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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-06-04 Regular Meridian City Council June 4, 2024. A Meeting of the Meridian City Council was called to order at 6:03 p.m., Tuesday, June 4, 2024, by Mayor Robert Simison. Members Present: Robert Simison, Luke Cavener, Liz Strader, Doug Taylor, Anne Little Roberts and Brian Whitlock. Members Absent: John Overton. ROLL-CALL ATTENDANCE X Liz Strader X Brian Whitlock _X_Anne Little Roberts John Overton _X_ Doug Taylor _X_Luke Cavener X Mayor Robert E. Simison Simison: Council, we will call the meeting to order. For the record it is June 4th, 2024, at 6:03 p.m. We will begin tonight's regular City Council meeting with roll call attendance. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Simison: Next item is the Pledge of Allegiance. If you would all, please, rise and join us in the pledge. (Pledge of Allegiance recited.) COMMUNITY INVOCATION Simison: Next up is our community invocation, which tonight will be delivered by Daryle Zachman. If you would all, please, join us in the community invocation or take this as a moment of silence for reflection. Zachman: Thank you, Mayor Simison, City Council Members, for the opportunity. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for blessing our city, protecting us from harm. We thank you for the leadership you have given us. We thank you for the freedom of our nation. We thank you for Mayor Simison and the City Council Members and for the privilege of coming to your throne of grace and asking for wisdom, mercy and help in our times of need. We pray that you will oversee the business at hand tonight. Help our Council Members to uphold justice, equality and integrity in all of their decisions. Keep us from all forms of self-centeredness and self-importance and as our Lord taught us help us to do to others as we would want them to do to us. We pray that your kingdom would come and your will would be done on earth and in Meridian as it is in heaven, in the name of your son Jesus Christ we pray, amen. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 2 of 35 Simison: Thank you. Up next adoption of the agenda. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: No need to make any changes to a fairly short agenda, so I move we adopt the agenda as presented. Strader: Second. Simison: Have a motion and a second to adopt the agenda. Is there any discussion? If not, all in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it and the agenda is adopted. MOTION CARRIED: FIVE AYES. ONE ABSENT. PUBLIC FORUM — Future Meeting Topics Simison: Mr. Clerk, anyone signed up under public forum? Johnson: Mr. Mayor, no. PROCLAMATIONS [Action Item] 1. Support Local Idaho Gems Day Proclamation Simison: Okay. Then we will move right on into our first item this evening, which will be a proclamation in support of Local Idaho Gems Day. If I could have Sydney join me at the podium. They want our best side for the camera. So -- so, Council, we are here tonight to read a proclamation supporting Local Idaho Gems, which is an initiative that's being led by Senator Jim Risch. So, I will go ahead and read the proclamation. I will turn this over to Sydney for any remarks, so -- whereas small businesses are an integral part of the fabric of our community contributing to the vibrancy, diversity and economic prosperity of Meridian, Idaho, and whereas these businesses, each with their unique offering, serve as the backbone of our local economy, provide employment opportunities, showcasing creativity and offering invaluable goods and services that enrich the lives of our residents and whereas our community, united in our responsibility, is called upon to support small businesses that make a profound impact on our economy. And whereas the Support Local Gems initiative aims to celebrate and bolster Idaho small businesses with the collaboration and support of Idaho's Chambers of Commerce, business associations, elected officials, small businesses across the Gem State and all Idahoans and whereas on Friday, June 7th, 2024, the City of Meridian joins in this statewide celebration encouraging all residents to show their love and support of our local small businesses. Therefore, I'm, Mayor Robert E. Simison, hereby proclaim June 7th, 2024, Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 3 of 35 as support Local Idaho Gems Day in Meridian. We urge all residents to participate in this initiative by patronizing our small businesses, dining at local restaurants, shopping at neighborhood retailers and expressing gratitude to the businesses that contribute to the vitality of our economy, dated this 4th day of June 2024. So, on behalf of the City of Meridian, please, accept this proclamation with our sincere appreciation and gratitude. Sterling: I just want to say thank you to Mayor Simison and the City of Meridian. Senator Risch started this initiative five years ago. Just wanted to show a way of supporting small businesses after COVID and this truly has been a remarkable initiative that just continues to grow and grow every year. We are really excited for the Idahoans to get on board and go and support businesses this Friday and whatever these small businesses may be and they really are, like you said in the proclamation, the backbone of our community and make the great state of Idaho. So, thank you, Mayor, we appreciate the support. ACTION ITEMS 2. Public Hearing for Pebblebrook Subdivision (H-2024-0005) by Rodney Evans + Partners, LLC., located at 5725 N. Meridian Rd. A. Request: Annexation of 13.94 acres of land with an R-8 zoning district. B. Request: Preliminary Plat consisting of 54 building lots and 6 common lots on 13.94 acres of land. Simison: Moving on to our actions for this evening, Item 2 is a public hearing for Pebblebrook Subdivision, H-2024-0005. We will open this public hearing with staff comments. Allen: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, Members of the Council. The first application before you tonight is a request for annexation and zoning and a preliminary plat. This site consists of 13.94 acres of land. It's zoned RUT in Ada county and is located at 5725 North Meridian Road. The Comprehensive Plan future land use designation for this property is medium density residential, which allows residential densities at three to eight dwelling units per acre and it also has a future park designation on it. There has been some public comments pertaining to the park designation, so I would like to provide some information on that. All future symbols shown on the future land use map, including parks, represent generalized locations. They are not parcel specific. The designation was shown on this property because it's one of the last remaining undeveloped parcels in the square mile, which has no existing public parks that's large enough for a city park. Because the property owner hasn't offered to donate the land to the city for a park and because the city isn't prepared to buy the land with the other parks and projects that's currently planned for the impact fee fund -- fund, staff is not recommending a park is provided within this development. There are a couple of schools, Paramount Elementary and Rocky Mountain High School, and several HOA parks, Paramount, Crosby, Kingsley to name a few in the vicinity, as well as Settlers Park, which is a mile and a half to the south that Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 4 of 35 serve this area. The applicant is requesting annexation of 13.94 acres of land with an R- 8 zoning district and a preliminary plat to subdivide the property into 54 building lots and six common lots. Proposed lots range in size from approximately an eighth of an acre to a third of an acre, with an average lot size of little over an eighth of an acre, which will accommodate a variety of dwelling sizes proposed ranging from 1 ,574 to 3,195 square feet. The proposed density is 3.87 units per acre, which is at the low end of the density desired in the medium density residential designated areas of three to eight units per acre. For comparison the adjacent Paramount Subdivision is 2.8 units per acre overall and contains a mix of lot sizes and housing types consisting of single family residential detached homes, attached townhomes and apartments. The subdivision is proposed to develop in one phase. The existing structures will be removed upon development of the property. A revised plat was submitted as shown prior to the Commission hearing that addresses staff's comments by providing a better lot transition to existing lots to the south with no more than a two-to-one ratio. ACHD is requiring Meridian Road to be improved with 17 feet of pavement from center line with a three foot gravel shoulder and ten foot wide detached sidewalk. Only six feet of pavement and a three foot wide shoulder is required at this time. Curb and gutter will be added later when Meridian Road is fully improved. Access is proposed via the extension of existing public streets North Garbo Avenue at the north and south boundaries of the property. Local public streets are proposed for internal access. No access is proposed or allowed for Meridian -- proposed or allowed from Meridian Road. A stub street is proposed to the county parcel to the northeast corner of this property for future extension and interconnectivity. Bulb outs are provided along Gleason Street for traffic calming in response to ACHD's comments requiring Gleason to be redesigned to reduce the length or include passive design elements. A 35 foot wide street buffer is required along North Brandon Road, an entryway corridor, measured from the ultimate back of curb. All fencing is required to comply with UDC standards. A minimum of 15 percent or 2.09 acres of qualified open space is required to be provided within the development. An open space exhibit was submitted as shown that depicts 16.16 percent or 2.25 acres of common open space that meets and exceeds the required standards. A minimum of two points of site amenities are required to be provided. The applicant is proposing two pickleball courts, which are eight points each, and two dog waste stations -- excuse me -- eight points total and two dog waste stations for one point, which total nine points, meeting and exceeding the required standards. Five conceptual building elevations were submitted for the proposed one and two-story homes with two and three car garages. The homes are Craftsman style with building materials consisting of a mix of board and batten siding, lap siding and optional masonry accents. The applicant clarified that optional masonry accents depicted on the elevations is incorrect and that all homes will have masonry accents consistent with the Paramount architectural guidelines. To ensure this for a higher quality of development staff is recommending masonry accents are required on all structures in the development as a provision of the development agreement. The Commission did recommend approval of these applications to the City Council and I will just go through a summary of the Commission hearing. Ben Semple, the applicant, testified in favor of the application. There were quite a few folks that testified in opposition and commented on the application and those are contained in the staff report in the hearing outline for tonight. Written testimony was received from the applicant. He is in agreement with the staff report Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 5 of 35 conditions. There was a petition with approximately 90 signatures submitted to reduce the number of homes in the subdivision to the same ratio as Paramount. The key issues were as follows: Not in favor of the plat as proposed. Opinion the density is too high and not consistent with that in Paramount Subdivision. Concern pertaining to the impact of traffic generated from this development on internal streets in Paramount Subdivision. Request for construction methods and materials to match those in Paramount Subdivision. Not in favor of this development being part of the Paramount Subdivision HOA, as it's not the same quality of development and opinion that it will bring home values down. And concern pertaining to overcrowding in area schools. The key issues of discussion by the Commission were as follows: Clarification that if this development isn't included in the Paramount Subdivision HOA it can still stand on its own so far as meeting the city's development requirements. No concerns pertaining to capacity at area schools as there are several private schools, in addition to public schools in this area, that will assist in serving this development. And opinion that the proposed subdivision is thoughtfully laid out with a maximum two-to-one ratio. A lot transition at the perimeter boundary and has good walkability and nice open space that exceeds the minimum standards. The Commission did not make any changes to the staff recommendation and there are out -- no outstanding issues for Council tonight. The project complies with the city's Comprehensive Plan and meets and exceeds UDC standards for common open space and site amenities. There has been some written testimony submitted since the Commission hearing and those are contained in the public record. The applicant is here to testify on this project for tonight. Staff will stand for any questions. Simison: Thank you, Sonya. Council, any questions for staff? Okay. Then would the applicant like to come forward? Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Just before the -- the applicant presents, I just want to -- give me just 15 seconds of -- of privilege. I think it's important before we start to hear from the applicant -- I know 1, like the rest of Council, had the opportunity to review the minutes before tonight's meeting. I'm sure that you may have drawn some of the same conclusions I drew. There is a lot of passion and enthusiasm about this project and so I know passion comes from a place of care on both sides and so whether you have lived in Meridian your whole life or have just moved here recently or somewhere in between, we just ask tonight that you are respectful, you are kind, you are neighborly. We are all our neighbors regardless of where we live and so I just would encourage that, both from the applicant, as well as the public that are providing testimony tonight that we -- we are all Meridian residents and -- and we all are neighbors. So, with that, Mr. Mayor, I will turn it back over to you. Appreciate the privilege. Simison: Okay. Thank you. Semple: Good evening, Mr. Mayor -- Simison: Either one. Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 6 of 35 Semple: Both of them. Ben Semple with Rodney Evans and Partners. 1450 West Bannock Street, Boise, Idaho. 83702. 1 appreciate the time. Appreciate Sonya's presentation. She did a great job. I just want to reinforce some of the -- the items that are part of this application. I also want to restate we are in agreement with all the -- the terms and conditions of the staff report, as well as all the agency letters that we have received up to this point. So, we are requesting --as Sonya had stated, we are requesting annexation and zoning of the 13.94 acre parcel located at 5725 North Meridian Road. The application also includes a preliminary plat for the development of 60 total lots, 54 buildable and six common lots, to be created for the construction of 54 single family detached residential homes, along with all the associated roadway, utility, landscape and site improvements. Some of the conversations we had -- you know, a lot of it was centered around density. A lot of it was centered around appropriateness or cohesivity with the adjacent Paramount Subdivision and part of that had to do with some of the -- the landscape installation. We have a full arborist report that was done on the project - - on the project site. It identified all of the caliper inches that need to be mitigated for upon removal. We are fully mitigating for anything that's removed with the common area space landscaping. So, anything additional that's planted on private lots, trees in front and backyards, is just over and above that. We have determined and I have also been talking with the city forester or arborist, he is part of this urban woods network that I have been tied into that they do reclamation of urban timber and so I'm talking to that company about going out and evaluating some of the larger caliper trees for reclamation of the wood, so that it doesn't just get chopped up into firewood or chipped up into bark and sent to the landfill. We will be planting 101 trees within the -- the common open space. That's 181 caliper inches, as well as 198 vertical feet of conifers. So six foot minimum height. We also have 245 shrubs that will be added to the common area spaces and, like I stated, that is independent of anything that's done around the individual homes when they get built. The requested annexation, zoning and preliminary plat are compatible with the land use, both adjacent and on this site. Even with that park designation that was removed prior to my client purchasing this property, the underlying land use has -- still remains medium density residential, whether or not there was a park identified for that site. Had they been told that this was a park that needed to be developed here, they definitely wouldn't have pursued this project on the site or pursued purchasing the land from the previous owner that had gifted it to the church, who, then, turned around and sold it again because they didn't want to develop it. The R-8 zoning designation is being requested, which matches all of Paramount surrounding, as well as the subdivisions to the east of Meridian Road. The only -- the out parcel to the north that's right along Meridian Road at the northeast corner of this parcel is still an enclave within Ada county and is not part of this development project. Care was taken with the site design lot sizes and open space to ensure compatibility with the adjacent Paramount Subdivision. The architecture and materials will conform with the Paramount architectural control and design standards, which include specific provisions regarding exterior elevations, colors, accent materials, lighting, fencing and landscaping. All existing perimeter fencing around this property will be retained and protected or replaced by my client, the developer, and they will coordinate with any affected neighbors there. Any fencing internal to this development will also meet all of the Paramount Subdivision requirements for height, materials and color. So, it will be very cohesive. Public roads, as were stated, are proposed to access for all the homes. Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 7 of 35 A 33 foot back-to-back road section with a five foot attached sidewalk within a 47 foot right of way that conforms with ACHD standards. We have proposed attached sidewalks here to provide additional depth in the driveways. Street trees will be installed behind the sidewalk meeting ACHD standards of a minimum five foot offset from the back of walk. Those would be installed after homes are built. A lot of times when these subdivisions are getting built and street trees are put in prior to home construction they end up getting damaged during -- by contractor activity along the streets. The public street to the east will be stubbed to that northern enclave parcel in Ada county for -- in the event that that property does redevelop and that could be extended through there. No connection to Meridian Road was proposed and that is part of ACHD and City Meridian policy restricting access to arterial roadways and requiring access to come from the lesser classified roadway when available. That would be Garbo Avenue. If you go through the Paramount Subdivision all of the roads within Paramount, with the exception of a few private roads, are public roads. Meridian Road will be improved with pavement and roadside drainage swale. A ten foot wide multi-use pathway -- an additional right of way will be dedicated and the improvements will be installed so that they comply with the future curb and gutter that would be installed by ACHD when they widen Meridian Road fully. Open lawn areas will be included within the interior common spaces, which provide for active and passive recreation. The development agreement will contain a provision that a minimum of 2.25 acres of qualified open space will be contained within this development and the amenities proposed within this subdivision, as Sonya had stated, two full size pickleball courts, the open grassy areas, micro pathways, the Meridian Road buffer, two pet waste stations. There are -- we have a total -- triple the required amount of amenity points in here. The amenities were specifically selected to complement the adjacent Paramount Subdivision amenities instead of duplicating them. During the -- the lead up to this and the planning process we did meet with the Paramount Subdivision HOA board just to get some feedback from them on what they thought about lot sizes, home sizes, architectural style, which is when the developer decided to adopt -- basically fully adopt the Paramount CC&Rs and architectural standards for their subdivision. That is in place regardless of what the HOA board decides --or the full HOA membership decides, if that ends up getting taken to a vote of the full HOA membership. This Pebblebrook Subdivision can be its own and nothing would change. It would be the same as what is being proposed at this point with all of the Paramount CC&Rs and everything incorporated. The one part that we talked with the Paramount HOA board about was pressurized irrigation. This property has a surface water right that exceeds the demand that we need for the future landscaping, both the provisions for the individual lots, as well as for the common open space. It's not a lot more, but there is a gallon per minute of surface water rights that wouldn't be necessary. In talking with the HOA board we are exploring transferring that water right to the Paramount HOA, connecting to their pressurized irrigation system and, then, having that water be included with their delivery. I know that there has been some issues in the past with their irrigation systems kind of going down or running out, depending on the time of year and so we felt like this was a good addition to their system and provides them even a little bit of additional water over what this space would require. During the -- the neighborhood meeting there was approximately 30 attendees. Discussion involved concerns about density, traffic during and after construction, parking, privacy, property values, cohesiveness with existing homes and impacts to existing Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 8 of 35 amenities within the Paramount Subdivision. Timing of construction and access to Meridian Road were also points that we -- we talked about with the neighbors at the meeting. And while the -- the subdivision will be built along a public road -- or Meridian Road, the existing public roads that are stubbed were always planned to be extended through the site. Let's see. The homes proposed here will have either two or three car garages. All of the lots are set up to accommodate a three car garage, so -- they -- they are not pick and choose which lot. Whoever buys a lot can have a three car garage if they would like one, along with driveways that are 20 foot deep and there is additional on- street parking specifically along the northern boundary of the -- of the project where there aren't homes adjacent to some of the common open space there. Let's see. We talked about adopting the Paramount Subdivision CC&Rs. The proposed lot sizes range from 5,250 square feet with a couple larger-- about five lots that are larger than 10,000 square feet, with the largest being 15,482 square feet. If I take out the five larger kind of stand- out -- stand-alone large lots the average lot size is 6,250 square feet for the remaining -- that would be 49. The existing Paramount Subdivision also has a wide range of lot sizes, the smallest being approximately 4,315 square feet and home sizes that are both one and two story, with sizes ranging from 1,500 square feet to over 5,000 square feet. Originally the Pebblebrook Subdivision had proposed one and two-story homes, with a maximum size of 2,968 square feet. After the neighborhood meeting with concerns about home sizes and cohesivity with Paramount Homes and property values, the Hayden Homes team, which is the developer of this increased the maximum size of the home to 3,195 square feet. I do want to take a moment as well to talk about some of the architectural design that Hayden has developed. They build homes throughout the Pacific Northwest, not just in the Treasure Valley, and they have developed what they have referred to as a luxury design package, which is what is included in all of the homes that will be built within Pebblebrook. So, this isn't -- Hayden has been known for doing entry level homes a lot. This is not that product. This is a much more elevated product. You can see in the -- a lot of the architectural elevations they all have stone on there that is required. That's not optional. So, I do want to reinforce that as well. And we also feel like these home sizes, not only being compatible in the -- in the area -- immediate area, but it also reinforces some of what we heard from Planning and Zoning, as well as City Council on other projects regarding the desire to provide a variety of home sizes, so that it appeals to a variety or a wider range of home buyers in the Meridian area and this would also allow for generational living within this area where you could have a small home. As your family grows buy a larger one and as your kids grow and leave you can find a smaller home and not leave this very desirable area of Meridian. Like I said, we had -- there was a lot of concern about traffic during construction, as well as after. We are working with ACHD to get a construction access off of Meridian Road for the infrastructure installation. We are also talking with them about maintaining some sort of access for home construction that would come off Meridian Road, so that not all construction traffic would come through the Paramount Subdivision streets and, then, once the -- the homes are all built that would be closed off and the -- the development is intending to start late this year for infrastructure site work, with homes starting in spring of 2025. We did get some positive feedback during the neighborhood meeting and some phone calls and e-mails afterwards, as well as some positive feedback after the P&Z hearing here at the city and, ultimately, the developer and the design team feel very good about this project and feel Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 9 of 35 that this will be a positive addition to this area through the thoughtful in-fill redevelopment of the site and continue to enhance the under -- underutilized spaces within Meridian. Stand for any questions if you have them. Simison: Thank you. Council, any questions for the applicant? Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: So, I'm curious about the feedback that you have been getting. You said that you had received some positive feedback. I know looking through the public testimony -- I mean there are at least 80 signatures opposing the project and a lot of I think concern. Help me understand how you have tried to adapt your application in response to those concerns. Like I see, for example, the masonry accents, right, to complement the surrounding neighborhood. That makes sense to me. I do see some things, though, like you have attached sidewalks, you are surrounded on three sides by neighborhood that has detached sidewalks. Walk me through in a little bit greater detail how you are trying to, you know, at least have a good transition with the surrounding neighborhood. Semple: Sure. Mr. Mayor, Council Member Strader, so, yeah, the first part was really working with the Paramount HOA board to talk with them and review their CC&Rs and architectural control, so that we could look at the style of the homes to make sure that they are matching what Paramount expects to see out of homes that are built in their subdivision. We have really worked at increasing the amount of open space on this site over what is required. There was a couple initial concepts that, you know, looking at the densities and the ranges that we -- that are allowable in R-8 that had 60 homes, one that had, you know, 58 homes on it and, ultimately, we dropped to 54 to make sure that we can get that two-to-one ratio maximum along the exterior, as well as increase that open space to get that in there. In terms of the attached versus detached sidewalks, our concern was that it reduces parking within, because these are all front-loaded lots, there is not a lot of alley load. It could reduce the available parking and I know that parking is always an issue for residents and guests. You know, when you have people come over you would like to have somewhere not on the street for them to park, to leave that open if possible, and so that's why that decision was made. Ultimately it was supported by ACHD, as we met one of their road section standards and we are not saying that this is Paramount. We are not exactly Paramount. But we are trying as hard as we can to match everything they have, while also looking at how to provide a bigger home, larger driveway, and we did adjust some home sizes in terms of trying to get them a little bit larger in response to neighbors. Some of the positives that we got was we heard from a few different people that there was either a condo or a townhome or a multi-family project proposed for the site at one point in time. A lot of calls saying we are really glad that this is single family detached homes that are more cohesive with immediately adjacent. So, that's sort of the positive that we got. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 10 of 35 Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: I just have a few more questions. So, I was curious about -- you kind of went through the -- the trees and the shrubs, but that's an interesting example. So, you know, those -- those all pertain to the common areas; right? So, for example, in the Paramount neighborhood you have to have a certain number of trees in your front yard. Do you -- you said that you are going to -- planning to mirror all the CC&Rs of that subdivision. So, are you planning for similar landscaping -- is just one example? Semple: Mr. Mayor, Council Member Strader, yes. So, the CC&Rs from Paramount will just have a name change on them or if they adopt us into their HOA we would just be Paramount. Strader: Uh-huh. Semple: And so there will be -- the number -- same number of trees in the front yard, same number of trees in the backyard as the minimums. So, if someone that buys a home wants to do more over and above that they could. But it would meet all of those guidelines. Exactly. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: So, besides the attached sidewalks, what are the differences between the subdivision and the Paramount Subdivision? Semple: Mr. Mayor, Council Member Strader, I don't see a lot. I mean are the lots all as large as the ones immediately adjacent? No, but they are also not all as small as some of the smallest lots within Paramount. It's got a good range. The homes are all basically exactly like the homes that are built in Paramount right now. So, there is -- I mean the difference is this doesn't have a pool, but it also -- Paramount doesn't have pickleball courts. So, we are trying to get something that Paramount residents could use and -- you know, as an additional amenity within their subdivision, if we get into their subdivision, and even if we are not adopted into the HOA there is not like this is going to be a gated community, so -- Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: You made a comment I thought it was kind of interesting. You said at one point this was planned to be a park. When you look at the Comprehensive Plan there -- there is a symbol for a park. Was that -- where -- did you receive guidance that that changed? Were you just referring to the city's plans? I know like if you check -- and just for those in the audience if you -- if you check through the folder for the application there is quite a bit Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 11 of 35 of back and forth between myself and the parks director just trying to understand why is this not an ideal site for a park, et cetera. But from your perspective has something officially changed from the city's perspective? Where did that comment come from? Semple: Mr. Mayor, Council Member Strader, when we went in for a pre-app -- and, actually, had some due diligence prior to the purchase -- prior to Hayden Homes buying the property, the city had evaluated it, talked to the Parks Department and they said that a park wasn't viable here, because of-- and I have that notice from the Parks Department director regarding visibility for Meridian. I know that the previous owner before it changed hands a couple times she had talked about it being a park, but ultimately when she passed my understanding is that it was bequeathed to the Catholic diocese and, then, they decided that they were going to sell it, because it was a remnant parcel that they owned at that point and in our conversations with city staff they said, yeah, we have talked about it and it's not a viable spot. We have got Settlers Park close, a lot of other parks within the subdivisions around there. Private, not public, but they basically told us that that wasn't -- it was a generalized location for a potential park, but it wasn't specifically identified as only a park and the land use underneath it was medium density residential. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: One more. Yeah. I think where I'm getting hung up -- I -- I heard -- Sonya, you made a comment this is one of the last undeveloped parcels. I think this is the last. Are there more than this one? Allen: Don't believe so. Simison: Ma'am, everything's got to be on the record. If you want to testify about that when it's your turn you are more than welcome to. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Yeah. I -- I'm sure in the Orchard Park development we did have some space put aside there for some public amenities from what I recall. But -- thank you. No, that's helpful. But that's it for my questions for now. Thanks. Semple: Thank you. Simison: Council, any additional -- Taylor: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Taylor. Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 12 of 35 Taylor: Ben, one question I have in the staff report, talking about the ratio of homes in Paramount and, then, our proposed development -- and I'm going to read this off and if you need the map to look at that's fine, but in the staff report it talks about Lots 7 through 9, Block 2, abutting block -- Lot 10, Block 49, in Paramount 21 and Lots 10 through 12, Block 2, abutting two lots in Bordeaux Estates to the south where three lots abut one lot and staff is recommending that we revise that to have a maximum of a two-to-one ratio, instead of the three-to-one. Did you accommodate that request in the current application in -- in terms of revising the number of lots abutting the existing development? Semple: Mr. Mayor, Council Member Taylor, yes. The preliminary plat was adjusted so that there is no case where there is more than two to one lot ratio. Taylor: Thank you. Simison: Council, any additional questions for the applicant? Okay. Thank you very much. Mr. Clerk, who do we have signed up this evening Johnson: Mr. Mayor, first we have on Zoom Sally Reynolds. Sally, you should be able to unmute. Simison: And just for everyone that when you come up and speak you will be recognized for three minutes, unless you are representing an HOA. If you can, please, state your name and address for the record when you do come up. Sally. Reynolds: Certainly. Can you all hear me? Simison: Yes, we can. Reynolds: All right. Wonderful. Good evening, Mr. Mayor and Members of Meridian City Council. My name is Sally Reynolds. I reside at 1166 West Bacall Street in Meridian, Idaho. I would like to speak tonight in support of the Pebblebrook Subdivision. So, I am a Paramount resident and it is a wonderful change to see something other than high density planned for the outskirts of our neighborhood. We already have Prelude apartments to the southeast, Linder Spring four plexes to the southwest, the 55 plus community of attached single family homes to the northeast and a future PUD development of 138 dwellings that will be a mix of single family duplexes, townhomes, and condos to the northwest. This square mile already has every type of housing available and I'm relieved that this builder did not choose to apply for a higher density designation, especially given our current middle school and high school enrollment numbers and the fact that those 138 units to the north are not constructed yet. It's also refreshing to see an applicant who is cognizant of existing neighbors and willing to work with them, so the new development can integrate as seamlessly as possible with the current neighborhood. The developers reached out to us as Paramount residents through a meeting and planned pickleball courts after receiving feedback from us. Pickleball courts are not the quietest amenity, so I thought it was neighborly of them to construct Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 13 of 35 those in their area, plus it would complement existing amenities here in Paramount should our HOA choose to annex the subdivision. As you know I'm very big on transitions and would like to thank the city staff for the recommendations on the revised lot transitions and I'm glad to see the developer was willing to adopt those changes and make them official before submitting tonight. I believe this builder has done a wonderful job of matching a small in-fill area with the surrounding neighborhood. They are almost matching the density of Paramount with similar style homes and proposing to build elevations that mirror those in Paramount. The request to join the HOA tells me that they value our subdivision's rules and truly want to be good neighbors. Should Paramount residents choose to admit them to the HOA Pebblebrook future residents would have to adhere to our CC&Rs and, hopefully, maintain the quality of homes there unlike existing CBH homes to the south that have not followed similar guidelines. As a former member of the Meridian Open Space Committee I am pleased to see that this development exceeds the minimum 15 percent. It is regrettable they could not have access to Meridian Road to alleviate traffic through the neighborhood, even a right-in, right-out that I understand that's an ACHD issue. If possible it would be great to add a condition to the approval that the construction trucks do need to access the area from Meridian Road. But other than that I voice my support for this application and look forward to welcoming our new neighbors in this area. Simison: Thank you, Sally. Council, any questions? Okay. Appreciate it. Allen: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Yes, Sonya. Allen: May I clarify a statement I made a moment ago in response to Council Woman Strader's comment about is this the only parcel I believe left in this area. I did misspeak. There -- there is approximately four or four and a half acres directly to the north of this property that are rural residential properties that have yet to annex into the city and they all have frontage on Meridian Road. But I don't think they are quite large enough for a neighborhood park. But I did just want to clarify that. Thank you. Simison: Thank you, Sonya. Johnson: And, Mr. Mayor, there are five lines filled in, but nobody marked they wanted to speak, so turn it over to you. Simison: Go ahead and go down the list and see if they would like to come up. Johnson: Absolutely. Joe and Mary Meeks. Mark Mulaney. Patrick Murphy. Loren and Lori Billaud. Simison: Good evening, Lori. Billaud: Good evening, Mr. Mayor, fellow Council Members. My name is Lori Billaud. 192 West Lockhart Lane. Back in April 1 st of this year there was a West Ada School Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 14 of 35 District and City Council Meridian interview meeting here. At that meeting I have pictures of what was up on the diagram. Up here it says the student growth and capacity -- it's important for us to get feedback. It says the goal is positive relationships between the city and developers for the good of the students. Is impacting an overcrowded school -- on page two I have a list of the impacted schools, such being Heritage. You mentioned here that Heritage is over -- already at this time overflowing. Rocky Mountain was stated to be at capacity and Paramount was just a few students below. So, in the best interest of the students you need to decide are you representing the developers? Are you representing what's good for the families and students of this area? Over impacting the schools is not in the best interest of the area and the voters. Also there were over a hundred signatures. Not that it matters, but I was so excited to get over a hundred. So, that's minutia. At the Planning and Zoning meeting there was also the woman that stood -- or sat to the right of the Councilman that actually had the audacity to say, well, you can just send your students to private school. Well, just to think, oh, I have got ten thousand dollars spare -- to spare per child. I'm sure all of you had that when you were young, not like myself now, but younger with young kids. Oh, yes, let's just send them that. I could not believe the audacity. And the city commissioner also had the audacity at the meeting to have to say I need to step down for my soapbox, because he on several occasions said you are lucky to be having this, it could be worse. He said that not once, not twice, but at least three times and even said I need to get off my soapbox. Three people left this meeting, two of them said things -- that lived in Paramount that this was rude and disrespectful, that the people are not listening. Now you are elected officials. The people that were here and in the meeting were not elected officials. They are just people that are helping out. But people vote you and they will remember what you do here, because we are not asking for it to be eliminated, we just want a one-to-one -- maybe one-to-five ratio. There is nothing but greed from the developers by not making it. There is not one thing that stands in the way of them reducing it down to one to one, other than greed. Thomas Jefferson states -- sorry. Let's see. It was a gamble from them buying it. I got off track. But Thomas Jefferson, the third president, says the selfish spirit of the commerce knows no country, no feeling, no passion, no principle but that of gain. So, are you here for the residents and the families? Are you here for the developers? As in Ten Mile you made them push in -- Simison: Thank you. Your time is -- Billaud: And at -- one is 84, you had them reduce it. It's in your hands. You have the power. Thank you. Simison: Your time is up. Council, any questions? Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Lori, I had a question if that is okay. In your testimony you said that you wanted to see a -- a one-to-five ratio. Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 15 of 35 Billaud: One to one. Sorry. I'm -- Cavener: You are enthusiastic. It's okay. Let's -- Billaud: There is no reason they could not make it a one-to-one ratio to match it. It's within everybody's power -- your power and their power. If you don't you are following in and going with the developers and I can speak -- he asked me a question. Cavener: Lori, I asked the question. I asked for clarification on the one piece. Billaud: Uh-huh. Cavener: And, again, we are all -- we are all neighbors here. Okay? Billaud: I'm actually moving, but I felt justice to do this for the people, even though I'm moving out of Meridian. Cavener: Well, best of luck with where you are -- you are headed. I'm sorry that you are leaving our community. But -- Billaud: It's like that. I found a place where I could actually have a -- a side house for my dad. Cavener: Well, that's -- that's good. That's -- I mean family is the biggest reason why we call a house a home. So, best of luck and thank you for sharing your testimony with us tonight. Billaud: And please consider it. It's very important to the voters and the families of Paramount. Simison: Thank you. Mr. Clerk, do we have anybody else who signed up? Johnson: Mr. Mayor, that was it. Simison: Okay. Is there anybody present that would like to come provide testimony? If you would like to come on up and if you are online and want to provide testimony, please, use your raise your hand feature, so we can bring you in when it's your time. McDermott: So, I don't know how to do the formal whatever. Simison: Please just state your name and address. McDermott: All right. So, my name is Laura McDermott and I'm at 357 West Broderick. So, basically, right where North Garbo comes in there. So, a couple things. I was wondering when you guys gave the density of Paramount and you are including the Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 16 of 35 apartments, which is just -- right -- that's -- that's like an outlier. So, what is the density of the Paramount Subdivision minus the apartments? Because that falsely lowers it. So, to say -- because I think it -- I don't remember the numbers -- like 3.3 or whatever. So, we beat it. But if you didn't have a three story multiple building apartment what is the density of Paramount? Simison: We can ask the staff to see if they can reply to that. McDermott: Okay. Because I don't know. So, I'm -- I'm also a mom. I have got two boys. And I'm just going to kind of-- I -- I do think it's -- I -- I heard you guys say it tonight about doing the private school and I think that that is -- should --that should not be -- somebody mentioned it today or else -- no, it was before her. Somebody -- somebody mentioned that, you know, we are worried about crowded schools, but don't worry about the public schools, because there is plenty of -- plenty of private schools around. That was for sure said tonight, because I heard that word and I wrote it down prior to the woman who just spoke and so you have to consider this plot, you have to consider the land in Winco and it's -- the schools are already very crowded and, then, you guys also considered the open space. Well, right now they are open, but what if -- I mean there is a lot of schools that - - that lock down their area, so what would that park area look like in the future if you don't have access to Rocky, if you don't have access to the elementary school, because they have -- because they have fenced it off. You are squinching your eyes at me, but it could -- it -- it could happen. You -- you know, you don't know. So, why are -- you are like -- like you didn't understand what I said. Oh. In the -- your -- you guys said, oh, there is plenty of park area available between Rocky Mountain and between Heritage, but you -- they are open campuses now. You cannot look into the future and say that they are and if you look at the parks in Paramount they are not -- minus the schools they are not large areas and then -- so, I guess that's one thing is that the -- the schools are already incredibly impacted and so you can't look at the other private schools that are available, because to assume people have the funds to pay for that is not appropriate. And, then, I would like to know what the density is. Additionally, the backyards-- I mean we are across the street, so it doesn't affect us personally, but the -- the houses that abut to the -- you know, existing neighborhoods, how close are those homes to the backyard? Like how much --you know, is it something that all of a sudden these people are going to be looking right at somebody else's houses and if they plant trees, right, and it's like already a tiny lot then -- I don't know. So, anyways, those are my things. So, I -- I think that there is -- it's quite a few homes in there and I agree with what Sally said as far as we already have --we already have like every type of housing that you could think of. So, we already have the apartments. We already have duplex. We already have the -- Simison: Thank you, ma'am. Your time is up. McDermott: Okay. Simison: Council, any questions? Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 17 of 35 Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: I think just because I want to -- I appreciate -- I can't remember if it was Laura who --that was her name. I think I might have a question for you if you would like. I know -- I just -- I want to make -- I just -- because I -- I think this was something that came up and I just wanted to give you some clarification. What -- what -- I think you were referring to about the private schools is when the applicant was presenting, they touched on the proximity to a private school. So, there is the St. Ignatius School that is just down the street. McDermott: I'm well aware of where they are. Cavener: Okay. All right. McDermott: I'm saying that it shouldn't -- when you are looking at the ability of a community to handle the students that are there, that's like a cherry on top of the sundae. You should never say, well, you know, they can always go there. The public schools that are there need to accommodate everybody that's there. If they choose to go to a private school that's fine, but you can't assume that they will and there -- it's already -- I mean my son is at Rocky and, you know, he is in -- he is in the portables; right? So, just saying like it's already -- it's already impacted now and that's before all the stuff gets done at Winco and that's before, you know, whatever is going to go in here. So, I -- I mean I -- I agree that -- I mean it sounds like, oh, well, we did you guys such a favor, we could have put in 60 houses and we took down six. How many of the people on the -- I'm just wondering how many of you guys actually live in Paramount that like would actually be affected? But we have one person; right. So, it's so easy to make decisions for a neighborhood that you don't actually live in, because to say you live in Meridian -- great. But, if -- if -- if you don't actually send your kids to those schools, if you don't actually live in that neighborhood, then, you won't really feel the impact of what's being proposed here. I'm not saying to scrap the whole entire thing, but I -- I do think that not just rubber stamping it and look to see if -- you know, I don't -- I certainly don't want townhomes or condos or anything like that there, but I think looking at it to see if there is a way to reduce the number of homes, to really look at the density of Paramount minus the apartments, because I think you will find that it's actually higher than you think. Cavener: Mr. Mayor, if I -- if I may. Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Just a couple I think points that I -- I would just share from a perspective, which is you got half the Council right now that have kids that are in West Ada schools. McDermott: In this one I'm talking about. Cavener: So, those, but -- Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 18 of 35 McDermott: There is -- in Rocky. Cavener: So, Meridian elects our City Council members by district. McDermott: I understand that. Cavener: So, that means that's five of us. If one of us lives in Paramount, five of us can't live in Paramount. McDermott: Oh, I know that. That was my point. Cavener: So -- right. We -- we have to live throughout the entire city and -- and the challenges around schools are something I think that this City Council has taken really to heart. So, I can -- I can hear the frustration in your voice and I'm just more trying to share with you -- I don't think -- I can't think of a single time that this Council has considered a housing application on the merits of students that would go to a private school. We -- we are -- we are champions of West Ada, because we are families of West Ada. So -- McDermott: At capacity where they going to go? Cavener: Mr. Mayor, if I may? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: I believe, according to what we have heard from West Ada, they can actually - - the district can accommodate I think right around 1 ,200 additional students right now. That's what the school is telling us and that challenge is -- right. And this is where I think the frustration is valid. We have got more students in Rocky Mountain than what the school says that that school can handle, where it's just down the road Centennial can accommodate way more students, but the district hasn't made the decision to move students from one school to another. That's a frustration that we deal with is that the city of Boise, which feeds largely to Centennial, can continue to send students there, where Meridian families are continuing to feel the pain. So, I just -- I want you to know that I -- I sympathize with where you are coming from and -- but I didn't want you to feel that we -- because five of us don't live in Paramount that we are not sympathetic to the challenges that are going on in our schools and I know -- I would never expect you to come spend a Tuesday night -- every Tuesday to come watch these City Council meetings, but we argued and wrestled on a -- on a project that had like 13 homes, because of the impact on West Ada. So, we take these -- we take these issues seriously. I can -- I can tell from some of the conversations we had some challenging conversations at the Planning and Zoning Commission and so I'm being a little bit more up front with those that are willing to come up and testify, because I feel bad that that was your experience, but I wanted just to let you know that we are -- we are Meridian residents and -- and the same -- we send our kids to the same schools that you send your kids and we want the best education for our children. That's the reason why a lot of people chose to choose Meridian as home. Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 19 of 35 McDermott: Yeah. Because I just think it's crazy when you look at the Winco development and, then, you look at this and just the increase in traffic where kids play and I just -- it's - - I think it's going to -- I don't want to like scrap the project. That's not at all what I'm saying. But I think to look at is there any way to like maybe reduce -- reduce further like the number of homes, because 54 in that area -- and, then, I think he said he was going to put like 101 trees in the open area of like two acres. Is it -- where is the open acre going to be after those hundred trees are full grown and maybe I misunderstood you, sir. Simison: Just -- go ahead and direct it up here. McDermott: Yeah. Sorry. But, anyways, I was thinking like, well, gosh, when there is a hundred trees that get bigger, what's that 2.3 acres of open space going to look like? That's -- Simison: Council Woman Strader. McDermott: And it's possible I misunderstood. Strader: Sorry. Laure. Laure, before you go. Quick one. McDermott: Sorry. Strader: Okay. So, you have a lot of concerns, which I share. Like I share the same concerns about school overcrowding. I think it's a huge issue. I want to understand, though, when you say -- we don't want to scrub the project -- McDermott: Like it's a done deal. Strader: Well, I don't know. I mean, you know, from your perspective what -- what would a good outcome be tonight? I'm just curious. Like taking -- and I -- it's -- I definitely heard everyone had a bad experience at Planning and Zoning and it sounds like it -- they came off as not caring about people's feedback, which is totally the opposite of what we are trying to achieve. I know everybody cares about people's feedback. I just want to understand from your perspective do you feel like a great outcome tonight is, you know, approving this project with matching lot lines on the, you know, outer streets facing Woodward? I mean what's your -- I'm just curious, what do you think a good outcome would be in terms of changes? Like if you feel changes are made -- because you are -- what I'm not hearing from you is turn it down. We don't want to see anything here. McDermott: I mean ultimately I would prefer there was the park, but I realize that that was -- that's not possible, so I am not a planning, you know, zoning expert and -- at all, but I -- I think that you can fudge the numbers to make yourself feel good. So, by saying that the -- the -- the density is like, oh, it's 2.8, but that's incorporating the apartment and I think that if you -- and, then, we don't have -- you know, we do have -- I think the -- the smallest lot in Paramount is 4,000. Well -- but it's not 13 acres of 4,000 square foot lots. So, it's -- it's a very tiny part of Paramount and so I think if you -- if you really take those Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 20 of 35 outliers of what's -- that really tiny part of Paramount and take out the apartments, what - - what is the density and, then, I think you would come to like maybe a more agreeable number with homes and I'm -- like I said, I'm not -- I -- I don't want townhomes there. don't want condos there. But I think that -- I think if you really looked at the outliers then -- then -- and took those out, then, you would -- and I don't know the numbers, you guys -- or somebody that you can get in contact would look at that and be able to come up with like a better number. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Just to sort of play devil's advocate, if I'm looking at it here, right, I mean I definitely see that they adjusted the plat. So, you know, there has been a pretty significant improvement, at least from what I'm seeing, in terms of, you know, if you look at like a -- one of the Paramount homes I -- I can't find one, I'm still looking here that faces -- well, guess I do see one that's kind of an odd shape that might face like two and a half, but it does look like the -- you know, kind of one-to-two ratio was something that they took feedback on. So, I was just curious, like did that help in your mind, you know, in terms of support or nonsupport of the project, do you feel like the changes just haven't gone far enough? Like help -- help me kind of understand. McDermott: I don't think I'm the expert in this. I'm just saying -- I'm just looking at this from like a -- a school perspective. I'm also looking at it from like -- you know, it's like right where our neighbor -- so, I'm looking at like the traffic that's going to go literally right by my house, because I'm -- I could throw a ball to where North Garbo is and so I'm looking at the impact of schools and, then, like I said, the -- the more houses that you have in there -- I'm not saying that they didn't make any accommodations, but did they make the accommodations off of false numbers; right? So, is -- is the house density or whatever - - is that really 2.8 or is it -- is it -- because I think there is like 3.3, so we beat it. But if you take out the apartments and the super tiny row of 4,000 square foot lots in Paramount, what's that actual number, so -- Strader- Thank you. McDermott; Okay. Simison: Sonya, did you by chance happen to have -- Allen: Yep. Simison: I don't know if you were over there trying to crunch the numbers, just out of curiosity. Allen: Yeah. Mr. Mayor. But I -- I have some variables that I can't -- I don't have the information for right now. Their-- the apartments do, you know, make that density higher, Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 21 of 35 but there was also a comment in the staff report about the density would change upon residential development of another lot and I -- I can't find a copy of the plat in laserfiche to see what that was and I'm not sure if that was the multi-family lot or a different lot. So, I'm sorry, I can't answer that question accurately for you tonight. Simison: If you can give a ballpark'ish. Allen: If-- if I calculate the acreage that was part of the multi-family development, which skews the numbers, because you would typically subtract that acreage if you are not going to count the multi-family, it's 2.2 units per acre. Simison: I'm sorry, two point -- Allen: 2.2. Simison: Roughly. Allen: Then I can't calculate what the acreage is of the multi-family. I don't see it listed out separately in the staff report to be able to do that. Simison: All right. Thank you. Okay. And come on up. Meeks: Hello. Joe Meeks. 928 West Barrymore in Paramount. Been there for quite a while. Since 2004. So, I have seen a lot of changes in the neighborhood. This is going to get built on. I mean maybe not this time, maybe not next year, maybe in five years, but we should take the opportunity to take this version, rather than getting something way worse put in there, something that -- perhaps the situation in the future doesn't allow us as much control. So, we have a great opportunity to take the best I think opportunity we have for this development of this area. It's not -- it's not been anything for a long time. They are going to make some amenities. So, I'm for it completely a hundred percent and there is no guarantee that every person in here is going to have two or three kids. I mean, you know, you have that many houses, but maybe that's not the case. We don't know. I can't speak to, you know, the school situation. That's -- you know, that's a broader topic I think, but as far as the builder goes I think they have been very cooperative and been very amenable to, you know, looking at the options and considering them. So, I just wanted to state my case, you know, I'm for the development. Thank you. Simison: Thank you. Council, any questions? Is there anybody else who would like to - - come on up, please, sir. Good evening. Turnbull: Good evening. Thank you. My name is Ramont Turnbull and I live at 447 West Broderick Drive and I think what's being missed on these numbers is -- as far as the density goes, this particular northeast section of Paramount is made up of the nicest and largest homes. They are not made up of apartments. They are not made up of the carriage homes or any of that and because of that I think before -- and I -- I signed a petition to lower the density. I think the density should match the homes that are Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 22 of 35 immediately on the perimeter of the property and in just looking at it from a distance -- I have looked at it much closer at home on a -- on a smaller map, they don't match. There is not a match there. There is -- there is crammed in there -- and I understand that. I understand that money needs to be made, but at the same time not this way. They have -- they need to match what they have there in the immediate perimeter. I think that's a reasonable request. Now, whether that's 40 houses, whether that's 45, I'm not sure, but I think that's a reasonable request. Thank you. Simison: Thank you. Council, any questions? Okay. Thank you. Is there anybody else that would like to come forward and provide testimony at this time? Is there anybody online that would like to provide testimony? Okay. Then would the applicant like to come forward and close. Semple: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, Members of Council. Again Ben Semple with Rodney Evans and Partners. 1450 West Bannock, Boise, Idaho. 83702. 1 just want to reinforce a couple things. So, we are in -- currently in conversations with ACHD about a construction entrance off of Meridian Road. It is going very positively. So, we anticipate that that will happen. We will keep that open as long as we possibly can to avoid having construction traffic go through a subdivision. Regarding the school capacity, we did receive a letter from West Ada School District. They evaluated this development and they said their anticipated impact was 17 school aged children from this development. That's their numbers, not ours. That's what they told us. So -- and while there are private schools we are not relying on those to be, you know, used by the residents here. I know, you know, there is -- depending on your situation you can send your kid to a private school or not. It's just -- but, you know, that's kind of where we are at with -- when we are getting feedback from West Ada that says that that's the impact and they said that we have made all reasonable accommodations for pedestrian connectivity and walkability, we feel pretty good about that. This -- the density of this project is less than four units an acre. It is way lower than what's allowed in R-8, which is eight units an acre, and my client, the developer, doesn't want to try to cram a bunch of homes in here. They are actually looking at this as a fully compliant, on the low end of the R-8, that all of Paramount is. It got developed the way it got developed because of the choices that were made by that developer at the time. They could have done densities that were higher there. They chose not to. When you are doing in-fill redevelopment of projects it's inherently more challenging. You are typically dealing with weird shapes of lots. You are dealing with stubbed roads. You are dealing with a lot of existing things around you that we are trying to balance. That's what was all taken into consideration when we finalized this plan and made our submittal. We do meet all of the standards of the R-8 zone or exceed them. All of our setbacks will match the setbacks that Paramount has. All of the -- I mean we are not requesting any variances for any aspect of this development. It's all within the -- the allowances of the UDC orACHD's policies for public roads and I just want to reinforce these are detached single family homes upwards of 3,200 square feet --just under 3,200 square feet if that's the model that the person decides to purchase for construction there. These aren't patio homes. They are not attached. Yeah, someone could do something different. Again, we feel very good about this project and what we will bring to this area. I would stand for any additional questions you may have. Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 23 of 35 Taylor: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Thank you. Councilman Taylor. Taylor: Just one question. If you could maybe speak to the last-- Mr. Turnbull's comments about this particular part of northeast Paramount has some of the larger kind of higher end homes, he is concerned with how that might match with your development. Can you just speak to that a little bit, address that concern directly? Semple: Mr. Mayor, Council Member Taylor, we looked at this in a couple -- couple different ways. We did get some direction from staff where they mentioned that two-to- one maximum ratio creates that transition. We have some other lots in here that have one and a half lots of the Paramount larger lots that are adjacent to them specifically on the west end of this project, because of how this narrows down. So, we end up with two of those lots against one of the lots in here. So, there was kind of a give and take to try to find out what -- how it laid out best. You know, reducing it down to -- or having the largest homes that matched exactly what was in Paramount would severely reduce the housing product here. Paramount has a very wide range of homes. This fits in well with a range. I know that there is some patio homes that are over by Paramount Elementary. I know that because my mother-in-law lives there and it's a fairly high density area that right across the street as large homes, too, and everybody seems to be pretty neighborly there. So, I guess we tried to get as best we could, while also understanding that this is an investment that my client is making in Meridian to bring more housing to the market. Simison: So, while I'm not good at math and shapes sometimes can be confusing, if I do a simple number and I start down here, if I'm looking up at the map, kind of down where the last house in Paramount is and wrap around up to where the street intersects, there is 24 parcels on the outside and 21 parcels on the inside, unless my -- unless -- I mean I'm not saying it's the same size, I'm not saying a lot of things, but from a numbers perspective there is fewer on the inside that match up to the existing Paramount homes than there are homes as I count them, but someone else can correct my math or my site, you know, and if you keep going with the rest of them down there, yeah, there is -- there is a road that separates, but the numbers are probably -- it's going to be almost pretty identical in the numbers. But I know it's not this --just -- am I wrong? Okay. I just want to make sure my math -- my -- my counting -- because it doesn't look that way. When I look at the map it doesn't look that way, because there are more two to ones. But, anyways, I don't have a question or an answer, I just have a statement. Cavener: Because at least it -- kind of extend to where my question is coming from, because, again, I think you are a political science major, I'm a political science major, we are not very great at math. Simison: History. Cavener: Sorry. History. So, I -- I did something similar. I counted 32 1 think on the exterior, 26 on the interior. So, again, you are the subject matter expert when it comes to Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 24 of 35 design and layout. Help us understand why we couldn't get to -- if you have got less units on your interior perimeter than there are houses in Paramount on the exterior perimeter, what's preventing kind of that one-to-one'ish matchup, even if it was, you know, I get every now and then the architecture design, you got to have to fudge a little bit here and a little bit there, but help -- help me understand that, what -- what makes you doing -- I think what the neighbors are asking for prohibitive? Semple: Mr. Mayor, Council Member Cavener, I -- I'm not the one that purchased the property. You know, a lot of it is an investment. The money that they spent they are trying to get a return on that. To reduce the number of lots -- you are right there is 21 along the boundary where they are immediately adjacent to the Paramount homes. You know, that's going to drop the number down. It -- it feels -- because of how we have it laid out along the southern boundary, there is ten homes along the side where there is seven homes, one of which is a fairly narrow -- at the -- kind of down at the southeast corner there. So, that would take ten -- put it to seven, the geometry of the western end of this property to get our required street frontage for our lot for the UDC, our depths and our widths, you know, and not having -- and not doing common driveways, which I know is not a very popular thing to do in Meridian right now, it led to this layout. It -- it's -- to put a one-to-one ratio on the outside is more than likely leading to some challenges with the road network and, then, being able to get other lot sizes to match within the development. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Yeah. I have a very similar thought process. So -- and so just stepping back; right? In-fill it's always hard and this is a -- this is a very difficult in-fill, because you are completely surrounded by Paramount. So, I feel like in this case it is really important to be sensitive to the transition and just looking at it, I mean you have a pretty good alignment I think on the northern end. You have a buffer of Mitchum Avenue; right? That -- I think that buffer helps with that transition to the north. Over to the west I think that the lots you have are actually larger than the lots in Paramount. It's really this south -- it seems to me like the biggest issue are -- are the lot lines along Gleason Street and I mean just looking at it and I -- I understand every home is important for your client's investment, but it looked to me like if you lost one home on West Gleason Street on the west side and maybe one or two on the east side of Gleason, it looked to me like you could easily achieve a one-to-one lot line with the surrounding neighborhood and I'm just curious, you know, is that something that your client will consider if it helps the application? I think what you are hearing from neighbors is some frustration around school overcrowding, which I share, and -- and just really a desire to see something that looks like it is Paramount, like that it -- it -- it's very similar or close to the same lot lines. I think you could keep that density that you do have here kind of in the middle of all the pickleball courts, because no one's directly next to that; right? I think your biggest transition issue, just from what I see, is all kind of along Gleason Street, sort of the south part of your -- of your client's property and I just -- I'm just curious, you know, is that something that you all would consider if that's what it took to get it across the finish line. Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 25 of 35 It's a relatively modest reduction in density that I think would, you know, really alleviate a lot of concern. Semple: Mr. Mayor and Council Member Strader, I'm going to have to defer to my client for that question. I don't feel comfortable answering that for them. I will I guess reiterate that the two-to-one ratio was what was given to us by the city as an appropriate transition along the perimeter here and so that was what was pursued. To start eliminating lots is challenging. We can't add them back anywhere and still meet our open space, so we still get the amount of open space that we want on this property and on this project. So, yeah, I mean I can turn it over to my client if that is allowable. Strader: Maybe -- Mr. Mayor? Simison: Yeah. Strader: Maybe we take five. Allen: Mr. Mayor? I'm sorry. Simison: Do we need -- you -- you want to take a break? Because it -- what we are saying? Strader: Give them a chance to chat. Simison: Okay. Yeah. If -- we will go ahead and take five -- a five minute break. I will just say this. I was not recommending -- I was actually saying you guys are better than one -- than the outside edge, just so we are clear, but I will -- we will take a five minute recess. Allen: Mr. Mayor, I'm sorry, could I clarify something real quick, please? It appears that the slide in the applicant's presentation is outdated. I don't believe it's correct and I just wanted to say that, because it appears everybody's looking at the previous plan. So, just put up the most recent plan and if you will notice, especially right here, the previous plan showed like three lots here. Simison: Okay. Allen: And this is the improved plan here. So, I'm -- I'm afraid we got a little off track there and I just -- I just wanted to clarify that and -- thank you. Semple: Mr. Mayor, I want to -- Sonya, I did send it to you and, then, I had already sent in my PowerPoint and I didn't -- Simison: Well, why don't we take a five minute break so we can look at this revised, because, yeah, I was not counting on this. Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 26 of 35 Allen: I -- I put it in my presentation, the updated one, but I did not realize you didn't put it in yours. Simison: All right. Five minute recess. We will reconvene at 7:30. (Recess.) Simison: All right. We will go ahead and come on back. Like the applicant to be back up. And, Council Woman Strader, do you have a specific question based on conversations? Strader: Mr. Mayor, thank you. Give everybody a chance to -- I was just wondering if you were waving at me, sir. I was like yes. Sorry. My line of questioning -- first of all, thank you for putting up the correct plat. That's very helpful. Just looking at it, though, again, I still -- it looks to me like if you lost two homes you could match all the lot lines on the southern part of the property and so I was just going to ask your client like are they willing to do that. Semple: Mr. Mayor and I -- Council Member Strader, I had a chance to talk with my client. You know, feels really great about the layout right now. If it's a difference between an approval or a denial or the disposition of the Council is swayed, you know, he has offered that he can drop one lot that's west of Garbo and one lot that's east of Garbo and, then, that -- they are all 63 foot wide right there. That's 63 feet gets pushed into the other lots that are a lot between 14 one -- I think there is -- the plat has the lot numbering. Yeah. So, I don't know -- I don't know if -- Sonya, if you can point to 14 one right by the cul-de- sac bulb. Just below it. Just to the right of that. Yep. So, there is 14 one. So, from that to the right to Garbo drop one of those lots and push that width into those lots from 14 one to the corner there. Same thing from one on the other side of Garbo there along the south down, drop one out of there. The challenge with matching those lot lines is there is a really large lot as you get down there to the right. I just don't think that we can match that width and achieve dropping just two lots, but he has offered that if that is the direction that the Council would like to see and that makes a difference, that's what he can offer. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: That's a very generous offer and I think that that reduction in density of those two homes can make all the difference in the world. I understand what you are saying. I mean you do have -- oops. Sorry. You do have that one lot that's kind of a trapezoid shape that has kind of a large northern border and that -- that -- you are not going to be able to match that one exactly, but it -- I think that's fantastic. I mean, then, I think if you lost those two you could really come very close to matching all the lot lines and I -- like for me that would make a big difference, because, then, I think there is really no argument left at that point. You really are very compatible in terms of transition with the surrounding neighborhood. Now, granted, with -- and, again, you know, single family detached Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 27 of 35 housing, which I do think -- I feel very strongly is preferable in this area in terms of fitting the surrounding neighborhoods. So, I really appreciate your client's willingness to -- to consider that. Thank you. Semple: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Yes. Semple: Can I ask a follow-up question? Is that--would that be contained in an additional condition of approval that gets added? Allen: We certainly could do that, yes, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Simison: That's a yes from staff. Strader: Thank you. Simison: Council, any additional questions for the applicant? Semple: Thank you. Simison: Thank you. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: I just had a couple questions for staff if that's okay. Simison: Go ahead. Strader: Thank you. Sonya, if -- understanding the applicant has offered to reduce their development by two homes, would you recommend that we just add that as a condition of approval? Would you think that we need to see a revised plat? Like what -- in terms of the process what do you think that process should look like if we did go down that path tonight? Allen: Yeah. Mr. Mayor, Council Woman Strader, Council, that's under your purview, of course, but I -- I think it would be sufficient to include a condition of approval that they honor what they stated. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 28 of 35 Strader: Okay. That's helpful. And, then, I did have just a couple of questions for our parks director if that is possible, Mr. Mayor. Simison: Mr. Siddoway. Strader: Mr. Mayor, thank you. I just -- you know, from the perspective of a resident, if I'm -- you know. And I -- I don't expect residents in the City of Meridian to closely follow the ins and outs of all the changes that -- that happen, but if I looked -- if I looked at the Comprehensive Plan and I saw that there was going to be a park in my neighborhood, I would be so excited and I was I thought, oh, gosh, we are going to get a park over here. Turns out we are not getting a park. You did send an e-mail. But could you, please, explain,just for everyone's benefit, what are the reasons that this doesn't work as a pocket park. Explain how -- I think everyone knows we are served by Settlers Park, but if you could just kind of get into some of the thought process, because I can understand how people are disappointed looking at the map, hoping they are going to get a park in their neighborhood and -- and, then, they are not. Siddoway: Well, I will give -- I will start with the general answer, kind of -- with the future land use map and, then, I will zero in, because it sounds like you wanted a specific answer to this parcel as well. But the -- the park stars exist on the future land use map in order to give us as a city an opportunity to talk about whether or not there should be the park there and I have been grateful for the opportunity that that's given us to have a conversation about a park at that location. It is noted on the map that they are not parcel specific, that they do float. There is not much place in this particular square mile for it to float to, so -- but, nonetheless, was there -- I mean if you look at the map overall in -- in - - basically in the square miles that do not have a City of Meridian park, there is a star there for us to be able to have a conversation with development as it comes through and I love parks, I want more parks and I don't want anything to say tonight to come across with the idea that I don't, but not every park star becomes a park. What every park star is is an opportunity to talk about if it is, one, appropriate as development comes through. Often when a -- especially with larger developments they can become a catalyst for a conversation for a partnership. It's not very realistic on a 13 acre site to talk about a donation of a seven acre piece. But the direction -- and this goes back several years, so if this Council feels differently I'm all ears, but the direction from previous Council was that given our limited resources of funding and et cetera, that we should focus primarily, if we are purchasing land, to focus on those larger community and regional parks. It doesn't mean that the -- the smaller neighborhood parks are off the table, but the expectation has been that those would come in with a -- a partnership. Land donation and often some kind of a partnership that would involve like green up. The opportunity for this without us purchasing the property just isn't very realistic. So, we -- we -- while we never pursued a purchase of this parcel, we have been aware of it. We have looked at it. I kind of laid that out in the e-mail, but just to give some of the -- the highlights, the -- there is two parcels here. I don't know if they would have ever been sold separately, but just to take them separately, the interior one is large enough to meet the -- our minimum seven acre size for what we consider a neighborhood park. I think it's 8.7 acres. But that parcel has no frontage. There is zero. And we like our neighborhood parks to have as much frontage Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 29 of 35 as it can for visibility into the park. Having not been planned as a park up front it's surrounded by six foot solid fences. It's not the lower or open vision fences that would be required if it had been planned as a park from the beginning. There is also the two stub streets that have been seen and so we know that if we were to build a park there it would be bisected by a road somehow. That front parcel, it has a house and outbuildings on it, and to think that I would spend our limited resources to buy a house that we would just, then, tear down is all -- didn't also seem like not the right use of the resources that we have. It's -- there are a number of -- Simison: Council Woman Strader. Siddoway: You have a question? Sorry. I can pause. Strader: If that's okay. Could you just touch on -- so, what -- in the future state of the city what will be the parks -- the public parks in close proximity to this area besides Settlers Park? Siddoway: So, Settlers Park. We also have an agreement with the school district. We manage their Heritage Middle School open space with the ball fields. We -- we paid for the lights there and -- and we -- it's not a -- there is not a playground per se, so I don't want to overstate that, but we do manage that as a park and -- and schedule those. The -- going off without a map, but -- so, Heroes Park would be I think the closest to the west. Settlers Park to the south. To the northwest we are working on land that I don't own yet, but we want to see a future Fields District Park. We also -- it's well on the record that we have been working with the Ewings for Margaret Aldape Park to the north as our first park along the Boise River. I think those would be the most significant parks in the vicinity. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Yeah. Thank you. That's really helpful. I mean -- so, the area is served by a decently close proximity of about four different public parks. It does make me kind of sad that we, you know, are moving away from neighborhood parks in some -- in some aspect. I mean I do think there -- there is a purpose for them. But I understand what you are saying. You feel like this isn't really an ideal location. I just thought it was important to get that perspective on the record, so that people could kind of understand the thought process that the city has gone through. Siddoway: Thank you. And let me just say that these HOA parks are key to the open space plan for our city. You know, as a city we are trying to hold the line on around three acres per thousand, but with the speed of growth we continue to lose ground on that. I think the last count we were about 2.6 1 think. But when you count all of the HOA parks in the city we are closer to ten acres per thousand and that is what I would call the effective level of service of the open space for our residents. That's an important number to me. As a city we don't have to own all of those or, you know, require the tax dollars that would Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 30 of 35 maintain all of those. But those large parks are high amenity, high value parks and that's what we have been focused on and we do welcome partnerships for the smaller neighborhood parks. We have done three just relatively recently with Reta Huskey Park and Keith Bird Park and Hillsdale, which is classified as a community park, but it is just over 11 acres. It's kind of a similar size. So, those are all significant partnership parks that involve donation and green up and things and we do pursue those actively. So -- yeah. Welcome to parks. We -- we love them. We want more. It just didn't make sense here for us to pursue it for a purchase and there wasn't a realistic opportunity for a donation. Strader: Thank you. Little Roberts: Mr. Mayor? Steve. Simison: Council Woman Little Roberts. Little Roberts: Thank you. Had someone earlier -- well, thank you, Steve, for clarifying that. But we had someone testify earlier that they were concerned that the school green space could get fenced in, but it sounds like at least with our partnership with Heritage that would not be an option. That will always be open to the public as long as we are maintaining it. Siddoway: Not there -- you know, Paramount Elementary -- I don't know that we have the ability to say that it could never change, but I know that their policy is that those open spaces are purchased. They are the public's and so when school is not in session the playgrounds are available for the public to use. That is how it is today. Little Roberts: Awesome. Thank you. Siddoway: Okay. Thank you. Simison: Thank you. Mr. Mayor? Strader: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Happy to kick off some discussion. Simison: Okay. Strader: I don't know if you have -- Simison: We haven't closed yet. So, the applicant has concluded. The public hearing is still open. So, you can either close and discuss or discuss and close, however you would like to move forward. Strader: Mr. Mayor, I move that we close the public hearing. Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 31 of 35 Cavener: Second. Simison: I have a motion and a second to close the public hearing. Is there any discussion? If not, all in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it and the public hearing is closed. MOTION CARRIED: FIVE AYES. ONE ABSENT. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: I'm happy to kick off some discussion. I -- this is a tough one. I commend the applicant for making the changes that got us to this point and also for offering up this reduction in density by an additional two homes. I think that to me it goes above and beyond being a good neighbor and it will really help I think in terms of the transition -- it really should be seamless at that point with the surrounding neighborhood with almost -- very close. There is one property that wouldn't match, but almost an exact match up of lot lines along Gleason Street. So, I -- I think, Mr. Mayor, that in light of -- and I know people don't like to hear this, but what could go here and, then, we have an applicant before us that has made a lot of changes and has now agreed in this hearing to make an additional change of a reduction in density by two homes along the south, I'm in support of this project at this time. I think with those changes it really helps and in our Comprehensive Plan we talk about how transition with neighborhoods is one of our most important principles. I think this gets us there. So, I'm happy to make a motion, unless there is further discussion. Mr. Mayor, after considering all staff, applicant and public testimony, I move to approve File No. H-2024-0005 as presented in the staff report for today's hearing date with the additional condition that the applicant has agreed to remove two homes along West Gleason Street, one on the western side and one on the eastern side. Little Roberts: Second. Simison: I have a motion and a second. Is there discussion on the motion? If not -- Whitlock: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Member Whitlock. Whitlock: As I think about the proposed density and what's allowed there, anywhere from three units per acre to eight units per acre, we started tonight at 3.87 and I think we are at 3.73 if my math is correct. So, it's moving in the right direction closer to that minimum or bottom level that -- that the applicant could have submitted, farther away from the eight units per acre. So, I will be in support of the motion tonight. Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 32 of 35 Taylor: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Taylor. Taylor: Just want to make a couple of comments. I'm going to support the -- the application. I think it's worth noting, though, that we had a good thorough discussion about what could have been here. The park discussions. Steve, thank you for -- for that. Appreciate all the testimony that was provided. A really good point was made about the challenges of developing in-fill and I think as we are going to see more and more of that, but I think it's worth commending the applicant for your flexibility. Clearly you made some efforts throughout the process to listen to the neighbors. I do think we need to be careful about impugning motives, however. We talk about property rights. We talk about the founders. And I just make the statement that I have always enjoyed and I want to read it. America's founders understood clearly that private property is the foundation not only of prosperity, but of freedom itself. Thus through the common law, state law and the Constitution, they protected property rights, the rights of people to freely acquire, use and dispose of property. We also know that our founders envisioned a capitalistic society where self-interest was the supreme form of improving the outcomes of products and services that we have and so I don't think it's greed, I think the desire for motive is the is the best motivation for the applicant to produce the best possible product. We -- we we like to pat ourselves on the back for this beautiful city that we have created and I didn't build it. No one up here built it. Developers, builders and tradesmen throughout the valley built it and they did so with their own capital and their own vision for what they wanted to bring. So, to see an application come to this Council that tries -- and I think largely succeeds to fit in well into an awkward space, I think they did a very good job and so, again, I have no problem -- they bought the property, they can develop it. They followed all the Comprehensive Plan, all the zoning requirements that we have -- we have asked of them and yet we also acknowledge them as being the subject matter experts. I would have been fine -- I think it's great that you are willing to drop a couple lots. I would have been fine not requiring that at all. I don't think that's a requirement, but I think it just shows that you are being a good neighbor and I really appreciate that. I think that's great. So, think this is a good project and I stand in support of it tonight. Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: I wasn't going to say anything, just take the vote, but couple comments. I -- want to thank the -- the residents for coming out tonight. For the Council -- for an applicant, right, this is the -- the day job, but it's -- for many of the residents you take time out of your way to go to a neighborhood meeting and, then, Planning and Zoning Commission and, then, City Council and you send e-mails -- I love that we got voice testimony, you know, in the record. I appreciate when people call and just tell us what they think and I just think that's great. What sometimes happens along that long process is cynicism starts to develop and you get this voice in the back of your head that tells you a lie and you hear it long enough you start to believe it and you believe it so much you Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 33 of 35 start to say it a lot and we heard it tonight. We heard it. There was this accusation the City Council is somehow in cahoots with the developer. Hogwash. Hogwash. What you said was hogwash. The people of this Council --when I see my colleagues put significant time and homework and read the testimony and re-read the testimony and we ask probing questions, because we care about our community, so if you hear somebody and they say something that it sounds like hogwash you should call them out on it. That's not what our community is about. Our neighbors. And so I -- I appreciate -- I -- I feel the same way as Council Member Taylor. I appreciate your accommodations. I would have approved this project as presented. It's low density, low impact on our schools. Your efforts to complement the neighborhood is well found. We don't see a lot of applicants that come through that are wanting to be good neighbors and I appreciate you guys for doing it. I will be in support of the application tonight. Little Roberts: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Little Roberts. Little Roberts: I, too, just wanted to add my thanks to the developer for just doing your due diligence to start with. You gave us a project that was really pretty great to even begin with, because as we have mentioned before the other opportunities that have been passed by that weren't as conducive to having happy neighbors and so I think this is a great project. In-fill is so difficult and with the roads and tight spaces and things, it's -- it's not always easy and it's not always easy to manipulate and so, again, thank you and thanks for everyone that has put forth the information from Planning and Zoning, e-mailed us, testified -- testified again and it does all matter to us, even though we are all in separate districts, thanks to having zones, but we do all care all about Meridian. So thank you. Simison: Thank you. Just two cents. I won't -- you know, obviously, I don't vote in the situation, but not sure if the HOA is listening, but, hopefully, you will see something that you all have value to be part of your community, because I think your community is going to want some of these amenities and the last thing we want to have is people have to say, neighbors, don't come in to use these courts if you can, but that's for all you to decide as time moves forward. So, best of luck at that point in time. With that the clerk will call the roll. Roll Call: Cavener, yea; Strader, yea; Overton, absent; Little Roberts, yea; Taylor, yea; Whitlock, yea. Simison: All ayes. Motion carried. Thank you very much and good luck on your project. MOTION CARRIED: FIVE AYES. ONE ABSENT. FUTURE MEETING TOPICS Simison: Council, anything under future meeting topics? Meridian City Council June 4,2024 Page 34 of 35 Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Tonight I think a -- a good opportunity was raised for maybe a future meeting topic about planned parks, vision parks, how they sit on the map. So, maybe as either part of a department update down the road, but I think it may be worthy of a good conversation just for us to understand kind of the historical nature of it, where the Parks Department is growing and how we can make sure that maybe the -- in situations like this where -- where dirt starts to go away, what the department does to respond in kind. Simison: Okay. Steve, you have got that on your future -- come to a workshop. Council, with that do I have a motion? Cavener: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Cavener. Cavener: Move we adjourn the meeting. Simison: Motion to adjourn. All in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it. We are adjourned. MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES. MEETING ADJOURNED AT 7.56 P.M. (AUDIO RECORDING ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS) MAYOR ROBERT E. SIMISON 6-18-2024 ATTEST: CHRIS JOHNSON - CITY CLERK 6-18-2024