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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-03 Craig Block October 2, 2024 Meridian City Council Council Members 33 E. Broadway Ave, Meridian ID 83642 RE: Baratza Subdivision H-2024-0016 Comments on Proposed Annexation Dear Council Members: My name is Craig Bock. My family and I live and play in the Bridgetower West community south of McMillan Road. I have one child attending Pleasant View Elementary School, one child attending Sawtooth Middle School and one attending Owyhee High School. My residence is on W. Viso Street which is proposed to be extended into the Baratza Subdivision. My concerns primarily revolve around the safety of my family and fellow residents, and the capacity of area schools my children attend. Annexation of the land and the proposed Project will negatively impact the safety and lives of my community as outlined in this document. School Capacities West Ada School District(WASD) estimates 171 school aged children to be housed in the Baratza Subdivision. For comparison, in the table below the projected estimates for the approved Bridgetower Multifamily CUP H-2022-0047 (approved November 2022, not yet constructed near Walmart on McMillan road) and the proposed Baratza Subdivision have been set alongside WASD's summary of the current enrollment and capacities of the area schools servicing my subdivision. Bridge Tower Baratza Multifamily CUP Subdivision School Enrollment Capacity (Approved) (Proposed) Pleasant View Elementary 735 625 Star Middle 996 1,000 94 171 Owyhee High 1,904 1,800 Where are the projected 265 school age children to be placed without bussing to other schools or bordering school districts? In 2022, comments from WASD received for the Bridgetower Multi-family CUP H-2022-0047 (future apartments near Walmart on McMillan), approved November 2022, stated that"not considering the proposed project, the area schools are projected to be at capacity for elementary schools and above capacity for middle and high schools".The following summary table was provided by WASD to show the projected students from residential developments already approved by city leadership before considering the Bridgetower Multi-family CUP H-2022-0047 apartments and the proposed Baratza Subdivision: 1IPage Approved MF Projected Approved lots per units per Students from Enrollment Ca aci attendance area attendance area Approved Dev. Pleasant View Elementary 608 650 3534 100 787 Star Middle School 909 1000 10218 357 1033 Owyhee High School 1823 1800 6531 137 1136 School of Choice Options Chief Joseph Elementary—Arts 523 700 N/A N/A Barbara Morgan STEM Academy 435 Soo N/A N/A West Ada School District supports economic growth.Assuming the area's student generation rates remain the same and the developments build out as projected,the capacity of the elementary schools identified above are projected to be at a maximum capacity upon completion of the previously approved lots.The middle and high schools are also projected to be operating above building capacity and full utilization of educational spaces upon the completion of the previously approved lots.These projections do not take into consideration the impact of additional seats provided by education organizations outside of the West Ada School District,such as charter schools,private schools and homeschools. Clearly, approval to annex the property and the proposed development CUP would compound the enrollment capacity issues of the surrounding schools by adding another 265 school aged children. It is irresponsible for city leadership to continue to approve housing projects without heeding the call from educational leadership to reconcile this kind of development with the critical infrastructure needed for education. Responsible leadership would deny annexing the property and deny the proposed project or, at a minimum, delay the project to allow time for educational infrastructure to be built that can accommodate the additional school-aged children. Safety at McMillan Road for Pedestrian Routes to School The proposed project will increase the traffic congestion on McMillan at the intersections of N. Vicenza and N. San Vito Way,further degrading conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists. Summary findings in the TIS for the Baratza Subdivision concluded that McMillan Road west of Ten Mile Road is "Anticipated to exceed ACHD's acceptable Level of Service Planning Thresholds in the PM Peak hour as a 3-lane roadway under the 2025 total conditions but meets ACHD's acceptable level of service Planning Thresholds in the shoulder hour under 2025 total conditions". The existing Bridgetower West development (south of McMillan) and the proposed Baratza subdivision are inside the walk zone for Pleasant View Elementary.Safety features for pedestrians at the McMillan Road and N. San Vito Way intersection are not adequate for the pedestrians or bicyclists crossing to go to school. It is unacceptable, the project review does not incorporate analysis of school walk zone crossings for McMillan at the existing intersection with San Vito Way and the future intersection of McMillan and the proposed N. Grand Lake Way. For reference,ACHD comments recorded in the conditional use permit for the construction of Pleasant View Elementary School (see MER18-0112/ H-2018-0123 CUP attached) clearly viewed the intersection of McMillan and N. San Vito Way as a critical intersection for off-site pedestrian accessibility to and from the school. One of the site-specific conditions of approval from the CUP is as follows: D. Site Specific Conditions of Approval 6. Monitor the need for a future crosswalk and PHB at the following off-site intersections once the walk zone is extended across the arterial roadways[due to residential developments south of McMillan and west of Black Cat Road]: 2 � a. San Vito Way/McMillan Road intersection b. Black Cat Road/Gondola Way intersection This recommendation was based on a traffic study completed on 1/13/2018. Since that time there was an additional traffic study conducted by Hale Engineering in October of 2022.The vehicle daily trips (VDT) on McMillan west of Ten Mile from these studies is compared to the projected VDT generated by the proposed Baratza subdivision in the table below: January 2018 VDT October 2022 VDT Projected Baratza VDT 4,905 9,650 2,804 additional From 2018 to 2022 the VDT nearly doubled.The proposed project would add an additional 2,804 VDT to this number,with no consideration for pedestrians crossing to the nearby elementary school within the walk zone. Comments on Proposed Baratza Subdivision Plat In ACHD comments for the Baratza Subdivision, N. Grand Lake Way is described as a collector street from McMillan Road to the internal streets of the subdivision.The existing W.Viso Street, an internal street for the adjacent Bridgetower West subdivision, is proposed to be extended into the Baratza Subdivision and connected to the N. Grand Lake Way collector street.The proposed extension of W. Viso Street into Baratza Subdivision would connect W.Viso Street to collector streets on both ends (N. San Vito Ave. and N. Grand Lake Way), effectively turning it into a collector street.The development of Bridgetower West constructed W.Viso Street as an internal street and did not consider this short straight street being connected on both ends to local subdivision collector streets. To prevent W. Viso Street (internal street to Bridgetower West)from effectively becoming a collector street to the proposed Barataza subdivision, I recommend extending W. Viso Street into the Baratza subdivision connecting only to Street N and not continuing through to Grand Lakeway. See annotated plat section below. ST. The current TIS does not address the impact of this connection to the Bridgetower West Subdivision, which is not in concert with the intended design and construction of an internal street and not acceptable to the residence living on W.Viso Street. Accepting the modification shown above will 31 Page prevent W.Viso Street from effectively becoming a local collector street for the proposed Baratza Subdivision. Conclusion The codified requirements for findings outlined in Unified Development Code of the City of Meridian (UDC) 11-5B-6(E) outline the determination of all conditional use applications be based on nine criteria. In part,the code [UDC 11-5B-6(E)] states "The commission shall base its determination on the conditional use permit request upon the following:"..: "33hat the design, construction, operation and maintenance will be compatible with other uses in the general neighborhood and with the existing or intended character of the general vicinity and that such use will not adversely change the essential character of the same area." ... "S.That the proposed use will be served adequately by essential public facilities and services such as highways, streets, schools, parks, police and fire protection, drainage structures, refuse disposal, water, and sewer." The proposed Project use will NOT be served adequately by essential public facilities and services. In this case,the streets and schools are NOT adequate to handle the additional vehicle trips and students the project will generate. Comments from WASD on the proposed projects and recently approved nearby projects echo this point. Finally, the proposed design connecting W. Viso Street to local collector streets on both ends is NOT compatible with the intended design and use as an internal street for the existing adjacent Bridgetower West subdivision. By code the Council is required to consider the nine criteria in their findings for any conditional use permit.The CUP as proposed does not meet all nine of the criteria outlined in the code. Based on this, request the Council deny the CUP. Additionally, approving the annexation the property will prompt further development considerations and may force the Council to approve a development project on the property that will further outpace the capacity of the critical services (e.g. schools,fire, police) in this area. Based on this, I request the Council deny the Annexation of the property. My family and I are for responsible development. Annexing the property and further development at this time is not in the best interest of the City of Meridian and its residents. Sincerely, Craig Bock Bridgetower West Resident 41 Page