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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-05-07 Jana Parker Charlene Way From:nascarangel56 <nascarangel56@yahoo.com> Sent:Thursday, May 7, 2026 12:12 PM To:City Clerk Subject:Black Cat and McMillan growth External Sender - Please use caution with links or attachments. Mayor and Council Members, My name is Jana Parker and I live in northwest Meridian near the Ten Mile, Star Road, Ustick, and Chinden corridor. I am not here to oppose growth. I am here to ask for responsible growth. Our community needs growth that does not outpace roads, schools, services, and the quality of life current residents bought into. Meridian has already grown dramatically. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Meridian grew from 117,635 residents in 2020 to approximately 139,740 by 2024. That is roughly 22,000 additional residents in only four years. Our area is already absorbing that growth. West Ada is already showing the strain. The district recently approved boundary changes affecting 574 students, and Pleasant View Elementary has reached capacity, uses a portable classroom, and has no further room to expand. That is not theoretical overcrowding. That is happening now. Our roads are also already behind the growth. ACHD is widening Ustick from Ten Mile to Linder to improve traffic flow and safety, with construction impacts continuing into late 2026. That tells us the infrastructure is already trying to catch up, not that it is ready for hundreds more homes. On top of that, the District at Ten Mile is already adding about 1,800 residential units along with major retail, hotels, restaurants, and commercial traffic. Before approving another 800 homes, the city should require a clear infrastructure impact analysis that includes schools, traffic, public safety, utilities, and existing residential. I moved here years ago and the farm land I could see from my backyard is now more and more homes. I understand growth, but adding large amounts of housing supply without adequate infrastructure can further weaken resale demand and damage the value of homes residents already invested in. There are times that I must sit in a line of traffic so long that it takes 3 or 4 traffic light segments to go through before I get to the intersection and wait again. We are also lacking basic community amenities in this part of Meridian. Families in northwest Meridian are still driving roughly 6 to 9 miles to reach a movie theater. Weekly or everyday shopping near this area is overcrowded already. Adding rooftops without proportional services creates congestion, not community. I respectfully ask the Council to pause or deny this project until the developer and city can show, with data, that schools, roads, traffic flow, public safety, and community services can support it. At 1 minimum, approval should be conditioned on infrastructure being completed first, not years after residents are already living with the consequences. Thank you. 2