Letter from Dorothy Pefferle.~
NOV 3 p 2001
CITY OF MERIDIAN
CITY CLERK O~FICF
~1VIayor Tammy de Weerd
Councilman Joe Borton
Councilman Charlie Rountree
Councilman Keith Bird
Councilman David Zaremba
2613 W. Cedar Grove Street
Meridian, ID 83646
November 30, 2007
HAND DELIVERED
RE: Selway Apartment Hearing November 27, 2007
Dear Mayor and Council Members:
I attended the meeting and was impressed with your willingness to listen to the homeowners'
concerns regarding the proposed Selway Apartment project. I think you did a really fine job. I was so
happy and relieved to hear you say that the quality of the proposed construction does not meet your
vision of the Meridian you are trying to build, and the Meridian I have come to love.
My home is in Kelly Creek subdivision, near Goddard Creek. Unlike many other homeowners, I
did ask my Realtor, Larry Wickham, what was going to be built on the land which is now the proposed
Selway site, and was told that most likely there would be apartments, with commercial to the South
bordering McMillan.
The idea of apartments did not raise a red flag with me -since the neighborhood was going to be
nice, I assumed the apartments would be upscale and a good fit. In addition, for 12 years I watched
nonstop development in the Roseville/Rocklin area of Placer County, California (20 miles east of
Sacramento). It was asemi-rural area for many years, and then took off like Meridian has done -
though at a faster pace. The two communities are similar in a lot of ways -family friendly, great places
to rear children, etc.
Many of the new subdivisions there have apartment complexes incorporated into the master plan,
and the result is lovely. The homes are very nice -all stucco, the roofs -beautiful landscaping, etc. The
apartments are equally nice - 100 percent stucco, file roofs, many with garages -massive landscaping -
something I would readily live in if I were to decide I didn't want to maintain a home and yard. They
are two stories -not real high density -and esthetically pleasing - I have seen similar developments in
other areas of the country the past five years or so, most likely as a result of a step toward public transit.
So when Larry Wickham told me apartments would be built, that is what I was envisioning.
Mayor and City Council Members Page 2 November 30, 2007
I was horrified when I leazned what was planned adjoining Kelly Creek when I first saw the
project plan for Selway. When I purchased Goddard Creek was not in -everything was dirt - so I never
in my wildest dream could have imagined any City Government would allow the main (and for a time
only) entrance to a large apartment complex to be located within our subdivision; or that the City would
allow something so shoddy and low quality (three story vinyl) be built among very nice homes. I
wondered what kind of place I had moved to. (Thanks to P & Z for nixing the vinyl.)
I do love Meridian - I had been planning to relocate for five yeazs, and had visited quite a few
different cities in various states. As a Montana native, I knew what I was looking for and was beginning
to think it didn't exist anymore - then I found Meridian.
Please do everything within your power to keep our neighborhood safe and esthetically pleasing.
As this process moves along, I am hoping that
(1) You will hold the developers to very high standards, including lots of stone and
stucco. I would like to see both, as that is what most of our homes have. You
mentioned 50 percent or more as I recall. If the plan isn't in Meridian's best interest,
you have the responsibility to ask them to scrap it and go back to the drawing board.
It doesn't look classy or high quality to me. The developers are counting on
landscaping to solve a multitude of problems. As an avid gardener, I am observing
and learning that this is not quickly and easily done in our desert climate. Things
grow slowly, so the buildings themselves need to be attractive, as they will be in view
for some time.
(2) Most of the surrounding subdivisions have nice stone entrances with some kind of
water feature. The apartments should have a similaz entrance, and this comes under
`making them nice' and `fit in'. If they have a sign, hopefully it will be approved by
the City and be nice quality and in good taste, properly placed. Maybe it could say
something like Selway Village and avoid the word apartments -slightly less
offensive. Perhaps it could be cleaz~ defined that they aze separate and not a part of
Kelly Creek. I am bothered by the fact that you enter Goddard Creek, pass the Kelly
Creek entrance sign, then on the left will be the entrance to the apartments, after you
enter our subdivision. Just awful and unacceptable. It will look like the apartments
are part of our subdivision. Hope you can think of a remedy for this.
(3) The developers want to put on a cheaper roof, but should be held to higher standazds,
and required to use the same roofing material that our homes have.
(4) You may have seen pictures of some of the developments this developer (Rudeen) has
built in the Spokane area. Someone has the power point slide show, and I am hoping
you will find time to see it. Perhaps you could arrange to view it at the continuation
Mayor and City Council Members Page 3 November 30, 2007
(5) meeting. I think you would be alarmed when you see the quality of their construction
and the overall look of their developments. It appears they are not high-end or even
mid-level developers and will not attract the kind of tenants that will fit into our
neighborhoods. As I recall some of their developments were in industrial areas
In closing -thanks for listening. We all know mistakes were made -but please do everything
within your power to ensure whatever is built on this property will be an asset to ow neighborhoods and
to Meridian.
I have owned investment property including apartments and still do own commercial property, so
I do understand the developer's profit motive and their desire to use less expensive materials for greater
return; however, I feel this is not the proper setting for aloes-end development. Certainly I would think
it may be possible to decrease the number of units while making them more upscale, still providing a
good return on the investment.
Like many of my neighbors (who do not attend the meetings) say - I don't have a problem with
apartments -just make them nice, as nice as the neighborhood so they attract tenants that will be an
asset to the neighborhood and to Meridian. Our neighborhood has a low crime rate, and we want to
keep it that way.
Sincerely,
Dorothy Pefferle
855-5755