HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-12-16 BCA of Southwestern IdahogErA
"A Tradition of Building Excellence for Over 60 Years"
BUILDING CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
OF SOUTHWESTERN IDAHO, INC.
December 12, 2019
Meridian City Mayor de Weerd and City Council Members
Meridian City Hall
33 E. Broadway Avenue
Meridian, Idaho 83642
Subject: Comprehensive Plan Update
To Mayor de Weerd and Members of Meridian City Council,
6206 N. Discovery Way, Suite A
Boise, Idaho 83713 Amm. "
(208) 377-3554. (4)NMB
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Website: www.bcaswi.org
E-mail: bca@heritagewifi.com
The Building Contractors Association of Southwestern Idaho (BCASWI) wishes to
express appreciation for the positive working relationship we have with the City of
Meridian and its staff. With the ongoing discussions on the Comprehensive Plan update,
we offer the following additional comments.
First, we want to restate the need to eliminate the zoning designations in each
residential density land use in the comprehensive plan. We appreciate the Council's
agreement to our stated concerns at the last City Council hearing.
Second, we are also concerned with the new item 3.074.01F to provide a minimum
one -acre lot as a transition to existing 5 acre rural estate residential properties. Some
of the reasons for concerns include:
1. This concept seems too broad for the entire city when in fact there may only be a
few select portions of the future growth area where this may apply.
2. The 5 -acre property as referenced is not well defined and will cause differing
interpretations how it applies to future applications. Is it exactly 5 acres? Any
parcel greater than 5 acres?
3. The proposed language is too restrictive for a Comprehensive Plan, causing the
plan to be used like a zoning code, without flexibility when necessary.
4. The proposed language will probably contradict the City's Future Land Use Map
in situations that call for higher density ranges. Specifically, the transition
within a development will be problematic when trying to achieve a density 6-12
du/acre or greater.
5. Rural estates often redevelop later when the city grows around them. A City's
Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map should anticipate future growth,
housing demands, and infrastructure needs.
We are not suggesting to not have a transition as we believe transitioning between
different zoning and land uses can be important. However, as stated this is too
restrictive.
In most situations of concern or dispute, we try to offer an alternative solution, however
this has not been discussed with staff nor fully vetted by the community. At this time, it
is our recommendation to have this language either 1) be removed or 2) refer to similar
transition language in the code, where in many cases the transition is either Y2 acre lots,
a landscape buffer, etc.
We appreciate the City's efforts to continue to include and consider all community -wide
comments. We support the process the City followed to garner the substantial input
from City residents and all other stakeholders. We are excited about the City's vision in
this new Comprehensive Plan. We thank you for your consideration of our inputs and
again appreciate the positive relationship we share with the City of Meridian.
Sincerely,
Dan Richter, President
Building Contractors Association of Southwestern Idaho