The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutLetter from Hal DeGrange 06/12/2007 18:46 2083456719 IDAHO HELICOPTERS PAGE 01 HELICOPTER MAINTENANCE CORPORATION 2465 COMMERCE AVENUE BOISE, IDAHO 83705 TO: COMPANY: PHONE: FAX: FROM: COMPANY: PHONE: FAX: DATE: Pages including cover page: 3 COMMENTS City Clerks office City of Meridian 208..888..4218 Hal DeGrange RECE~IVED JUN 1 8 2007 208..887..4898 City Of Meridian City Clerk Office 06/12/07 If you have problems receiving this fax, please contact 344-6S21, thank you. Hal DeGrange 136/12/2087 18:46 2083456719 IDAHO HELICOPTERS PAGE 132 CIty of Meridian JlA;.IIdianClrC4ud HIII09Grange 145D N. Silverado PI. Meridian, Idaho 8~e4:2 JunE! 12, 2007 Dear Sir or Madam: ThIs letter is in regards to the Notice of Hearing received 2fl' Of May. 2007. The application, RZ 07-008 of Richard .Brown and Roy Brown for a rezone of approximately 4 acres from a C-N zone to a c-c zone for Lois 1-5, block 1 of the comer at VIneyards SubdivisIon foI' Cheny Wood Village. I am opposed to this re-zone of the above mentioned property and the conditiGnal use permit. CUP 07-007 for the allowance of a retail sales and selVice of motor scooters, for the following reasons; 1. The 8Ilpwable conditions available under the rezone of C-C, i.e. Arts, entertalnrnent or recreational facility, outdoor stBge or muslo venue, The property is located within a residential area. to me the size of property could not sustain, If granted, actlvltles of such nature, not to mention the noise pollution that is already emitted frorn 11'118 ares. This area is alreadY over orowded. We are afraid of what could happen to this area if another property owner decided to expand. 2. Arts, entertainment or recreation faellity, outdoors1. we as residence located at the boundaries of the above mentioned property experience severe noise pollution from ttle car wash, pizza delivery, Maverick customers booming stereo's, trash pick up during week ends or early morning hours, vehicles racing in and out of the Church of Christ par1(ing lot located just south of the property on Linder. Allowing the te-zoning of ttlis property will only aggravate this condItion. 3. The Church of Christ Parking lot is a magnet to skate boarders, motorcycle riders; roller blades and a general hang out for children. The addition of a motor scooter sales and service facility will again aggravate this on going problem. IndMd1JS1S wanting to test ride these vehicles will ultimately end up in thIs parking loll have spoken with a church representatiVe concerning this matter, and the parking lot is posted with "no skate boards/roller blades etc, I've seen how ineffective this rneasure has bEiCOme, The owner of the motor soootsr facility assures me, that all test drIVes will be conduoted in front of the building. safety now comes into play. Not only do they have the congestion of the p~ delivery vehicles in and out of the area but Motorists who cut this Intersection daily, mainly high school kids heading east bOl,lnd on Cherry Lane, cutting the light, going onto the property and behind the car wash to continue south bound on Linder to Mer1dlan High School. According to the owner, test drivers will just have to be aware and dodge motorists as well. I feel this is a bad combination, someone is going to get hurt, and to prevent that, the Church parking lot is the next best plaoa, or behind the building adding more noise to the existing problem. Not to mention the noise crested during maintenance and troUble shooting being condllctecl from the blilck of the building. I have lived in the Vineyards subdivision since 1993, and have seen a lot of changes in the valley since 1969 when I moved to BoIse. Growth is inevitable but I don't see the advantage of re-z:onlng this property due to Its size and location, a small area surrounded by homes, nor the location for a motor scooter sales and service faCility. I only see Where It may raise the property value for the owner and decrease the property value to the adjacent effected homeowners. I know that this re-zoning issue may only affect a few horne owners located within 300 feet of the boundary but stili it's our sanctuaries we come home to aft:!lr a long day at wotk that is being threatened. We can not have our windows open or enjoy our back yards in the evening due to the existing noise levels. When we first built at our present address we were told by Holland Realty. by Frank Madsen, that a professional office complex was going in the above mentioned location. I guess. thars 'tNhat we get for taking his \'\lOrd. Obviously, had we known then what we do now, we wouldn't have built here but we did and nOW our property is being threatened. I have SUggested to Mr. Richard Brown at a previous meeting, to install speed bumps In the par1<lng lot facing north to slow the "comer cutters", and also a brick wall sound barrier around the south and west 136/12/213137 18:46 21383456719 IDAHO HELICOPTERS PAGE 133 . Page 2 June 12, 2007 sides of the mentioned property, similar to the one located at the south west comer of Linder and Franklin Road. This would subdue most of the noise, but would also detour trespassers Who cut through our yards and jump our fenoee. We have all mended our back fences on several occasions due to kicIs cutting through. I have mentioned this problem at a couple of city council meetings years ago, when our phase of the SUbdivision was being completed. security and noise levels were a mejor problem back then and still ara today. At that time we had asked the developer, to install a large border fence or banier around the border of the Vineyards and the above mentioned property. Had the border been built years ago, I don't think this re--zoning would be an Issue today and the cost would have been far less. I attended the public hearing on May SIU, 2007. The cinder block wall was voted down, probably because of the cost to Mr. Srown. $31,000.00 (I believe he mentioned and suggested that the horne ownel'$ help pick up the Tab.) If Mr. Brown wants to increase his property value with the re-zoning, ( as he stated previously) than he should have to comply with all the requiremenl;s set fourth for the same zoning requirements of new property. This il;l only fair. Also one of the planning and zoning members mentiOned that with 1he Installation of a wall, the sound \NOuld just bounce back and forth between a wall and the existing structure. Under what credentials can planning and zoning back this statement up? Was a Sound level meter used on either side of another wall and building to simulate the same effects at thIs location? One can be purchaSed for about $120.00. I have worked around screaming turbine engines for 30 years. My hearing is stili at a level of a 25 year old. I maintain helicopters, mainly for wild land fire fighting but also the Air St. Lukes 430. I knew the devastating effects of various sound frequencies upon one's hearing. One would be surprised of the strategic positioning of a stainless steel fuel truck or maintenance van in the field and how much sound can be dissipated and blocked let alone a cinder block wall. Sound waves bounce more rapidly depending on the distance from a srnooth metal surface to another and slowly decrease in decibel levels than from a pOrous c1nder block wall that actually abSOrbs sound, I'm not an authortty on sound waves but I have had allot of experience in this arena, so in tum I disagree with this individuals statement I feel a test should be conducted. ThiS will be my 4 th attendancE! at a MeridIan Public Hearing, if ('m not called out on ~ras prior to the 191!1. Not once have I ever seen Meridian planning and zon1ng or city council vote in favor of the affected residences. ( home owners) Can anyone explain why? Higher Tax foundation from a business? E3uddy System (favoritism)? Religion Motivated? Bl,ISinese or Property owners have more dout or respectability? I don't understand the thought process, an already congested area. throw in more traffic, more people, scooters zooming around, the Increased noise levels, for what? Maybe something as simple as a gold star beside some ones name. Ifs like throwing gas on a name. I found safety and the welfare of others took back seat to the decisIons made May sta. At any rate I would like to thank you for your time in reading my concerns. I do hope that consideration may be applied to the home owners in the Vineyards Subdivision. S;Z ~~/: 1450 N. Sllverado PI. Meridian. Idaho