HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-08-16 Erin Russell August 131h, 2021
Mayor Robert Simison
Meridian City Council
33 East Broadway Ave
Meridian ID 83642
RE: File No: Wells Street Assisted Living Center/Andorra Subdivision (H-2021-0024)
675/715/955 S. Wells Street
Honorable Mayor and Council Members,
I am a Woodbridge homeowner at 612 S Woodhaven Ave.
The proposed Andorra subdivision appears to have some issues regarding the safety of people in our
neighborhood. I feel that the accommodations needed to place an additional 61 homes in the lot
(directly East of our homes on Woodhaven) backing directly up to our fence line have not been
considered by the developers.
1. Traffic,Traffic,Traffic: Where will all of the additional vehicles from the proposed
subdivision get access to the main roads? My guess is that the majority of people will
choose to travel through Woodbridge subdivision. I know that ACHD has performed traffic
counts in the past, however, I do not know the details. I can state with certainty that there is
a more traffic daily than most subdivisions in Meridian encounter. Woodbridge has no
official crosswalks, speed controls (other than speed limit signs) or pedestrian right-of-way
that vehicles pay attention to. I bring this to attention as we have a community pool,
walkways and park that most residents walk to.
2. Schools: Since the proposed subdivision housing will be most likely purchased by families,
where are the children going to get picked up for buses?Are there going to be additional
traffic concerns with bus stops and motorists that do not like to wait?
3. Parking: With families, there are typically more than one vehicle per household.While
Babcock Design have stated that they will have ample parking (per code?), most people that
live in Woodbridge can attest that "ample" parking at the existing Memory Care facility on
the corner of Wells and Magic View has parking that spills out onto Magic View, reducing
the travel to one lane if there is more than one vehicle moving down the street.
4. Congestion of Housing: Babcock Design has inferred that the housing being proposed will
attract a more upscale home buyer. Housing crammed together without much regard for
the space available in a yard and most likely vinyl fencing doesn't give off an air of upscale. I
do believe that they are merely trying to maximize a profit margin without much regard for
our neighborhood or the people that would buy one of their proposed houses. Imagine if
you found a house in this subdivision and then discovered how much of a nightmare it is to
park, make your daily commute to work, or just attempt to get to the grocery store.
5. Changes to Plans by the Developer: Babcock Design has switched back and forth on
statements. Examples: Saying the houses would be built out at certain distances from our
existing property lines,focus on senior living, one story houses instead of two-story houses
along the fence line, and possibly having the Assisted Senior Living (3 Story building in the
Southern lot) being changed to a multi-family(really apartments?), these ideas have all
changed back and forth-as far as I can tell. Having a finalized, in writing, plan that reduces
the impact on our neighborhood would help us not feel that we are being blind-sided with
undesirable changes. An agreement between the City Council, developer and surrounding
neighborhoods should be a goal, not a hurdle.
After Babcock Design presented the developers plan to Planning and Zoning, telling one of
our neighbors that they don't really have to stick to the plans portrayed to the P&Z council
does not represent them very well. I am sure maximizing profits for the sake of
development is an exciting venture, but it does not seem to have the best interests of the
existing people that live in the area in mind. All of that said, I think most anyone that lives in
a home that backs up to this proposed development has the right to be angry about the
thought of having 21 (versus our streets 15)two story houses with windows with capability
of full view of our houses and yards.
The developer still has yet to reach out to the Woodbridge community as stated by P&Z. It
appears that the developers do not care what our community(or P&Z) may have to say
about this proposal.
I do not support this subdivision as it has been proposed. I do not support the attitude of the
developers thus far. I do not want further traffic impact on our neighborhood. I do not want the
loss of privacy that will occur if/when houses are built directly up to our fence line.
To Mayor Simison and the Meridian City Council members, I thank you for taking the time and
effort to work with our neighborhood and giving us a chance to address our concerns.
Erin L Russell
612 S Woodhaven Ave
Meridian ID
83642