HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-07-18 Andrea Covolo
Chris Johnson
From:David Miles
Sent:Thursday, July 18, 2024 3:38 PM
To:Andrea Covolo; Economic Development; planninginquiries; Bill Parsons; Chris
Johnson; Kurt Starman; Tina Lomeli
Subject:Re: Planning commission meeting resident statement for tonight.
Andrea,
Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns on the land use application at Firenze Plaza. I have copied the
clerk and planning staff so that your comments can be added to the public record for the project hearing tonight.
Sincerely,
Dave Miles
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From: Andrea Covolo <acovolo5@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2024 3:11 PM
To: economic_development@meridiancity.org <economic_development@meridiancity.org>;
planning@meridiancity.org <planning@meridiancity.org>
Subject: Planning commission meeting resident statement for tonight.
External Sender - Please use caution with links or attachments.
Hello,
I am writing in regards to Firenze Plaza, the last item on your docket for tonight. I’d like to give a statement as a resident
of South Meridian. I discovered today that the bank is already a done deal. But I would still like to offer my thoughts on
this location in South Meridian.
How often do you go to a bank? Once a week, once a month, every six months, or rarely? Personally, I get cash at
Albertsons and deposit checks via my phone. I have not been to a bank in years. My husband goes to a bank quarterly.
On the other hand, how many times in a week do you frequent restaurants, whether sit down or fast food? Considering
most people eat around three times a day, the frequenting of restaurants vs. banks would be much much higher.
Currently, we have almost no amenities in South Meridian. I am very grateful that we finally have an Albertsons down
here. But in terms of restaurants? There’s almost nothing. We have one pizza place, a very small pub, a few taco trucks,
and a McDonald’s.
So what we have now is a bedroom community in South Meridian. When we want amenities, we have to drive on one
of the roads going north, all of which have had lengthy closings in the three years I’ve been here. And yet the building
continues down here with more than 1000 homes and high density housing.
Without amenities in South Meridian, you are forcing all of us to drive north. The situation that has been created
is against everything modern community planning and building works for. We are all putting our cars on the roads.
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Using gas, throwing exhaust in the air, creating congestion, frustrating residents, etc. Local amenities would keep us
local. We would not have to drive north for amenities.
Aside from Albertsons, we obviously are not able put our money into the local economy down here. Any restaurants we
frequent are all the way up Eagle Road in Meridian, or we drive to Boise or Nampa. And as a note, I am aware of a local
Mexican restaurant that wanted to add a location down here. But the fee and permitting process was too much. They
moved onto the city of Eagle to look for a location there. Apparently it is much easier to build a business up there.
Thank you for listening. Please look further into creating communities, where our needs are met instead of creating
isolated bedroom communities.
Andrea Covolo
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