HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-02-16 John Overton Woodbridge HOA
Charlene Way
From:Chris Johnson
Sent:Tuesday, February 16, 2021 1:10 PM
To:Charlene Way
Subject:FW: Iterra Development - 675 & 715 S. Wells
Pending application.
From: Robert Simison
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2021 1:07 PM
To: John Ora <johnora64@gmail.com>; Joe Borton <jborton@meridiancity.org>; Luke Cavener
<lcavener@meridiancity.org>; Treg Bernt <tbernt@meridiancity.org>; Liz Strader <lstrader@meridiancity.org>; Brad
Hoaglun <bhoaglun@meridiancity.org>; Jessica Perreault <jperreault@meridiancity.org>
Cc: Chris Johnson <cjohnson@meridiancity.org>
Subject: RE: Iterra Development - 675 & 715 S. Wells
John,
Thank you for your email. While you note your email was sent prior to the application being filed, and as this is likely to
be an application, it is appropriate that all communication on this topic occur as part of the public record. Accordingly I
am copying our City Clerk so your email and this response can be included in the hearing information should this project
move forward.
Respectfully,
Mayor Robert Simison
City of Meridian
All e-mail messages sent to or received by City of Meridian e-mail accounts are subject to the Idaho law,
in regards to both release and retention, and may be released upon request, unless exempt from disclosure by law.
From: John Overton <johnora64@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, February 15, 2021 11:34 AM
To: Robert Simison <rsimison@meridiancity.org>; Joe Borton <jborton@meridiancity.org>; Luke Cavener
<lcavener@meridiancity.org>; Treg Bernt <tbernt@meridiancity.org>; Liz Strader <lstrader@meridiancity.org>; Brad
Hoaglun <bhoaglun@meridiancity.org>; Jessica Perreault <jperreault@meridiancity.org>
Subject: Iterra Development - 675 & 715 S. Wells
External Sender - Please use caution with links or attachments.
Greetings Mayor Simison and Meridian City Council Members,
We have been told that we could submit this letter to the City Council prior to the application being filed, which we are
attempting to do right now.
It seems like it was just a few months ago that we had a project in front of the city in which we supported. That project
was going to be a retirement (independent living) building, cottages for over 55- living, as well as many amenities to help
support that type of living and activity level.
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In that development, we met with the developers and had multiple positive interactions concerning how and where
things would go and even helped them in a few ways concerning Five Mile Creek and future planned pathways. I had
asked for the development agreement at that time to require that the development hold the line on the 55 and over
design, and a majority of the City Council agreed with a motion and a vote.
I have lived in Woodbridge since 2002, and since that time have seen what can happen if the surrounding growth isn’t
well planned and well thought out. We have seen people come in who put profits above anything else with little regard
for current Meridian residents’ concerns. We have tried to work with every developer since then to find the best fit.
In the beginning, the area to the East of Woodbridge was loosely designated as part of a medical corridor and that have
been slowly filling in with many different types of medical services. We have promoted the senior independent living or
assisted living facilities as they have a significantly lower traffic impact to Woodbridge as a cut through to Locust
Grove. Comments from past City Councils have gone so far as to refer to traffic flow in this area as “Broken” and
needing a better plan for this area. We worked with the Planning Department and ACHD in a focus group (set up by past
Mayor De Weerd) to work toward solutions for safety and development. Our homeowners and HOA board have always
been highly active in decisions that will affect the safety of our residents, children and grandchildren due to continual
increases in cut through traffic in Woodbridge.
Today we find ourselves with a new development in place (675 & 715 S. Wells) of the one we had stood behind to
approve last year. This new development could not be worse for future traffic in Woodbridge. To make matters worse,
this new development has made it very clear, in a remote meeting with Woodbridge neighbors that the change is simply
due to profit. Safety no longer seems to be their concern. Working closely with our residents or HOA is not these
developers’ concern. Iterra Homes plans to build, among other things, 62 two-story single-family homes, not only
backing up to single story homes in Woodbridge, but open to all, not designated as a 55 and over community as
before. This would have an enormously negative impact to our current traffic cut through issues, further increasing
vehicle trips per day possibly by the hundreds. Our traffic problem would go from being broken to dangerous.
I have worked with City Councils for many years and I have always been incredibly pleased to find that our City Leaders
do not just let construction drive growth but make sure it is the right growth. I would not write this letter on behalf of
Woodbridge residents and the HOA Board if I did not think that the Mayor and City Council would put our current
residents first ahead of any developers’ profits and certainly take notice with a development that will cause so much
increased traffic through simple residential streets with a subdivision full of families, many with small children.
As a side note, currently the City wants to sit down with Woodbridge and discuss continuing the pathway along Five Mile
Creek. The city has already reached out to us to meet with us at our next HOA meeting in April. This was already going
to be a hard sell before, but we can’t proceed with any of those discussions until this upcoming development is
decided. I do not anticipate getting a residential majority if this development goes through.
And once again, we have been told that we could submit this letter to the City Council prior to the application being
filed, which we are attempting to do right now. We always want to be as proactive as possible, good neighbors, and
good residents for the City of Meridian.
Thank you for taking the time to read our concerns,
John Overton – HOA President – Woodbridge Subdivision
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