HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-07-16 Nathan Austin
Charlene Way
From:Nathan Austin <allgrinsaustins@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, July 15, 2024 10:22 PM
To:Clerks Comment
Subject:Gateway development @ Ten Mile and Franklin
External Sender - Please use caution with links or attachments.
I write in opposition to the current plan for the gateway development. Unchecked growth for the sake of growth does
not benefit anyone. There are sustainable ways to grow a city that do not shift the negative externalities of that growth
unto others.
Meridian does not seem to hold developers accountable for the impact that their planned communities have on an area.
I would urge Meridian to adopt policy where the developer of a new high density living community will also share the
responsibility of providing infrastructure improvements to make that community self-sustaining. If a developer wins the
bid to build 2,000 new homes, then that developer should also have the obligation to build or contribute to a new
school, to a library, to a park, to a mini-mart or Bodega, to widen the roads in and around the area, etc.
Once the homes are in, the city loses all leverage to gain participation and buy-in from the developer. Currently it seems
developers enjoy all of the profit, but are required to provide none of the planning or vision to make their communities
self-sustaining and attractive in perpetuity.
I would also like the city to consider policies that promote domestic ownership, rather than foreign investment. Housing
shortage is not served through large-scale developments like this when a rich investor or entity who has never set a foot
in Idaho can buy multiple units and rent them out, but local people can't afford to buy them themselves and compete in
the open marketplace.
Nathan Austin
Meridian resident
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