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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-08-21 Barbara Simmons Charlene Way From:Barbara Simmons <musement@sbcglobal.net> Sent:Thursday, August 21, 2025 5:49 PM To:Clerks Comment Cc:Barbara Simmons Subject:Comments for the September 2, 2025, Meridian City Council meeting regarding Touchmark Attachments:Response to Touchmark Development Plans 2025(1).docx External Sender - Please use caution with links or attachments. Dear Meridian City Council: Please find attached my comments/responses to the plans that Touchmark has presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission of Meridian. As a resident of Touchmark Meadow Lake Village in Meridian, I have concerns about the effects of some of the plans as presented by Touchmark - which, for many of us, were not shared ahead of that July 17, 2025, meeting. Rather, we were told we would be well represented by Touchmark. We were not. To: Kitty Roberts, President of the Resident Council at Touchmark From: Barbara Simmons, Resident of Touchmark Meadow Lake Village (Targhee 261) RE: Touchmark’s Development Plans – some responses from a resident’s perspective For some background – my husband, Jim Bathgate, and I moved to Touchmark Meadow Lake Village in April of 2024, and have enjoyed our time here in Meridian, Idaho, - a big change for both of us as we had lived in California for over four decades – raising our family there – and, originally, each of us is from the East Coast (me, from Boston – and Jim, from the Baltimore area). One aspect of Touchmark Meadow Lake Village that attracted us was its setting – we were, in our retirement years, hoping to spend more time away from urban and ‘suburban overgrowth’ communities, and the openness and feeling of privacy and space here was a big draw for us in choosing Touchmark. Here are some ‘bullet points’ of my thoughts:  Green space and a sense of privacy are truly important for Jim and me. The loss of, especially, the golf course would mean that our landscape would become the suburban ‘filling of space’ with multiple dwellings (Villas, apparently, for Touchmark) built upon 1 the golf course land. That scene doesn’t correlate with the openness initially promised here by Touchmark.  The building up of property around us (and, we understand that this is a business – retirement communities are businesses), must be done with care and with the awareness that there WILL be an increase in traffic entering our campus because of new businesses, new medical sites, new hotel, and new apartments. And, even before that, there are all the issues connected with the actual preparing of land for construction and the construction itself. I feel that we need the assurance of Touchmark that they will study what traffic and safety issues will come up with this big change to our environment.  There needs to be more communication from our Administrative Managers/Directors here at Touchmark about the development of the plans that now exist. Simply stating a scaffolding of the timeline (in 2-5 years, ‘x’ will occur…for example), is not enough to help this residential community (and my husband and me as residents) understand what the actual timeline is.  I appreciate that Destiny Sisk held the recent July meeting last Friday, 7/25/25, to reach out to residents about what she knows – and knew – and that she clarified (with her memo and with points made at the meeting) points from the 7/17/25 Planning and Zoning meeting. I would hope/expect her to be present at the August Meridian City Council meeting when this plan will be further discussed.  Jim and I plan to stay here until we are, literally, called ‘to another world’ after our time here is no more – and we hope that our time here will be as tranquil and comfortable for us as retirees as possible. We chose Touchmark because, beyond the ‘language of the community’ – the ‘full life’ that we are promised here, we hope that there is the respect for us from Touchmark that results in a respect for honest communication and dialog that is the basis for our relationship as residents to our landlords. Thank you for considering my comments. Sincerely, Barbara Simmons Touchmark Meadow Lake Village Resident musement@sbcglobal.net 408 605 2887 2 To: Ki?y Roberts, President of the Resident Council at Touchmark From: Barbara Simmons, Resident of Touchmark Meadow Lake Village (Targhee 261) RE: Touchmark’s Development Plans – some responses from a resident’s perspec?ve For some background – my husband, Jim Bathgate, and I moved to Touchmark Meadow Lake Village in April of 2024, and have enjoyed our ?me here in Meridian, Idaho, - a big change for both of us as we had lived in California for over four decades – raising our family there – and, originally, each of us is from the East Coast (me, from Boston – and Jim, from the Bal?more area). One aspect of Touchmark Meadow Lake Village that a?racted us was its se?ng – we were, in our re?rement years, hoping to spend more ?me away from urban and ‘suburban overgrowth’ communi?es, and the openness and feeling of privacy and space here was a big draw for us in choosing Touchmark. Here are some ‘bullet points’ of my thoughts:  Green space and a sense of privacy are truly important for Jim and me. The loss of, especially, the golf course would mean that our landscape would become the suburban ‘filling of space’ with mul?ple dwellings (Villas, apparently, for Touchmark) built upon the golf course land. That scene doesn’t correlate with the openness ini?ally promised here by Touchmark.  The building up of property around us (and, we understand that this is a business – re?rement communi?es are businesses), must be done with care and with the awareness that there WILL be an increase in traffic entering our campus because of new businesses, new medical sites, new hotel, and new apartments. And, even before that, there are all the issues connected with the actual preparing of land for construc?on and the construc?on itself. I feel that we need the assurance of Touchmark that they will study what traffic and safety issues will come up with this big change to our environment.  There needs to be more communica?on from our Administra?ve Managers/Directors here at Touchmark about the development of the plans that now exist. Simply sta?ng a scaffolding of the ?meline (in 2-5 years, ‘x’ will occur…for example), is not enough to help this residen?al community (and my husband and me as residents) understand what the actual ?meline is.  I appreciate that Des?ny Sisk held the recent July mee?ng last Friday, 7/25/25, to reach out to residents about what she knows – and knew – and that she clarified (with her memo and with points made at the mee?ng) points from the 7/17/25 Planning and Zoning mee?ng. I would hope/expect her to be present at the August Meridian City Council mee?ng when this plan will be further discussed.  Jim and I plan to stay here un?l we are, literally, called ‘to another world’ a?er our ?me here is no more – and we hope that our ?me here will be as tranquil and comfortable for us as re?rees as possible. We chose Touchmark because, beyond the ‘language of the community’ – the ‘full life’ that we are promised here, we hope that there is the respect for us from Touchmark that results in a respect for honest communica?on and dialog that is the basis for our rela?onship as residents to our landlords.