HomeMy WebLinkAboutAnn Shelton - 8.181
C.Jay Coles
From:Ann Shelton <grannyannshelton15@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, August 17, 2017 9:32 PM
To:Sonya Allen; clerk; C.Jay Coles
Subject:Sky Mesa East Proposal
I’d like to let you know how important it is to me that you consider a couple of things when working with Boise Hunter
Homes on their Sky Mesa East proposals.
Mr. Hunter was wonderful prior to starting the current phase of Sky Mesa, but several of his promises that he made at that
time have not come to pass. I realize that plans change and evolve as developers move forward, but I have some very
serious concerns.
First concern I have is when we purchased our home in 2009, the property that Mr. Hunter is hoping to develop on the
south side of Taconic was listed for either a park or a school. All other property around it was listed as R2. Because
purchasing our home was going to be the biggest thing we had ever done, we realized that protecting that investment was
critical. We never imagined that literally hundreds of homes were going to be built so close in proximity, and I feel that
allowing that many homes doesn’t comply with what we read at that time in the City’s Future Land Use Map. I wish I
had printed it so you could see what we saw. Please know how distressing it is to see that R8 housing is even considered
for this project. We aren’t however against development – we knew it would come, we only hoped our leaders would
provide some larger lots for people who didn’t want to live on top of each other.
We are also incredibly concerned with the variance for the two streets that will be less than the standard 330 feet from
Eagle Road. I sit in traffic on a regular basis and it’s horrific to try and get out onto Eagle in the morning and afternoon
commutes. Adding streets that close to the main road seems inheritly problematic and terribly unsafe for children going
to school. I attended the ACHD meeting where prior to the meeting one of the commissioners actually walked up to Mr.
Hunter and said “I know you will be sending us a large contribution for our golf tournament”. He laughed, patted Mr.
Hunter on the shoulder and took his seat. I was shocked. Although it could have been in jest, it was certainly in poor
taste and suspicious at best. It was no surprise then when one of the other commissioners brought up the fact that there
wasn't a North/South road that would make access for emergency vehicles in the plan. And if there was ever a gas
leak/explosion or major accident, there simply isn't a way other than Taconic to get to Blackrock other than a crazy route
through Sky Mesa and White Bark.
From the last City Council meeting, I see that Mr. Hunter has agreed to a 2:1 home ratio between the Blackrock homes
and Sky Mesa homes. That’s better than what he originally designed, however this isn’t what he initially promised before
he started the original project north of Taconic. He said that he would have large lots (1/2 acre) that would make a nice
transition of offset lots between the over half million dollar homes on the rim to the homes directly below them. He did
that on the north side of the street, and now doesn’t want to do that on the south side. Miss McKay indicated she’d met
with Blackrock and Sky Mesa home owners. This ONLY occurred at the neighborhood meeting, and we weren’t given a
forum to speak. It’s seriously unfair to those of us who supported BHH for the first part of this project, and are now being
asked to sacrifice our home values so he can have a larger net profit.
2
I am grateful that Mr. Hunter has been asked to have a plan to care for the hill. The north side of Taconic is
awful. Meridian PD had to be called for noncompliance violations because weeds were 2-3 feet tall. The Reflection
Ridge Subdivision has done a wonderful job with their hills and Mr. Hunter should have to plant appropriate vegetation or
place rocks to help with erosion control.
We look forward to hearing from you and the City Council in hopes that you will protect the beautiful Meridian I grew up
in. Oh how I love this city!
Sincerely,
Andrea Shelton