HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter from Joe Silva~ C E ;~ IDI:A;N~
~'. .~ ~. ,~ ~'
May 13, 2008
TO: Sonya Watters, Planner, City of Meridian
FROM: Joseph Silva, Deputy Chief, F'ire Prevention
SUBJECT: Overland Village Site Access
MayorTammy de CNeerd.
City..Council Members:
Keith Bird
Joe Bo'rton
Charles Rountree
David Zarerntia
.~~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~~
~
MAY 1 3 1008
G~~' OF ~ERi~IA~v
C11~ CI_ERK 0~~~~~
I have reviewed the revised conceptual site plan that has been provided to us by Landmark
Development Group that shows emergency access from Overland Rd. to the site.
The Meridian Fire Department recommends that approval of this project be denied until access
can be provided via a point of connection to the property directly to the East (known as the
Ustick Marketplace property). The serviceability of this project by the Meridian Fire
Department needs to be via a direet route by going North on a newly extended and future
signalized Silverstone Way to a stub street frorn the Overland Village project over the Eightmile
Creek.
Emergency access to the project would be by one of the following options:
Option 1. The revised access plan would require that the Meridian Fire Department either drive
over a traffic separator which would split the East and West bound Overland with a minimum 2'
wide 2" to 6" high hump that would require that we get a break in the Westbound Overland Rd.
traffic waiting to go South on Eagle. It is not unusual for commute traffic to stack back to the
point where a realigned Rackham Way would be relocated. Damage can result to the frame &
pump plumbing of a fire engine attempting to mount this 6" high traffic separator at a 45 degree
angle to turn into the realigned Rackham Way.
The ACHD comment referenced above, reads as follows:
Pay a road trust deposit sufficient to cover the cost of installing a six inch raised median to restrict
the realigned Rackham Way to right-in/right-out in the future. Rackham Way will be restricted to
right-in/right-out either on a deternunation by ACHD staff of a substantial safety issue, or on the
provision of a connection from Rackham Way to a signalized intersection to the east, whichever
occurs first. ~
Option 2. This option would require that the Meridian Fire Department enter thru an emergency
vehicle access gate located at Overland Rd on the extreme East end of the property. Note that
we have not had to enter any commercial property thru a gate as our primary response route to a
given location. This gate would still require that we be able to cross the median with stacked
Westbound Overland traffic during commute hours.
Meridian Fire Department . 540 E. Franklin Road, Meridian, ID 83642
Phone 208-888-1234 . Fax 208-895-0390 . www.meridiancity.org
[Recipient]
Page 2
As previously stated in the Planning Department Staff Report, the Fire Department strongly
recommends that development of this property be conditioned on Rackham Way being and
remaining a right-in/right-out, left-in access to the site, unless a bridge is constructed across the
Eight Mile Creek and access is provided from the east to the site from the future signalized
intersection at Overland/Silverstone. Further, the Fire Department is not supportive of a left-out
access from the site to Overland because of the traffic hazard it would presumably create. (See
ACHD comment above) If left in access can not be provided from Eastbound Overland Rd into
the project, it is recommended that the project be denied. The only way that Meridian Fire Units
have a way of accessing the project currently from the West is thru the Silverstone Development
South of the site by first turning on E. Goldstone to S. Silverstone Way to be able to enter the
project by going Westbound on Overland.