain P&Z's ruling for limited business hours.
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Don and Jeannine Moore ,-~_vv 'vv v\. ~
4292 Venture Place, Meridian, Idaho 83642, 861-0935