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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-24-2026 - Staff Questions and ResponsesJustification as to why the proposed high-density multi-family development is superior to the entitled use (i.e. indoor storage facility). Following an analysis of the current and long-term occupancy record (~95%) of the existing phases and the long-term growth outlook of Meridian City, the decision was made to expand the project to add this third phase. Further market analysis shows the population growth of Meridian City to be one of the fastest growing mid-size cities in the country. In addition, the market is expected to fully absorb the 2023–2025 surplus apartment units by late 2026/2027, leaving our units in a good position to help with the demand in late 2028. Although storage units were a desired use by Bach, in 2023 data came available about the over saturation of storage units, especially in Idaho. The combination of these data points led to the determination to expand the current apartment phase. I don’t see the property management office, maintenance storage area, central mailbox location and directory & map of the development for those entering the development depicted on the site plan per UDC 11-4-3-27B.7. Do you have a plan showing this info? The existing clubhouse will provide the property management office, maintenance storage area, and central mailbox location. We will update the existing directory & map to show phase 3 of the development. Overall plan has been provided showing those facilities. Please submit a stand-alone open space exhibit that demonstrates compliance with the standards in UDC 11-4-3-27C. It’s hard to tell what areas are counted on the site plan that go into the calc’s and if some of them are actually qualified areas. Open Space Exhibit Illustrating Compliance with Standards in UDC 11-4-3-27C is submitted as an accompanying document to this memorandum. It’s not clear to me exactly where the sound wall is located in the buffer along Eagle Rd. (I see the label but no symbol or call-out for the exact location). Concrete sound wall is indicated in a clearer way on the River Valley Phase 3 Overall Site Plan exhibit as an accompanying document to this memorandum. How are you complying with the enhanced buffer requirements along Eagle Rd. required by UDC 11-4-3-27C.9 (aside from the 10’ pathway)? The landscape plan doesn’t include a calculations table showing how many street trees are required vs. provided or a Plant Schedule. In our initial application pursuant to the requirements under the Conditional Use Permit Checklist, we have supplied and furnished a complete landscape plan as required by UDC 11-3B. To help provide additional clarity we have provided an additional colored landscape plan and visual renderings illustrating the different open space areas as required by code. Will this development have access to common areas and amenities in Phases 1 and 2? Yes. Phase 3 residents will have access to the common areas and amenities in Phases 1 and 2 through a shared amenity agreement. That agreement will confirm their right to use those amenities and will outline how maintenance, costs, and rules for use are handled between the phases. Do you have an overall access and pedestrian plan for all phases of development? Overall Access Exhibit Illustrating overall access and pedestrian plan is submitted as an accompanying document to this memorandum. Two (2) previous MDA applications (H-2021-0059 & H-2021-0059 Regency at River Valley Phase 3) were denied by Council. The reasons for denial of both applications should be addressed in the new application along with what has been done to address those issues.   The reasons for denial cited by City Council on the previous DA modification requests were as follows: H-2021-0059: City Council denied the requested DA modification as presented during the hearing due to the following reasons: not having the access with some of the contiguous properties to the north adequately “flushed out”; issues with traffic and parking and associated traffic circulation; and not the right time for the City to approve the modification. The Applicant acknowledges City Council’s concern regarding access, traffic, parking, circulation, and timing of the requested DA modification. Since the hearing, additional traffic analysis has been provided to address these items. The traffic memo explains that the proposed Phase 3 access will improve overall circulation by adding another connection to River Valley Street and providing additional connectivity between the existing and proposed phases. The Sessions Parkway connection to Eagle Road also creates another access route, helping reduce reliance on Records Avenue and River Valley Street. The analysis further shows that the project access points are expected to operate at acceptable levels of service by constructing the proposed mitigations. Based on this additional information, the Applicant believes the prior concerns have been substantially addressed and respectfully requests reconsideration of the DA modification. H-2022-0057: The proposed multi-family apartments would rely, in part, on the existing multi-family apartment complex to the east of the property for ingress & egress; The proposed multi-family development will partially rely on the existing Regency at River Valley multi-family apartment complex to the east for ingress and egress. This is appropriate because the properties are under common ownership and are intended to function as part of a coordinated multi-family development. The shared access and internal connections allow the phases to work together as one connected residential community, rather than creating a separate and disconnected development pattern. This is also one of the reasons multi-family is the appropriate use for this property, as it allows the project to integrate with the existing multi-family development next door. Traffic circulation within the existing apartment complex is difficult, creating concerns for tenants, the Meridian Fire Dept. and the general public. The proposed multi-family development would compound these existing concerns. Referencing Figure 10 in the traffic impact study dated November 26, 2025, with the addition of Phase 3, the existing access from the commercial property, labeled Access 1, and a connection to the existing property will be used to access River Valley Street. This additional access will provide connectivity to the other phases to allow vehicles to use this access and alleviate some traffic from circulating through the existing site. There are two proposed connections from this proposed Phase 3 to the existing site. However, due to the access to River Valley Street being so accessible, it is not anticipated much, if any, traffic from Phase 3 will be added to the existing traffic within the previous phases. The addition of Access 1 will only help to provide another access point. It should also be noted the connection of Sessions Parkway to Eagle Road also helps to provide another access point for vehicles entering and exiting the existing site and the proposed Phase 3 site. This additional connection to Eagle Road helps remove vehicles from all having to use Records Ave or E. River Valley Street, providing an additional route for traffic circulation throughout the site. Ingress to the existing apartment complex is difficult due to the volume of traffic on E. River Valley Street, the prohibition of certain turning movements on E. River Valley St., and the design of the primary entrance to the existing apartment complex, which includes a roundabout. The proposed apartments would compound these existing concerns. The traffic impact study illustrates the existing access off E. River Valley Street at the primary entrance, labeled as Access 2 in the report, functions with acceptable levels of service in all directions and movements, except the northbound left turn from the development to the south. This is the case under the existing conditions all the way through the 2033 scenarios, both with and without the proposed Phase 3 traffic. This is caused by the high traffic volume turning left from the existing commercial/retail development to the south of E. River Valley Street. Mitigation measures were included in the traffic report to improve the proposed development impacts. Egress from the existing apartment complex is already challenging due to the volume of traffic on E. River Valley St. and the design of the street, particularly for vehicles proceeding south on N. Eagle Rd. The Applicant’s proposed project, which includes a new point of egress near the intersection of E. River Valley St. and N. Eagle Rd., would compound these existing concerns. The proposed Access 1, as labeled in the traffic report, is the existing access to the commercial property. It is located at the end of the dual left turn lane along E. River Valley Street to travel south along Eagle Road. We looked at a quick queuing analysis of the westbound left turn lane under the worst scenario, the 2033 Total Traffic scenario. On average, the queue length for the westbound left movement is 137 feet. Currently, there is around 180 feet of storage in each of the westbound left turn lanes. From the analysis performed in the traffic impact study, the westbound left turn movements function at an acceptable level of service, which indicates that if vehicles do stack up to prevent a vehicle from turning into this lane, it will clear on the next cycle and the vehicle will be able to make the appropriate movement. The highest number of vehicles making the left turn at Eagle Road occurs during the PM peak hour. With the addition of Phase 3 and Access 1, it is only anticipated 13 vehicles will make the right turn from Access 1 onto E. River Valley Street, with 10 of the vehicles getting into the left turn lanes. With dual left turn lanes and an acceptable level of service, vehicles will have adequate gaps in the westbound traffic to make the appropriate movement. The Applicant failed to demonstrate that the proposed modifications, which would change the development plan for the site from self-service storage to multi-family apartments, is superior to the existing development agreement. This was answered in the first comment response. Based on the forgoing, it was determined by City Council to not be in the City’s best interest to modify the existing agreements.