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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter from Keith Ricketts ." ......... 1/~~~~ :orable Mayor Tammy de Weerd ncil President Joe Barton 'ncilman Keith Bird cilman Charlie Roundtree cilman David Zaremba ,Jetter you are receiving from Mr. Keith Ricketts, chairman of our Building Committee, s our latest thoughts on the zoning matter. 1~:, " " cur with the contents of what he has written. August 9, 2007 RECEIVED AUG 1 7 2007 Honorable Mayor Tammy de Weerd Council President Joe Barton Councilman Keith Bird Councilman Charlie Roundtree Councilman David Zaremba Cit, of Meridian City Clerk Office Dear Civic Leaders: I currently serve as the building committee chairman for Valley Shepherd Nazarene Church and have for nearly 10 years. When we purchased the original 32 acres our dream was not only to develop a new worship facility but to have a park-like environment for many different family activities for our community and church. Although finances dictated the need to sell a portion of thl'lt 1Imd,..oudong range pll'lnning.ca11s fOI-~a.variety. of po$iti:ve--useS-for~the .remain-ing-property. We have no desire for, nor would we permit, any unsightly commercial development of our property. Valley Shepherd's desire is to be a good neighbor and to promote positive and productive family activities. In the past, V al~ey Shepherd has sponsored a number of activities for the community such as: hosting election polling booths; hosting Red Cross Blood Drives; providing meeting places for the school district, Meridian Chamber of Commerce, Alcoholics Anonymous, and other groups; affording practice facilities to the Meridian Philharmonic; sponsoring the annual fund raising chili feed/auction to raise money for school supplies for needy children in the school district; and, sponsoring an Easter Egg Hunt for the community which attracts up to 600 children and parents. We have also sponsored a program called ''Night Out" for community parents of young children where, at no cost, the church provided childcare, food, and entertainment to allow parents to have an evening out. . . "a date". These are only a few of the ways in which Valley Shepherd has tried to be a positive part of the community. Now that we have developed safe "green" space, we plan to add a variety of new activities for the community. HUpward Soccer" would provide an athletic program for very young children to learn the sport on a field scaled down for their abilities. We are also planning to offer "Upward Basketball" where young children play basketball on a scaled down floor with basketball standards of appropriate height. Our gym would also provide for adult basketball and volleyball leagues. _ A large area has been de.signated as a park and families are already donating_funds for the development of that area. A covered picnic area and horseshoe pits, playground, walking paths, and flower beds are in the planning stages. Our mission is to share with the entire community what we have been so blessed to receive and to maintain as many of the activities of the past as possible. On July 19,2007, Valley Shepherd brought a request (RZ 07-012) before the Planning and Zoning Commission to rezone our 20+ acres south of Meridian to C-G. This request was the result of a meeting with city planning personnel where we shared our desire to install an electronic sign on our property to advertise our community and church activities to those who pass by on Meridian Road. At that time we were advised by city planning personnel to pursue a zoning designation of C~G as it would best fit our needs as a church with the facility we are building and the activities we intend to pursue. On July 26, 2007, Dr. Johnson sent a letter to you regarding our understanding of our situation after the July 19, hearing. However, after greater review of the city code and discussions among Dr. Johnson, church staff, and the building committee we feel that C-G is our best solution. The recommended zoning ofL-O, that resulted from the July 19 planning and zoning hearing, will make it very difficult for us to continue with our planned mission to serve the community with recreational activities. A designation ofC-N, as suggested by homeowners who testified, does not accommodate our needs either, as it appears to restrict some outdoor activities. Our best fit would be a zoning of C-G as recommended by city staff in our June meeting. After reviewing 11-2B-2 of the city code, we do not believe a designation ofL-O would allow us to have a recreation facility outdoors, and an indoor recreational facility would be "conditional". To safely conduct Easter egg hunts for several hundred children requires a speaker system which would not be permitted in L-O. By designating the property C-G, the family, community, and _, __ _________athletk lu~tivitie!'.:--We-Wish-to.promote,_Ca11_proceed ---------- ------- -- ----- We are not into "glitzy and obnoxious" signs that would fill the night with flashing colors of light. But, we do want a tool that can be quickly and easily updated, that can display a concise message, and can be read easily by those passing by -- without being a distraction. As you weigh the evidence regarding our request for a designation of C-G, we trust that you will endeavor to understand the importance of our mission, not only for us as a church, but also for the community . We appreciate your efforts to make Meridian an attractive, safe, and productive community. Be assured we share your goals. ~a~ Keith A. Ricketts Building Committee Chairman Valley Shepherd Nazarene Church IJ_155IJrl for (SvOGI Corrip_aoMori -for www.valleyohepherd.org 831 North Main 5treet Meridian, ID 83642 206/868-2141 August 10, 2007 Honorable Mayor Tammy de Weerd Council President Joe Barton Councilman Keith Bird Councilman Charlie Roundtree Councilman David Zaremba Dear Civic Leaders, AZ AUG 13 2007 CITYOF MERIpiAN MAYOR'S OFFICE The letter you are receiving from Mr. Keith Ricketts, chairman of our Building Committee, reflects our latest thoughts on the zoning matter. I concur with the contents of what he has written. Sincerely, - raid D. Jo nson, Sr. Pastor August 9, 2007 Honorable Mayor Tammy de Weerd Council President Joe Barton Councilman Keith Bird Councilman Charlie Roundtree Councilman David Zaremba Dear Civic Leaders: RECEIVED AUG 17 2007 City of Meridian City Clerk Office I currently serve as the building committee chairman for Valley Shepherd Nazarene Church and have for nearly 10 years. When we purchased the original 32 acres our dream was not only to develop a new worship facility but to have a park -like environment for many different family activities for our community and church. Although finances dictated the need to sell a portion of that land, our long range planning calls for a variety of positive uses for the remaining property. We have no desire for, nor would we permit, any unsightly commercial development of our property. Valley Shepherd's desire is to be a good neighbor and to promote positive and productive family activities. In the past, Valley Shepherd has sponsored a number of activities for the community such as: hosting election polling booths; hosting Red Cross Blood Drives; providing meeting places for the school district, Meridian Chamber of Commerce, Alcoholics Anonymous, and other groups; affording practice facilities to the Meridian Philharmonic; sponsoring the annual fund raising chili feed/auction to raise money for school supplies for needy children in the school district; and, sponsoring an Easter Egg Hunt for the community which attracts up to 600 children and parents. We have also sponsored a program called "Night Out" for community parents of young children where, at no cost, the church provided childcare, food, and entertainment to allow parents to have an evening out... "a date". These are only a few of the ways in which Valley Shepherd has tried to be a positive part of the community. Now that we have developed safe "green" space, we plan to add a variety of new activities for the community. "Upward Soccer" would provide an athletic program for very young children to learn the sport on a field scaled down for their abilities. We are also planning to offer "Upward Basketball" where young children play basketball on a scaled down floor with basketball standards of appropriate height. Our gym would also provide for adult basketball and volleyball leagues. A large area has been designated as a park and families are already donating funds for the development of that area. A covered picnic area and horseshoe pits, playground, walking paths, and flower beds are in the planning stages. Our mission is to share with the entire community what we have been so blessed to receive and to maintain as many of the activities of the past as possible. On July 19, 2007, Valley Shepherd brought a request (RZ 07-012) before the Planning and Zoning Commission to rezone our 20+ acres south of Meridian to C-G. This request was the result of a meeting with city planning personnel where we shared our desire to install an electronic sign on our property to advertise our community and church activities to those who pass by on Meridian Road. At that time we were advised by city planning personnel to pursue a zoning designation of C-G as it would best fit our needs as a church with the facility we are building and the activities we intend to pursue. On July 26, 2007, Dr. Johnson sent a letter to you regarding our understanding of our situation after the July 19, hearing. However, after greater review of the city code and discussions among Dr. Johnson, church staff, and the building committee we feel that C-G is our best solution. The recommended zoning of L-O, that resulted from the July 19 planning and zoning hearing, will make it very difficult for us to continue with our planned mission to serve the community with recreational activities. A designation of C-N, as suggested by homeowners who testified, does not accommodate our needs either, as it appears to restrict some outdoor activities. Our best fit would be a zoning of C-G as recommended by city staff in our June meeting. After reviewing 11-2B-2 of the city code, we do not believe a designation of L-O would allow us to have a recreation facility outdoors, and an indoor recreational facility would be "conditional". To safely conduct Easter egg hunts for several hundred children requires a speaker system which would not be permitted in L-O. By designating the property C-G, the family, community, and athletic activities we wish to promote, can proceed. We are not into "glitzy and obnoxious" signs that would fill the night with flashing colors of light. But, we do want a tool that can be quickly and easily updated, that can display a concise message, and can be read easily by those passing by -- without being a distraction. As you weigh the evidence regarding our request for a designation of C-G, we trust that you will endeavor to understand the importance of our mission, not only for us as a church, but also for the community. We appreciate your efforts to make Meridian an attractive, safe, and productive community. Be assured we share your goals. Sincerely, e)�' � a X e, � /,� Keith A. Ricketts Building Committee Chairman Valley Shepherd Nazarene Church