HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-03-03 Paul and Victoria Cleary March 3, 2022
City of Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission
RE: CUP H-2021-0080, Proposed Verona Live/Work Development
Members of the Commission:
As residents of the Verona subdivision, we have several concerns regarding the proposed
Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for the vertically integrated, live/work project being considered at this
evening's Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
In essence, this appears to be a residential project veiled as a vertically integrated project in order
be considered as an eligible use within the LO zoning district.
True Commercial Space?
The small commercial space, approximately 165 square feet within the majority of the units, leads
one to believe this is primarily a residential project. As stated in the staff report, the commercial
space appears to be more suited to work-from-home space, reinforcing the notion that this project
is residential, as it lacks impactful commercial space to achieve the vertically integrated status.
True vertically integrated developments are most often found in urban downtowns, areas with
robust street-level uses and pedestrian activity, and provide viable neighborhood-serving uses, as
well as other services that reduce commutes in those environments for both development residents
and surrounding residents.
Additionally, live/work space is typically commercial on the ground floor with residential above, at a
1:1 ratio. The commercial space proposed is less than 10 percent of the 1,700-square-foot living
space for the majority of the units. With limited space for customer-oriented commercial activity, the
units seem unlikely to house "neighborhood-serving commercial and office use clusters" as cited in
the Comprehensive Plan for vertically integrated projects.
There is also a concern the commercial space could be subleased to a business operator not
affiliated with the resident. Or, because the space has its own full bathroom and its own entrance
completely separated from the residential space, it could also easily be subleased for residential
use.
Neighborhood Impacts
The project narrative states the applicant has worked with residents of the neighboring residential
subdivision. The only communication our household received was the postcard for the
neighborhood meeting, postmarked September 7, two days prior to the meeting. We were out of
town, so we do not know if it was delivered the day before or the day of the meeting. Only four
households were represented at the neighborhood meeting.
Most have assumed the project was approved at the originally-scheduled December 16, 2021
hearing since there has been no change to site signage and no additional communication issued. It
seems somewhat disingenuous to notice a meeting, request multiple continuances, and never
follow up with neighbors.
Currently, the adjacent single-family neighborhood, shown in the image below, is a safe, livable
place where children play basketball in driveways, and ride their scooters and create chalk
drawings on the sidewalks. On the short block of Wapoot Street alone, there are at least ten
children. There are also children north of the project site. Potential spill over parking would
detrimentally impact and change the character of the surrounding, established single-family
neighborhoods.
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The impacts of this proposed project seem greater than if the properties were to develop with uses
permissible under the LO zoning, with a limited number of tenants occupying commercial spaces
versus multiple tenants occupying residential and commercial spaces—something residents who
purchased their homes after the 2008 Development Agreement certainly did not anticipate.
In summary, the application appears to be residential disguised as commercial, with minimal
commercial space added specifically in an attempt to achieve the vertically integrated use
designation.
Sincerely,
Paul and Victoria Cleary
5176 N. Toscana Avenue