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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-03-23 Philip Artz Charlene Way From:Philip Artz <pjartz@hotmail.com> Sent:Sunday, March 23, 2025 9:41 PM To:Clerks Comment Cc:Robert Simison; Brian Whitlock; Sonya Allen; planninginquiries Subject:H-2024-0058 In-n-Out Ten Mile Road-CUP External Sender - Please use caution with links or attachments. Please accept this email in opposition to the proposed In-n-Out Burger (hereinafter "INO") project at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Lost Rapids Drive. Please add this email to the public record for the April 17th Planning and Zoning meeting. We urge you not to approve this project which will be a detriment to our primarily residential community/neighborhood. My wife and I own and reside at 6285 N. Bolsena Lane in the Cadence at Bainbridge 55 and over community. As you know our community has entrances on Lost Rapids and on Tree Farm Way (basically an extension of Lost Rapids). The Neighborhood Although the proposed site is part of a commercial plaza with Costco and other retail businesses, INO proposes to build and operate on the far southeastern corner of the plaza. If one stands at the center of the proposed INO site and looks directly east, the first thing you see are residences and residential neighborhoods. If you turn and look directly west, you see the Olivia Apartments, some of which will be looking directly at INO. Turn and look directly south and you have a church. To the southwest and southeast are additional residential neighborhoods. Although there are existing fast food/food businesses in the Costco plaza, and the zoning may allow such businesses, most (all) of them are basically surrounded by other businesses and none of them directly face residential neighborhoods on 3 sides. I have heard statements to the effect that INO has never built a store in such close proximity to residential neighborhoods. Meridian certainly should not be the guinea pig to see how it impacts the neighborhood. This simply is not the site for a business proposing to operate as INO operates given the negative impact it will have on the surrounding area. Traffic Traffic is a major concern. INO recognizes the increased traffic impact its business will generate and commissioned its own traffic study to tell us there is no basis to be concerned. Some questions: A. Has Ganddini Group (GG) worked for INO on other projects; if so, how many; B. Has GG done other traffic studies in the Treasure Valley; C. Has GG taken into account the tremendous growth in housing and other developments in this section of the Treasure Valley which will only increase traffic near this sire even without an INO; 1 D. How much additional traffic will be generated by the imminent opening of the Fast Eddy's gas station/store at the Ten Mile/Chinden intersection. E. Common sense tells us that traffic will obviously be increased on Ten Mile (both directions) and on Lost Rapids/Tree Farm (both directions). Traffic heading north on Ten Mile and turning left onto Lost Rapids, at certain times of day and seasons, already backs up. A majority of those cars then turn right from Lost Rapids into the Costco Plaza (the same entrance to the plaza proposed to be used for INO). It is inconceivable to believe that the addition of INO will not severely impact and add to this traffic and congestion. Similarly the traffic leaving Costco plaza onto Lost Rapids will be significantly increased causing congestion and accidents. We also believe the traffic along Lost Rapids/Tree Farm between the INO and Chinden, in both directions will be negatively impacted as drivers seek to avoid the congestion closer to Ten Mile. Of course if you drive this route, you will notice that is bounded on both sides by residential housing the entire route, with the exception of Keith Byrd park. The majority of those houses have yards facing Lost Rapids/Tree Farm, with many having bedrooms in the back of the house along the road. It would also be shortsighted to ignore the likely impact future development in this area will have on traffic. West of Tree Farm has already seen significant development in the past few years in Meridian, Star and other communities. That development, particularly residential housing, continues with new proposed developments popping up seemingly monthly. The traffic from those communities will certainly head to the Ten Mile area for shopping, etc. and will use the Tree Farm/Lost Rapids "shortcut" to avoid the Ten Mile/ Chinden congestion. Tree Farm/Lost Rapids was not nor intended to be major thoroughfare with bike lanes on each side. We don't need INO traffic contributing to the problem. Safety Of course the above traffic concerns also raise safety issues. Accidents will occur with increased traffic in an area not designed to handle it. School busses load and discharge students near Keith Byrd park. Children play at the park ( as well as at Heroes Park on Ten Mile). When there are activities at Keith Byrd such as youth sports and dog training classes, cars park along Lost Rapids Drive. Making if difficult for cars heading in opposite directions to pass one another, not to mention the danger this creates for bikes in the bike lanes in each direction. Noise 2 The increased traffic will of course result in increased noise particularly in warmer weather when the windows of the neighboring homes are open as well as car windows down, with radios playing etc. Chinden and Ten Mile were obviously designed to be the main east/west and north/south thoroughfares. However Lost Rapids, Tree Farm and other nearby streets were not- they were designed as streets for residential recreational use. There are no other commercial uses on Lost Rapids/Tree Farm. To allow a commercial use such as INO on the northwest corner of Lost Rapids just doesn't make sense. It is simply human nature that as traffic congestion increases on Ten Mile and Chinden drivers will look for shortcuts such as using Lost Rapids/Tree Farm, even with out the traffic heading to INO. We also noted that INO's funded traffic study states that since it uses its own delivery trucks it can control delivery times to avoid heavy traffic, specifically stating its deliveries will be between 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. Seriously? 2 and 3 a.m. deliveries less than 500 feet from sleeping neighbors? Open until 1 a.m on weekdays and 1:30 a.m. on weekends? No other business in the Costco plaza comes close to these proposals, much less the one that will closest to the homes surrounding it. A Good Neighbor Last summer INO held a hearing session to educate the community as to its plans and allegedly to get community feedback. The feedback was overwhelmingly against the project citing many concerns about traffic, noise, safety, garbage, property values and other issues. Over and over the INO representative stated that INO would take those concerns to review and that INO wanted to be "a good neighbor". Despite those statements INO has elected to proceed with its project, apparently with no modification. It seems to me that when a large majority of one's neighbors ask that you not do something, and you proceed to do it anyway, it hardly qualifies as being a good neighbor. Conclusion For all the above reasons and more, it is urged that the City reject the INO project and protect the residential neighborhood, and the safety and quality of life of its constituents. Thank you. Philip & Patricia Artz 6285 N. Bolsena Lane Meridian, ID 83646 3