HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-06-21 Clair Manning Dear City Council,
I'm writing to you today regarding the proposal for the Tanner Creek Subdivision. This is a very
special area and the decision you are about to make will have a profound impact on the entire
community of Meridian. The corner of Meridian and Waltman is the gateway to the heart and soul of
the city. This is one of the last great pieces of real estate in our city. This is the legacy the city council
will leave to the generations to come. As such, the council needs to take a holistic view of this area to
ensure we hold to the city mission of being a premier community.
It is this holistic view that inspires me to write in opposition of this proposal. Here are the items
of concern that I will address in detail:
o The community cannot sustain the traffic that will be in this area. While the traffic study may
say this "meets guidelines" it did not consider the future developments that will impact the
area. As such,the strain from a high-density development will limit the potential of the
Meridian Rd frontage property and/or render the current infrastructure unsustainable.
o The connectivity to the adjacent neighborhood on Ruddy Dr will result in an inappropriate use of
residential streets as a thoroughfare from adjacent subdivisions to the area causing a safety
issue in the area.
o Stress on the school systems. Many high-density apartments have been constructed since the
original application for this property. Please ensure that the estimates to the school systems are
still valid given the recent growth to the area. It is highly probable that the addition of the
proposed property will cause significant stress to our school systems.
o Unfortunately,there are many constraints existing which make high density inappropriate for
this area. I believe matching the adjacent subdivision with R4 will be the best way to mitigate
these constraints. I have heard the argument that apartments are needed as a transition to
commercial property. However,Ten-Mile Creek already provides a geographical transition,
making this unnecessary.
Traffic Concerns
According to the traffic study this development is estimated to generate 2,928 trips per
day. I called ACHD to further understand this report. I was informed that 3,000 trips per day
is the target for a new collector street. Further discussion indicated this report does not
consider any future development on the corner of Meridian and Waltman and their objective is
to determine if the development meets guidelines. Their strategy is to generate a new traffic
study when proposals to the remaining development areas are available. As you can see, the
traffic budget for this area is already at the target level which puts serious constraints on any
future development. The city council cannot afford to wait for a new traffic study. You must
limit the impact to this area in order to protect a future crown jewel of Meridian. While ACHD
may be the experts on traffic you cannot assume the traffic in this area will be acceptable based
on their report because it does not contain a complete forecast of this area. Given the
potential of this area it would be completely inappropriate for the council to support a
development without gaining that data.
Left Turn Infrastructure Issues
As shown in Figure 1, there is very limited buffer for cars turning left. Any more than 8
cars here will block an entire lane of traffic for the main artery into the city. In this area there is
only 720 ft from the freeway exit to the beginning of the left turn buffer onto Waltman. As
traffic stands currently, I cannot make it from the freeway to the left turn lane without waiting
for a stoplight cycle. Please do not add to this problem by allowing another high-density
community in this area.
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Figure 1
Access issues for future commercial development
Once on Waltman, there will be serious challenges. Most of the traffic will turn left into the
future complex. Without a major redesign, cars will have difficulties turning and will likely have
trouble clearing the Meridian Rd intersection. Please do not contribute to this problem by
allowing a high-density development to increase congestion in this area. As shown if figure 2
the first entrance only has room for one car in the turning lane. However, this car will obstruct
the entrance to the two left turning lanes as shown in Figure 2. Furthermore, the second
entrance has no turning lane and will back up traffic in the presence of east bound traffic as
shown in Figure 2
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Figure 2
Issues entering Corporate Drive
As can be seen in Figure 3 those choosing to bypass the Waltman entrance have the
option to enter via one lane on Corporate drive. However, doing so requires a left turn onto a
very short 320 ft section of Corporate drive controlled by a traffic light on Meridian rd. A large
volume of cars trying to enter here could limit northbound traffic on Main St.
Infrastructure Issues Exiting Area
Exiting this area presents significant challenges. As shown in Figure 3 one of the future
options to exit the area will be via Corporate Dr. which currently carries the traffic from the
three story high density apartments (Central Park Commons) shown in Figure 4. As can be seen
there is a very short distance for the cars exiting Corporate street to the Waltman intersection.
Adding another high-density development to the area will compound this issue.
The other option is to exit from Waltman. As can be seen in Figure 5 there is only 615
feet from Waltman Ln to the beginning of the left turn lane onto the freeway. This means
many cars will be trying to cross three lanes of traffic in a very short period. I can assure you
from my daily experience this is very challenging with the current traffic flow. Adding another
high-density development will exceed the limitations of the current infrastructure.
To further support this I would like to include an excerpt from the previous hearing on
this topic where Mayor De Weerd asked the officer on duty Mr. Basterrechea to weigh in on his
thoughts for the safety of the area.
De tieerd We would like you to weigh in on having the kind of density that is being
proposed in -- in this particular part of our community_
Basterrechea; Well, I do have to say that the -- I don't see Waltman Lane sustaining the
traffic that has been discussed and I came in probably about the same time -- a tittle
earlier this morning as well coming through that -- that corridor and traffic was -- school
is starting back in session and seeing the pick up of traffic -- Meridian Road was
completely backed up from the freeway back towards Franklin Road and I think adding
to this -- unless those intersections are improved, unless that road is widened, we are
going to have safety issues.
Also take note that the traffic study states that westbound traffic from Central drive at
the Waltman intersection will operate at LOS F in the PM peak hour with minimal ability for
mitigation.
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Figure 3
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Figure 5
Safety Issues from Ruddy Drive Connection
The proposed development will connect to adjacent subdivisions via Ruddy drive. While
connectivity is the general guideline of ACHD and some view this as an advantage, it has
become a major point of contention in the public hearings. Due to the constraints on this area
I believe this connectivity will result in a significant safety issue to the current residents. As
shown in Figure 6, this provides a large amount of cut through traffic from the adjacent
subdivision to the freeway. Additionally, there will be a large flow of traffic from Tanner Creek
Subdivision as well as from the high-density Central Park Commons area on Corporate Dr to
Peregrine Elementary. This will result in an inappropriate level of traffic on residential streets
and will cause safety issues for the children of the area.
The details in the traffic reports seem to indicate that only a few streets in the adjacent
subdivision were studied for traffic levels. This leads me to believe the traffic contribution from
this element has been grossly underestimated.
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CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC FROM LINDER \ MERIDIAN ROAD
- CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC FROM LINDER \ MERIDIAN ROAD
Figure 6
Current Traffic Levels
In order to further substantiate my concerns on the traffic issue, I would like to share
some photos from a typical 7:30 AM commute (Figure 7/ Figure 8). As is quite evident by the
photos and to anyone who regularly travels this route, the infrastructure in this area is already
severely stressed. Please to not add to this congestion by approving another high-density
community.
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Figure 8
Mixed Use Considerations
In many meetings I have heard the transition from residential to commercial as means to
justify the apartments and townhouses proposed in this area. However, I would like to point
out that Ten Mile Creek already provides a geographical transition for this area. Given this, I
feel that the high-density apartments will detract from the appeal of the area.
I believe a potential buyer looking for a place to raise a family would prefer not to have the
shadow of high-density apartments in his neighborhood. Given the choice, I sincerely believe
they would rather border commercial if it was separated by Ten Mile Creek in conjunction with
the well-constructed barriers required on commercial developments. I would further argue this
situation will be more appealing to a consumer than the houses which will border the freeway
in this development.
Negative Repercussions of High-Density Areas
I love Meridian and I love the area I live in. However, after the construction of Central
Park Commons we have seen an uptick in the vandalism in the area. The depiction in Figure 9
shows the graffiti along the walking path near my house, this is the view from my backyard. I
would much rather see invested homeowners residing in the area. I sincerely believe that if
you continue to stack high density apartments in this area it will only serve to exacerbate this
issue.
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Figure 9
School System Concerns
There have been many high-density additions to this area of the community since the
applicants last hearing. It would be wise for this council to re-visit the population impacts to
the schools to determine if the information is still relevant. District budgets are already
stretched and student to teacher ratios are high. Contributing more stress on our school
systems would be a grave mistake.
o The Lofts (Figure 10)
0 12 Oaks (Figure 11)
o Central Park Commons (Figure 12)
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Conclusion
When applying a holistic view of the area it is clear the Tanner Creek Subdivision is not
an appropriate fit for this area. This council has an opportunity to leave a legacy that is the
crown jewel of the city of Meridian. Do not jeopardize this by allowing a high-density
development to bring additional traffic burdens and safety issues to this community. I implore
you to keep to the city mission to make Meridian a premier community of the west by denying
this application.
Sincerely,
Clair and Carrie Manning
650 W Waltman Ln
Meridian ID