HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-05-11 BCA SPACT0flS
6206 N Discovery Way, Suite A
Boise, Idaho 83773 AfFNI&M»f
zWAOF
E3ulLDING CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION i2081377-3550 NAHB
O' �a SOUTHWESTERN IDAHO, INC. (208)377-3553 fax ®N,rc,,�A�wiov
r Hnwir.Btnvrnxs
° nem Website:www.bcaswi.org
"A Tradition of Building Excellence for Over 60 Years" E-mail: bca@heritagewifl.com
May 7, 2021
Mayor Simison, Members of City Council and City Planning staff
City of Meridian
33 East Broadway Ave
Meridian, ID 83642
Re: UDC Code Changes: May 2021 City Council
Mayor Simison, City Council Members and Mr. Parsons,
We appreciate Mr. Parson's recently meeting with Building Contractors Association of
Southwestern Idaho to inform our members of the upcoming changes to the City of Meridian
Uniform Development Code (UDC). It is our understanding these changes will be discussed at the
upcoming City Council meeting. As changes to the UDC directly impact how our members do
business in the City of Meridian, we appreciate being included in the discussions to determine how
the code applies and it's impacts to the building community.
After reviewing the proposed changes to the UDC, we express our support for most of these
changes. The only concerns we have relate to common driveways, and more specifically:
1. Easement widths for utilities in a common driveway: We are concerned with the potential
vagueness of the City Engineer being able to adjust the utilities corridor width, which would
require design changes later in the process. We ask that a standard width be defined to
reduce confusion or unnecessary design changes in the process.
2. Number of homesites on a common driveway: There are existing instances in Meridian where
6 homesites on a common driveway worked. We also understand some of the concerns with
too many homes on a common driveway. The Planning & Zoning Commission's decision to
reduce the number of homesites on a common driveway from 6 to 3 is too restrictive. We
believe there are many examples in the Treasure Valley where 4 homesites on a common
driveway works well. We respectfully request the City allow a minimum of 4 homesites on a
common driveway and the City will still allow up to 6 homesites on a common driveway in
the future through alternative compliance, or some other means, if an applicant proves
and/or justifies the added homesites through good design.
Thank you for considering our comments on this issue. We appreciate the good working
relationship with the City of Meridian and look forward to continued positive relations in the future.
Sincerely,
Rod Givens, President