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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLinda ArnoldChris Johnson From: Sent: To: Subject: Attachments: Dear Mr. Coles: Linda Arnold <arnold1668@gmail.com> Friday, December 14, 2018 10:52 AM City Clerk City council meeting CITY COUNCIL DEC. 18.docx Would you please make this part of the public record and disperse it to the correct governing bodies? Thank you, Mrs. Arnold Linda Arnold 972 W. Bacall St. Meridian, Idaho 12/13/2018 Dear Mayor Tammy and City Council: WHY, is this group of developers being given such leeway, when all the other developers have had to adhere to the City's Comprehensive Plan, and direction of the governing bodies? Why does this group NOT have to apply for all the variance permits, not adhering to size requirements of the Comprehensive Plan and the designated MU -Community status? This is NOT an area designed for MU -Regional big stores and heavy traffic through family neighborhoods. Many mistakes were made in the past thus creating this mess, BUT PARAMOUNT SHOULD NOT be penalized for such under sight on the part of the governing bodies. This store is going to circumvent the NO, 24 / 7 ordinance because it's NOT THEIR RULE OF OPERATION! Yet they do limit their hours in their smaller stores! The Costco is changing their hours, as did Walgreens, and Wa1Mart, WHY does this store get special consideration?? I'd hate to think that there was collusion in our state and local government??? Well, IF we in Paramount give in to their REGIONAL big box then they should capitulate and NOT RUN 24/7! OR, build a smaller size store! Give and take on both sides! IF this developer is given a variance to build this over sized REGIONAL store, then that should NOT apply to the rest of the acreage as well, just that ONE store! As you can see, there are 3 more stores stuck together, also way over the correct size for this MU -Community, as well as a 3 story 119,400 PLUS building at the other end! ALL with their backs facing toward Paramount, as was again pointed out by commissioner Woods at the ACHD meeting December 5, 2o18. Also, at the Planning and Zoning meeting on November 15, 2o18 commissioner Cassinelli stated, "this looks like something on Eagle Road where Dick's and Kohl's are with a little plaza in the middle." "I still see a strip mall." "This is one of the last parcels like this." "It's a gateway into Meridian and I think a lot more can be done with it." "I think this project could—can be great and we're sitting at good, why settle for good when we can have great?" His final vote was no, it can be better. NOT very neighborly to Paramount at all, and NOT inviting for us to spend our dollars or time there! There is one small hidden park to the far S.W. corner for children to play IF they don't get hit by cars trying to get there! There is NO entertainment for adults, like a mystery dinner theater, or a theater in the round for plays and dinner. How about a place to have a wedding reception or large meeting? Nothing there either! Retail shops all over and plenty of fast food joints, more pizza, ice cream and garbage food and MAYBE a library, but that's a dying dinosaur. So YES, we ask where is the WOW factor here? In a letter dated Aug. 19, 2007, to Mr. Badigian from Mayor Tammy, she states, "The City Council follows our City's plan very closely; it's our blueprint for how our City should grow and has been developed through an extensive public process." "This process is heavily scrutinized as it has a ripple effect on many different services: and is rarely successful particularly in areas that are already developed unless the requested change is supported by the surrounding development." "Our process must be FAIR and unbiased." "The community voice is not only important but VITAL and is seriously considered by the City." So we in Paramount ask WHY, is this store and builder getting special consideration on a variety of issues in spite of our cries of foul? Oversized, open 24/7, not designed with materials to blend in with our community, opening our community roads to heavy regional traffic 24/7, constant noise, air pollution, trash thrown on to our neighborhood streets. Our children's lives put at risk daily and robbing an entire family community of their quality of life! This is NOT justifiable, nor FAIR to those of us who live, work and play here! -2 - Due to the past transgressions of this project, we are concerned that the negotiations between Brighton Corp. and this builder concerning the access to Fox Run, could in the future be stated as "WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REACH AN AGREEMENT, and therefore we MUST have the light at Bergman. IF that becomes the case, we ask that this project be tabled until a signed firm contract is reached, and that the other concerns of Planning and Zoning are also addressed. The light in front of the fire house, and the traffic calming to be installed on Bergman in Paramount. Another commissioner at Planning and Zoning stated, "If fox Run doesn't go through, a light at Bergman and Chinden is a real deal breaker for him." In closing, we ask the City Council please, please DO NOT DESTROY Paramount and its many residents. We are very concerned about opening our small neighborhood streets to REGIONAL traffic 24/7, that was never supposed to be. There are an estimated 575 children from K-12, as well as high school students that walk to and from school daily, and to attend school events, and church, not to mention all the seniors in the area walking as well. Since Meridian and Boise are so concerned about going green and eliminating so many autos, why can't Bergman be opened to just bicycle and foot traffic? NONE of us are in that big of a hurry to get groceries, that we must destroy an entire neighborhood and endanger all its residents. There are plenty of ways to enter this project with cars other than down the middle of Paramount! IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE THAT COMMUNITY AND ITS VOICE ARE VITAL, THEN HERE OUR PLEAS AND CONCERNS! 11/12/2018 Linda Arnold 972 W. Bacall St. Meridian, Id. 83646 To the Meridian City Clerk: This letter is to address the many problems and negative solutions concerning the LINDER VILLAGE. Since the Costco store has been approved a precedence has been established for any other large stores, and THE SAME RULES MUST BE APPLIED. Costco complied with, shorter hours, and NOT 24/7, a color palette to blend in with the existing neighborhood, trees in the parking lot to avoid the heat island effect, changed delivery routes due to neighborhood concerns over noise pollution, their lighting is directed downward, and lights are lowered after 1o:oopm, iron art work along the walkways and worked diligently with the existing neighborhood to become a good neighbor. WinCO has not! This building needs to comply with the upgraded standards that Costco has established. The police report submitted 11/8/2018, stated "The applicant (WinCo), shall make EVERY effort to mitigate SOUND, ODOR, LIGHT, DEBRIS, and LITTER from encroachment upon the surrounding neighborhoods." "This includes following ALL UDC's requirements in LIGHT SHIELDING, NOISE CONTAINMENT with walls and location of trash containers." "IN ADDITION TO LIMITING DELIVERY TIMES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE." WinCo refuses. Linder Village has worked with the WinCo store, to have their delivery area face toward Linder in an effort to lower the noise of their 24/7 delivery system. They created a better buffer between Paramount and the back of the WinCo building. It will help. There are NO trees in the parking lots shown on the plan, no art work to break up the excessively large building. The color, materials and elevations do NOT fit in with the neighborhoods. There is yet another large building connected to the WinCo of 25,000 sq ft making a total of 107,000 sq ft! This is way beyond ALL THE RULES! Even the mid anchor stores form one continuous 76,500 sq ft building! The office building is over 119,400 sq ft.! The 3 mid stores need to be individual stores and the office building needs to be turned so the front faces WEST as presented in the other submitted plan dated 1/4/2018. It was a better buffer and gave a more balanced look to the whole plan. If Costco builds by the rules, why isn't WinCo being held to the same requirements? The City Council and Planning and Development are suppose to be fair and impartial. So why a different standard for this parcel of land for Linder Village than the parcel Costco is on? Linder Village touts a library. Let's see the written letter of commitment from the library! The submitted plan shows an entrance/exit off Fox Run in Paramount. The builder needs to be required to show a letter of acquisition for the land offered by Brighton, thus allowing the entrance/exit onto Fox Run. This plan was also recommended by ITD and mentioned in the Staff report as being the better solution, rather than a light at Bergman. The City Council and Mayor Tammy received a letter from Brighton dated 1/16/2018, stating that at a meeting of ITD, ACHD, Meridian City and Brighton, details were discussed on how to create the backage road through Brighton's property. All parties involved reached the same conclusion, that this is truly the best solution for all involved. However, it was apparent to the group that this builder has NO INTREST in implementing such a plan! We do hope that the builder be REQUIRED to follow through with this process. Linder Village has NO recreation at all! Shopping and restaurants ARE NOT ENTERTAINMENT! This is just the standard retail shopping mall. How about contacting URBAN PUTT in San Francisco, to create a professional indoor miniature golf course with a restaurant and bar in side, fun for the whole family! How about a mini Morrison center for plays, opera, symphony etc. How about a dinner theater? Those would be entertainment. I'm not sure if the builder is aware, that retail stores are closing all over the US and Canada. Look at the Nampa mall, it's deserted. Sears is closing all of their stores. Lowes is closing many stores across the US and Canada. Rosauers closed leaving an empty building still today! WinCo is going to close the store off I-84, leaving yet another large empty building. The future is NOT in large stores, it's online, and convivence for its customers. Grocery stores have on line ordering and even deliver to your door! Who wants to shop at a store that doesn't take credit cards, doesn't deliver, can't order online to pick up, or have delivered AND you have to pack your own groceries! A business that thinks it doesn't have to change and keep up with the world is a business that is working toward its own demise! In closing, ITD has recommended that traffic flow through the Paramount NEIGHBORHOOD through Arliss and Bergman streets. This is an extremely dangerous situation! This neighborhood was the poster child of neighborhoods according to Mayor Tammy. It has been touted as FAMILY FRIENDLY! But making Arliss and Bergman arteries with heavy traffic flows, while the numerous small children TRY to walk to school or play is a dangerous and bad idea! How can this be family friendly when traffic will be flowing through our neighborhood 24/7 at all hours of the day and night? Constant NOISE POLUTION, AIR POLUTION and increases in CRIME! Connectivity to a neighborhood could be bike and foot paths, the cars already have access by means of BOUNTIFUL COMMONS to the south and FOX RUN to the east. We never have to enter a main arterial road to access this property. PLEASE DO NOT proceed with this plan! A better solution must be found! We can do this as a group as we did with Costco, IF we communicate and are willing to be flexible. Sincerely, Linda S. Arnold