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Home My WebLink About2022-08-30 Ross Andereson Charlene Way From:Ross Anderson <rosskanderson@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, August 30, 2022 7:24 PM To:Clerks Comment Subject:Definitely NO to Bridgetower Multi-family CUP H-2022-0047 External Sender - Please use caution with links or attachments. City of Meridian and ALL Parties responsible for decision making on Multi-Family CUP H-2022-0047, My wife and I recently purchased a home in Bridgetower West with the expectation that we would be living in a family- friendly, quiet neighborhood in North Meridian. We made this decision based on some of the factors below:  High School (Owyhee) where our kids would go  Neighborhood charm  Amenities that are nearby (Costco, WallMart, etc.)  Community Pool  Family Oriented  Safety  Nearby Schools (Elementary, High School) We've learned that there are plans to build approximately 234 multi-story apartments behind WallMart and that brings a host of concerns which I highly encourage all parties responsible for this decision to consider and alter course from your original plan.  Safety: o As a parent, safety of our children is without question paramount. The addition of 234 units of apartments puts the safety of my (and ALL neighborhood) children at risk for the following reasons:  Increased traffic:  Children walk, run, ride bikes, ride scooters, golf carts, play and use the streets and sidewalks on a daily basis. Many do not wear helmets and are simply enjoying the freedoms of their life without fear of speeders and reckless drivers. They are able to do this because of the lack of traffic and integrity of their fellow neighbors.  Given the additional cars via this proposed 234(ish) unit apartment building, there are increased high risk factors here for children to be hit by a car on Gondola, as many will be forced to use this as a main thoroughfare and many other streets simply by: (Walking to school, going to the community pool, playing in their front yard and or walking down the street.) = Unacceptable  Citing examples of how:  The sunrise and sunset can and will blind drivers going down Gondola and other streets which face the direction of the sun. Increasing the number of drivers and cars via Apartment Tenants (not counting their friends/family who visit) only adds to the potential risk for serious injury or death of a child or an adult for that matter in our neighborhood.  Bad Behavior: 1  Having lived near apartments and seen firsthand what they're done to errode a great neighborhood fabric before, (which is why we chose to live here, in an upper middle class neighborhood), bad behavior seems to be a common theme for tenants that live in apartments.  Articles that support this for examples: (Specifically in Idaho from news sources)  https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/break-ins-crash-have- apartment-owners-worried-about-campus- neighborhood/article_26f59b00-5648-5fbd-98ca-b9f85e368e19.html  https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/07/02/bois-j02.html  https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/crime/gunshot-boise-maple-grove- fight-investigation/277-a38470cd-1813-4c09-9317-5e60dcc4c5fb  https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/arson-charges-possible-after- boise-police-say-men-set-off-firework-inside/article_f30c2632-cf0c- 5da3-a90f-ce222a3e7799.html  https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/crime/police-man-charged-with- setting-pickup-on-fire-at-meridian-apartment-complex/277-9daeaacd- 7695-4496-baf9-848cb9de7b9d  https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/crime/man-charged-with-abetting- shooting-at-meridian-apartment/277-41597096-f929-441c-b75d- c8627584a62d  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Kb90oYQnDk  This example are the 3 common issues for apartment complex security  https://blueeyedefense.com/3-common-issues-for-apartment-complex- security/  Schools: o Owyhee High School is already and or nearing full capacity. There are many children already living in this neighborhood who will eventually grow up to go to that high school. Pleasant View Elementary School is already and or nearing full capacity. The traffic during the morning and afternoon during drop off and pick up is really bad. This could also displace students that live within BW to other schools which isn't acceptable.  Traffic: o Our infrastructure simply does not support and additional 234 units of apartments  As a homeowner and citizen residing in this area, I can cite first hand knowledge and witness to the traffic situations which are already beyond reasonable levels.  Adding 234 units of apartments if you average 1.5 - 2 vehicles per unit will without question, break an already congested infrastructure  Let's not forget about friends and family members who will visit the Apartment Tenants. That is an unimaginable increase in traffic. o Existing Traffic conditions are congested as is. Oftentimes it's a challenge to pull out on to Black Cat or McMillan. Increasing cars via the proposed plan will only add to that.  Parking: o The neighborhood has charm and is maintained by good neighbors following rules and upholding a neighborly integrity by, parking their vehicles in their garage and or driveway  What rules are in place to ensure that the Apartment Tenants AND their Friends/Family follow their rules and DO NOT spill their parking into our neighborhood streets? The plans do not depict enough parking spaces for the tenants. How will this problem be solved? o What recourse do we, as homeowners have when these tenants decide to overflow our streets and park their cars all around our neighborhoods?  They don't pay into our HOA (OR) own apartment. Most of the tenants will be short timers and with high turnover rates.  First Responders: 2 o First Responders are paid via our taxpayer dollars via property taxes as a large financial contributor. o First Responders are stretched thin and will be increasingly so, having to call on 234 units in a multi story apartment complex. o Has the city thought through what this looks like and how it's able to sustain given the addition of the 234 units? o What about traffic accidents, crime, drugs, and other aspects that are inherent to multi-unit apartment complexes? Here are some alternative options for the use of this land:  Senior Assisted Living (the originally proposed plan)  Commercial o Food, Grocery Stores, Doctors Offices Our family loves the neighborhood we live in at Bridgetower West! We urge the decision makers to alter course and with the help of home owning citizens/neighbors (US) and come up with a different utilization plan for that land. Best, Ross Anderson 3