HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter from Vance BarbourPage 1 of 2
Tara Green
From: v barbour [vbarbour1 @hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 10.:39 PM
To: Tara Green
Cc: Will Berg
Subject: Letter of Testimony for Sep 4 2007 City Council Meeting
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Green
I am told the Council gets the agenda info electronically and so I ask that you would please also send a
hard cony to each member of the Council in advance of the meeting.
Please reply via email that you have received my letter. Thank you.
August 29, 2007
Meridian City Council
33 E. Idaho Ave.
Meridian, ID 83642
RE: Anytime Fitness LLC Conditional Use Permit 07-015 Appeal
Dear Mayor and Council:
Please accept this letter as my personal testimony asst the conditional use applicant, Anytime Fitness
LLC, (CUP 07-015) for the property located at the NE corner of Meridian and Ustick roads.
I have been a resident of this Meridian neighborhood for over three years and was satisfied the City of
Meridian zoned this corner property L-O (Light Office). Since then we now have dentist, insurance and
real estate offices located on this corner adjacent to a residential development. In fact there is a driveway
connecting the back of this L-O property to the residential street. These existing businesses are a good fit
for our neighborhood. They are clean, quiet enterprises which generate low traffic volume and operate
roughly Barn-Spm daily five days per week.
Anytime Fitness, however, would not be a good fit for our neighborhood due to the size and scope of its
business. This Anytime Fitness franchise building would be much larger than the other Anytime Fitness
club located in Kuna, operate 24 hours per day 7 days per week and can accommodate upwards of 1,500
members according to their corporate office. This business would generate greatly increased traffic at
this intersection and the entrances to this corner property disrupting the general flow of traffic especially
at peak travel hours. This is a recently improved two-lane residential road and is not scheduled for any
future widening or improvement by ACRD.
Furthermore the club is only staffed Sam-Spm so all activity outside those hours are unsupervised and
pose a increased risk of other nuisances for residents as well as personal crime toward patrons even with
8/30/2007
Page 2 of 2
their use of surveillance cameras.. Late night hours could also create more crimes of opportunity due to
its proximity to Settlers Park where we have already had late night issues of curfew violations, reckless
driving in the parking lot, noise and vandalism.
Because of its all-night hours, Anytime Fitness will create a nuisance of noise from multiple car engines
starting and running at all hours of the night disturbing our sleep and the quiet enjoyment of our own
homes. In fact it's the 24 hour availability that Anytime Fitness primarily uses to attract clients over
other health clubs. And of course additional safety lighting needed for its late night patrons will shine all
night into the backyards and bedroom windows of nearby residents.
In conclusion, the Anytime Fitness operation is better suited for a Commercial Zone and I ask you to
deny their appeal and uphold the restriction of their operating hours for conditional use at this location.
Please do not set an unfortunate precedent for L-O zones in Meridian. Commercial developers need to
respect our rights to enjoy our homes as well as abide by the zoning decisions thoughtfully made by the
Planning and Zoning Commission to better our community. Thank you for hearing me in this matter.
Sincerely,
Vance Barbour
3636 N. Alexis Way
Meridian, ID 83646
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8/30/2007
Page 1 of 2
Tara Green
From: Bill Parsons
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 8:02 AM
To: Tara Green
Subject: FW: letter of testimony for Sep 4, 2007 council hearing on CUP 07-015
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Green
Good Morning Tara,
Here is a letter of testimony staff received for denial of the Anytime Fitness appeal scheduled for the CC hearing
date of September 4, 2007.
Thanks,
Bill Parsons
Associate City Planner
Meridian Planning Department
660 East Watertower Lane Suite 202
Meridian, Idaho 83642
PHONE: (208) 884-5533
FAX: (208) 888-6854
parsonsb@meridiancity.org
From: v Barbour [mailto:vbarbouri@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 10:31 PM
To: Bill Parsons
Subject: letter of testimony for Sep 4, 2007 council hearing on CUP 07-015
------ Please provide the folowing letter of testimony to the City Council for the 9/4/2007 hearing for
CUP 07-015 ------
August 29, 2007
Meridian City Council
33 E. Idaho Ave.
Meridian, ID 83642
RE: Anytime Fitness LLC Conditional Use Permit 07-015 Appeal
Dear Mayor and Council:
Please accept this letter as my personal testimony against the conditional use applicant, Anytime Fitness
LLC, (CUP 07-015) for the property located at the NE corner of Meridian and Ustick roads.
I have been a resident of this Meridian neighborhood for over three years and was satisfied the City of
Meridian zoned this corner property L-O (Light Office). Since then we now have dentist, insurance and
8/30/2007
Page 2 of 2
real estate offices located on this corner adjacent to a residential development. In fact there is a driveway
connecting the back of this L-O property to the residential street. These existing businesses are a good fit
for our neighborhood. They are clean, quiet enterprises which generate low traffic volume and operate
roughly Sam-Spm daily five days per week.
Anytime Fitness, however, would not be a good fit for our neighborhood due to the size and scope of its
business. This Anytime Fitness franchise building would be much larger than the other Anytime Fitness
club located in Kuna, operate 24 hours per day 7 days per week and can accommodate upwards of 1,500
members according to their corporate office. This business would generate greatly increased traffic at
this intersection and the entrances to this corner property disrupting the general flow of traffic especially
at peak travel hours. This is a recently improved two-lane residential road and is not scheduled for any
future widening or improvement by ACRD.
Furthermore the club is only staffed Sam-Spm so all activity outside those hours are unsupervised and
pose a increased risk of other nuisances for residents as well as personal crime toward patrons even with
their use of surveillance cameras. Late night hours could also create more crimes of opportunity due to
its proximity to Settlers Park where we have already had late night issues of curfew violations, reckless
driving in the parking lot, noise and vandalism.
Because of its all-night hours, Anytime Fitness will create a nuisance of noise from multiple car engines
starting and running at all hours of the night disturbing our sleep and the quiet enjoyment of our own
homes. In fact it's the 24 hour availability that Anytime Fitness primarily uses to attract clients over
other health clubs. And of course additional safety lighting needed for its late night patrons will shine all
night into the backyards and bedroom windows of nearby residents.
In conclusion, the Anytime Fitness operation is better suited for a Commercial Zone and I ask you to
deny their appeal and uphold the restriction of their operating hours for conditional use at this location.
Please do not set an unfortunate precedent for L-O zones in Meridian. Commercial developers need to
respect our rights to enjoy our homes as well as abide by the zoning decisions thoughtfully made by the
Planning and Zoning Commission to better our community. Thank you for hearing me in this matter.
Sincerely,
Vance Barbour
3636 N. Alexis Way
Meridian, ID 83646
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8/30/2007