HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-05-05 Stephanie Labastida
Charlene Way
From:Bill Parsons
Sent:Wednesday, May 5, 2021 4:54 PM
To:Stephanie Labastida; City Clerk
Subject:RE: Revisiting the Oasis Nightclub
Good Afternoon Stephanie,
Thank you for sharing concerns with our office again. I have included the City Clerkâs office on your correspondence.
Take Care,
Bill Parsons, AICP | Planning Supervisor
City of Meridian | Community Development Dept.
33 E. Broadway Ave., Ste. 102, Meridian, Idaho 83642
Phone: 208-884-5533 | Direct: 208-489-0571
Built for Business, Designed for Living
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From: Stephanie Labastida <labastidastephanie@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 5, 2021 3:34 PM
To: planninginquiries <planning@meridiancity.org>
Subject: Revisiting the Oasis Nightclub
External Sender - Please use caution with links or attachments.
Hello,
I'd like to voice my opinion on the Oasis Nightclub once more, seeing as it's being revisited soon.
Please do NOT allow the Nightclub to be built on Eagle and Ustick. Closer to Overland may be a better location, and the
nightclub would be able to receive increased patronage from people coming from both Boise and Meridian, as well as
from further away.
Additionally, I was given a very sour taste in my mouth when the owner of Oasis, Brandon Tsai, called the community
racist. That couldn't be further from the truth. As a Mexican woman I've experienced more racism in large cities, and I
haven't at all in Meridian. We have a lovely Mexican restaurant nearby, Pueblo Lindo, which is delicious and welcoming,
and a brand new ramen restaurant which is also delicious. People go there because the food is good and we couldn't care
less if they're minority owned. It's good to have variations in food and culture so we can learn more and try new things.
I'm disgusted that Tsai would call an entire community racist just because they raise valid concerns about parking, drunk
driving, noise, and potentially bad behavior that could come from the establishment. To me, that shows he does not
respect the community, and I'm increasingly reluctant to change my mind on my position. As a refresher, here is what Tsai
said: https://youtu.be/OPbijFMuvG4?t=10863
Moreover, if he believes the community is racist (it's not), why continue wanting to pursue development at this particular
location? It seems like he should be happier to move the establishment somewhere else.
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Alongside this newfound, further reluctance, here are my initial grievances that were written for the first hearing:
"The proposed location for the nightclub is right on the Eagle and Ustick intersection; aside from being very busy, I
often see people driving less than responsibly, even at night. I can't imagine that adding alcohol to the mix would
be helpful in bettering the situation. Looking up information about accidents along this intersection yields lots of
results: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=accidents+on+eagle+and+ustick&t=brave&ia=web
I don't want additional contributors to traffic accidents to come to Meridian and I urge you to listen to people who
have families in the area, as there's lots of them in the area with young children. As someone starting a family
soon, this is also a big concern for me. The Oasis will surely lack in parking; this could cause some problems: they
could park in nearby business' parking lots, and ultimately try to park in the nearby neighborhoods. This will cause
increased traffic on a busy intersection that already lacks in infrastructure to deal with the amount of traffic it takes
every day.
The Oasis will also never be able to ensure that NOBODY will ever try to drive home drunk. One person could act
sober enough to convince staff they're good to drive, a group of friends can enable a drunk friend, or the staff that
night could just not care. This severely increases the chances of patrons of this establishment to cause property
damage or worse, kill someone. Truthfully if this nightclub gets built I'd consider urging my family to move away,
and I'd consider starting a family elsewhere.
I'm not opposed to there being a nightclub or entertainment venue in Meridian. I simply urge you and the other
council members to not allow it to be built on Eagle and Ustick, on account of the increased risk in traffic accidents
and the harm it could bring to the community. Perhaps closer to The Village or the freeway?"
Best,
Stephanie
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