HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter from Irma Atkinson
5-20-05
RECEIVED
MAY 20 2005
CITY OF MERIDIAN
CITY CLERK OFFICF
Mayor de Weerd
Members of the Meridian City Council
33 E. Idaho
Meridian, ID 83642
The purpose of this letter Is to express concern over the Miscellaneous Application
requesting modification of a condition of approval submitted by Becky McKay on
behalf of Confluence Management regarding Sommenby Subdivision (Ale No PP-04-
035, CUP-O4-O4O,MI-04-011)on the Nf comer of Norltl Ten Mile and West PIne.
While I appreciate that Confluence Management needs clarification on the exact number of
units the City Coundl Is allowing them to build during the first part of the phasing of this
project, I take issue with their request to build additional units ahead of the phasing schedule
without offering to make improvements to address the additional traffic their project wilt
generate in this already jammed-up area of our city.
On page 2 of Ms. McKaýs 4-7-05 letter, paragraph 2, they dte the addition of turn lanes by The
Courtyards on the SE comer of NorItI Ten Mile and West PIne as an improvement which justifies
allowing Sommersby to add units ahead of schedule. As you are aware, there are no turn lanes
in place at this moment in time. It has been my observation that the Oty of Meridian has had
difficulty holding the developers of The Courtyards accountable for this 2003 condition
(although I have been repeatedly assured the turn lanes will be in place within sixty days). It
would seem prudent to wait for future traffic counts at this intersection after the turn lanes are
in place before making accommodations to other developers based on those turn lanes. A good
time to review the effectiveness of the turn lanes would be through a traffic study after school
resumes in the fall.
Ms. McKay also cites reduced traffic counts as a reason why Sommersby should be allowed to
build additional units ahead of schedule. She comparesthe~1OOO traffic numbers to the 2ûQ4
numbers. It is noteworltly that, although traffic on PIne droPped from. 2298 to 2133 (a
decrease of only 165 vehiCle trips per day), the count on Ten Mile jumped from 7,740 to 10,989
(an increase of 2,249). The conclusion Ms. McKay draws that the opening of Mountain View
High School in the fall of 2003 "has significantly reduced the high volumes of traffic that in the
past utilized Ten Mile Road and Pinen Is misleading. The small decrease on West Pine will be
more than replaced by additional traffic generated from The Courtyards and SommersbY' not to
mention the project proposed for the Jepson property immediately east of Sommersby which
wilt add traffic directly on to Pine.
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I also take issue with statements in the 4-15-05 letter submitted by M. Gregory Embrey on
behalf of Confluence Management in which he states on page 2, number ll, "... traffic concerns
were not discussed during the public hearing on January 4, 2005, except for the comments of
neighbors that traffic had improved in this area." I testified at that meeting and I submitted a
letter in which I described ongoing traffic concerns on this corner.
On page 3, number ill, of his letter, Mr. Embrey makes a conclusion that "traffic exiting
Sommersby Subdivision onto North Ten Mile Road will travel primarily north and avoid the
intersection. Traffic exiting Sommersby on West Pine will travel eàst and also avoid the...
intersection. This traffic pattern is due to the fact there are no destinations to the south and
west of Sommersby Subdivision." This conclusion makes absolutely no sense to me, and could
only have been drawn by someone who does not live in Meridian! The quickest way to get to
the freeWay is south on Ten Mile to either Franklin or Overland. The quickest way to get to
Nampa is south on Ten Mile to Franklin!
And so, drawing my own (hopefully more logical) conclusions, it is my opinion that the
traffic conœrns in this neighborhood are no different than they were five months
ago when you established the phasing requirements on this project. I do not hear
the developers of Sommersby offering to make on-site or offasite improvements to
address traffic concerns. I hear, yet again, a developer requesting special treatment
to push a project through to completion without waiting for the infrastructure to be
built and without offering to conbibute anything to our community.
Thank you for this opportunity to express my concerns. Please enter this letter into public
testimony as I am unable to attend the City Council meeting on 5-24-05 due to family
obligations.
Sincerely, .
~ ~ß<::v\
Irma Atkinson
1124 N. Ughtning Place
Meridian, ID 83642
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