HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-07-14 Justin Brown
Charlene Way
From:Justin Brown <justin.brown15@outlook.com>
Sent:Wednesday, July 14, 2021 8:48 PM
To:City Clerk
Subject:Appeal Hearing on Oasis Nightclub (Ustick & Eagle) on July 20
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To Whom It May Concern:
I appreciate your service to the Meridian Community. We truly owe much gratitude for you placing the well-being of its
citizens first. And thank you for being willing to consider my correspondence today.
It is with great concern that I am writing you regarding the construction of the Oasis nightclub on the corner of Ustick
and Eagle Road. I am alarmed that such a proposal is even being considered in this part of the Treasure Valley. I am a
resident near the intersection of Ustick and Locust Grove and such a decision to implement the plans to construct this
nightclub make me feel very uneasy, to say the least.
My wife and I have lived in Meridian for over two years now. We were attracted to the family-friendly environment and
the plentiful access to various resources and shopping centers, and we seek to raise our own children here. I frequently
travel Ustick to my work located to the east of Eagle Rd. and the traffic is often very busy and congested. The area is also
very populous with single-family homes and neighborhoods in direct proximity of where the nightclub owners wish to
build. I am very concerned that such a business would want to build in this location and I want my family and I to have
no part in it. We would be adversely affected by its presence and the dangerous activity it invites, especially in the
evening.
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Though I cannot attend the appeal hearing on July 20 in person, I would like express my concern in writing here
regarding the proposed Oasis nightclub on Ustick and Eagle Road: I do not want to have this nightclub near my home as
it encourages grossly immoral behavior (i.e. sexual assault, violence, etc.), intoxicated patrons roaming the streets
especially in the family neighborhoods, drunk driving, a significant influx of patrons in the evenings compounding the
already-problematic traffic volume, a decrease in nearby home values, and a decrease in the quality of life for nearby
residents.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) has conducted studies on the effects of social drinking groups and risk experience
in nightclubs. One study from October 2017 gives compelling evidence that such activities as social drinking and other
risky nightclub behaviors lead to a differential increase in impaired drivers, aggression (be it sexual, or otherwise
physical), substance abuse, and other risky activities (see Bourdeau, Beth, et al. “Social Drinking Groups and Risk
Experience in Nightclubs: Latent Class Analysis.” Health, Risk & Society, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2017,
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6156006/).
Echoing the numerous points of evidence presented by Steve Williams, a retired police officer originally from Fullerton,
California, that I also strongly agree with:
1. “… A reality of \[allowing construction of a new nightclub\] often \[results\] in more public intoxication, drunk
driving and subsequent injuries/fatalities, fights and sexual assaults. It would be naive to not realize drug abuse
also occurs in or around these types of businesses along with other subsequent illicit behavior. If they are to
capacity, fire occupancy codes are typically ignored as they won’t turn away money.”
2. The dress code and cover charges “are two very common tactics night clubs use to sell to cities that it's going to
be upscale to try and get approved. The problem is, neither is typically enforceable by the city.”
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3. A nightclub would not benefit our community as “Our city would spend \[potentially hundreds of thousands of
dollars\] a year paying for extra police and fire to deal with keeping the peace and medical responses for things
related to behavior from the night clubs.”
4. There would not be adequate parking, causing many patrons to park down the neighborhood streets—which is
very undesirable for nearby residents and businesses.
5. Parking fees would not generate near the amount of expected revenue for the City as “most will save any
parking fee and park in the nearby residential area anyway. It’s also not uncommon for that group to drink
ahead of time to get the pre-club buzz on to save money. Often tossing the empty bottles and cans on the
homeowners front yards or nearby closed businesses. As far as any potential parking fee by the club, any fee
imposed by the club would be minimal at best as they don’t want \[to\] dissuade patrons.”
6. “Some night clubs start \[by advertising themselves as a nice restaurant\], as a facade to get their foot in the door
of opening a business and for a cheaper liquor license cost. Many times the ‘kitchen’ is only kept open to
maintain the cheaper alcohol permit of a restaurant but not the driving force of the business.”
7. “Night clubs often process alcohol transactions as a cash business. This means alcohol revenues are greatly
under reported. It was not uncommon in Fullerton to have IRS investigators coordinate with ATF (Alcohol,
Tobacco Firearms) to contact these clubs because of the major discrepancies between how much alcohol they
have on record of purchasing versus sales receipts.”
8. “Having a nightclub anywhere near a residential area, diminishes quality of life for the residents and property
values. Also where there is one, there will be others. Once you open Pandora’s box, \[the City of Meridian\] will be
subject to litigation for not allowing similar suitors to open their night club. … When weighing the peripheral
costs of allowing such a business in a suburb and factoring in quality of life for its residents, it's a simple
decision.”
9. “There are other business options available to the city of Meridian that will benefit more people during normal
business hours than the dangerous risk of opening a night club in a suburb such as Meridian.”
Clearly, the public health and safety concerns alone should be enough to cause alarm and vote down the introduction of
a nightclub—not to mention the moral degradation that outsiders to Meridian and its values would bring here. I love the
State of Idaho and I am also proud to be a native resident. I choose to stay here because I enjoy the family-centered
culture, the outdoors, the safe environment, and the morally superior, tight-nit community that we share compared to
many other States in the Union.
Please consider my testimony as a legitimate and educated concern, as well as the numerous other community
members who share the same opinion as I have. Again, thank you for your consideration and for listening to the
Meridian Community.
Respectfully,
Justin Brown
Meridian Idaho resident
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