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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter from Cathy FloydPage 1 of 3 Tara Green From: Peggy Gardner Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 12:12 PM To: 'cathyfloyd@hotmail.com' Cc: clerk; Brad Hoaglun; Matthew Ellsworth Subject: FW: Deny Waltman Lane/Browning Plaza Project Importance: High Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Green Catny, Your email has been received. I will ask the Clerk's office to add this as testimony for any upcoming hearings. The Mayor and Council are unable to comment on an open application outside of the public hearing process. All of their comments must be on the record. Even when a development is denied, that property owner has the right to make changes and bring it back thru the public process. The public process acknowledges private properly rights to develop within the publicly approved comprehensive plan. I can tell you if the Mayor or Council members were in a position to personally gain from this project they would exclude themselves from voting and public discussion. I have also forwarded your comments to our newest City Councilman, Brad Hoaglun, who will be sworn in September 9th for the seat vacated by Joe Borton. Rebuilding the intersection at Waltman and Meridian Road is greatly needed. The Split Corridor design was chosen thru a lengthy public process. I will also forward your email to Matt Ellsworth in our Planning Department. He may be able to give you an update on the timeline for the Ten Mile Interchange and the Split Corridor. I am unaware of any immediate plans for an overpass at Linder but would personally agree with you that it would be nice to have that on the horizon. Yet with the lack of transportation funds, we feel very fortunate that the planned start for Ten Mile is slated for the 2009 Fiscal Year Budget. Thank you for taking time to send your comments. Peggy Gardner Administrative Secretary to Mayor Tammy de Weerd City of Meridian Phone 884-2468 ext. 204 From: Cathy Floyd [mailto:cathyfloyd@hotmail.com] Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 10:25 AM To: Charlie Rountree; David Zaremba; Keith Bird; mayortammy; clerk Subject: Deny Waltman Lane/Browning Plaza Project Importance: High Dear Mayor & City Council Members: 9/19/2008 Page 2 of 3 The Waltman Lane/Browning Plaza has been scheduled to appear before for the Planning & Zoning Commisssion and the City Council sixteen times and is now scheduled for September 23 (17th time). I can only assume this project keeps its momentum because someone on the Council is benefitting somehow by the completion of this project.... No other reason makes any sense. After Tuesday's meeting I now realize why the Waltman Lane/Browning Plaza was scheduled to appear last on the agenda. Obviously the applicant of the Overland project would realize he's getting denied for a project that is very similar to his (but somehow has kept getting continued or approved). Clearly something fishy is going on for this project to waste so much time and effort of city employees and residents...not to mention huge amounts of tax payer money. If approved, (which obviously will happen since this applicant gets anything they request) the reconsideration portion of this project will require an electronic gate at the end of Waltman Lane with cards to access our homes. This is a ridiculous idea and I'm appalled that the Council is even considering it! Does this mean all emergency personnel will all be given cards to open the electronic gate, as well as any visitors to our homes? Also the developers don't want Conditional Use permits required for buildings next to residential areas? Hopefully you have teamed from prior mistakes and realize that CU permits are necessary to protect residents. Below are excerpts from two City Council meetings. Shawn Nickel and Anna Canning are both quoted as saying that the intersection must be completed before any building takes place. The completion of the Split Corridor (another huge waste of tax payer money) was also a stipulation of ACHD approval as well. My neighbors and I have tried our best to use sound logic and reasoning, but it is apparent that this Council settles on projects using some other method. I would hope you would take into consideration the best interests of Meridian residents instead of the "good of boy" system , that's apparently in place. If you aren't going to consider public opinion, then why is the public even invited to these meetings? The area being considered for the Waltman Lane/Browning Plaza project is already congested and will contribute to even more traffic issues in this area. My suggestions are to build an overpass at Linder Road and expedite the Ten Mile exit BEFORE the Split Corridor is allowed to begin construction; As well as deny the reconsideration of the Waltman Lane/Browning Plaza project. Regards, Cathy Floyd 520 Waltman Lane Meridian, ID 9/19/2008 Page 3 of 3 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES: Meridian City Council June 24, 2008 Page 33 of 60 Nickel: Thank you, again, Madam Mayor and Council. For the record, Shawn Nickel. Just to remind every body, the intersection of Waltman and Meridian Road will be fully constructed before we can pull any building permits on -- on our site. So, that conflict that exists -- exists now is not going to be there when we pull our building permits and I think that's important to understand, because as it sits today, it's a very bad intersection and we all understand that. COMMENT.• They understand that it's a very bad intersection, but are still willing to put Meridian residents' lives at stake by bringing heavy equipment through an already congested area? Nickel: So, these issues of Corporate connection and how we are going to bring Waltman Lane in and transition it into our new Waltman will all betaken care of at that time. We will have another neighborhood meeting, we will work with the neighbors like we have before on the first plan and make sure everyone understands where the stop signs are, where their accesses are going to be, buffering and all that, will be handled if we decide to go with this concept plan. COMMENT: No neighborhood meeting ever took place to address these issues. Meridian City Council July 8, 2008 Page 26 of 40 Canning: With regard to the condition number three --sorry. Staff was not in favor ofthe --not doing Waltman at the beginning. We do believe it's necessary for a lot of the reasons you have heard from the public tonight, that it is a substandard road and the fire and safety concerns as well. With regard to number seven, we don't feel it's appropriate for the applicant to be able pull a building permit until the construction traffic is --until the split corridor intersection improvements are done. We feel that the construction traffic would just overwhelm that intersection while they are trying to work on it. It is going to be difficult for the residents to get in and out of there already. Having that additional complicating those movements would be -- we don't think it would be appropriate. And that would reflect item number ten as well. With regard to number 17, I think I stated this as I went through our conditions the first time. I do think it's appropriate to leave some of those restrictions in place for those western properties and northwestern. Nickel: we will accept that as a condition of approval for the Waltman extension off site. We are doing all the improvements on site, all the Waltman, the Ruddy's and all that, we have to condition for Corporate at 8,000 vehicle trips per day, so may as well just finish off the rest of the outside street and extend the Waltman from the eastern boundary to the new intersection. COMMENT.• Really? What was the purpose of the September2 meeting then? Get more out of the Web. Learn 10 hidden secrets of Windows Live. Learn Now 9/19/2008 Page 1 of 3 Tara Green From: Cathy Floyd [cathyfloyd@hotmail.com] Sent: Thursday, September 04, 200810:25 AM To: Charlie Rountree; David Zaremba; Keith Bird; mayortammy; clerk Subject: Deny Waltman Lane/Browning Plaza Project Importance: High Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Green Dear Mayor & City Council Members: The Waltman Lane/Browning Plaza has been scheduled to appear before for the Planning 8~ Zoning Commission and the City Council sixteen times and is now scheduled for September 23 (17th time). I can only assume this project keeps its momentum because someone on the Council is benefitting somehow by the completion of this project.... No other reason makes any sense. After Tuesday's meeting I now realize why the Waltman Lane/Browning Plaza was scheduled to appear last on the agenda. Obviously the applicant of the Overland project would realize he's getting denied for a project that is very similar to his (but somehow has kept getting continued or approved). Clearly something fishy is going on for this project to waste so much time and effort of city employees and residents...not to mention huge amounts of tax payer money. If approved, (which obviously will happen since this applicant gets anything they request) the reconsideration portion of this project will require an electronic gate at the end of Waltman Lane with cards to access our homes. This is a ridiculous idea and I'm appalled that the Council is even considering it! Does this mean all emergency personnel will all be given cards to open the electronic gate, as well as any visitors to our homes? Also the developers don't want Conditional Use permits required for buildings next to residential areas? Hopefully you have teamed from prior mistakes and realize that CU permits are necessary to protect residents. Below are excerpts from two City Council meetings. Shawn Nickel and Anna Canning are both quoted as saying that the intersection must be completed before any building takes place. The completion of the Split Corridor (another huge waste of tax-payer money) was also a stipulation of ACRD approval as well. My neighbors and I have tried our best to use sound logic and reasoning, but it is apparent that this Council settles on projects using some other method. I would hope you would take into consideration the best interests of Meridian residents instead of the "good of boy" system that's apparently in place. If you aren't going to consider public opinion, then why is the public even invited to these meetings? The area being considered for the Waltman Lane/Browning Plaza project is already congested and will contribute to even more traffic issues in this area. My suggestions are to build an overpass at Linder Road and expedite the Ten Mile exit BEFORE the Split Comdor is 9/19/2008 Page 2 of 3 allowed to begin construction; As well as deny the reconsideration of the Waltman Lane/Browning Plaza project. Regards, Cathy Floyd 520 Waltman Lane Meridian, ID 9/19/2008 Page 3 of 3 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES: Meridian City Council June 24, 2008 Page 33 of 60 Nickel: Thank you, again, Madam Mayor and Council. For the record, Shawn Nickel. Just to remind every body, the intersection of Waltman and Meridian Road will be fully constructed before we can pull any building permits on -- on our site. So, that conflict that exists -- exists now is not going to be there when we pull our building permits and I think that's important to understand, because as it sits today, it's a very bad intersection and we all understand that. COMMENT: They understand that it's a very bad intersection, but are still willing to put Meridian residents' lives at stake by bringing heavy equipment through an already congested area? Nickel: So, these issues of Corporate connection and how we are going to bring Waltman Lane in and transition it into our new Waltman will all betaken care of at that time. We will have another neighborhood meeting, we will work with the neighbors like we have before on the first plan and make sure everyone understands where the stop signs are, where their accesses are going to be, buffering and all that, will be handled if we decide to go with this concept plan. COMMENT: No neighborhood meeting ever took place to address these issues. Meridian City Council July 8, 2008 Page 26 of 40 Canning: With regard to the condition number three --sorry. Staff was not infavor ofthe --not doing Waltman at the beginning. We do believe it's necessary for a lot of the reasons you have heard from the public tonight, that it is a substandard road and the fire and safety concerns as well. With regard to number seven, we don't feel it's appropriate for the applicant to be able pull a building permit until the construction traffic is --until the split corridor intersection improvements are done. We feel that the construction traffic would just overwhelm that intersection while they are trying to work on it. It is going to be difficult for the residents to get in and out of there already. Having that additional complicating those movements would be -- we don't think it would be appropriate. And that would reflect item number ten as well. With regard to number 17, I think I stated this as I went through our conditions the first time. I do think it's appropriate to leave some of those restrictions in place for those western properties and northwestern. Nickel: we will accept that as a condition of approval for the Waltman extension off site. We are doing all the improvements on site, all the Waltman, the Ruddy's and all that, we have to condition for Corporate at 8,000 vehicle trips per day, so may as well just finish off the rest of the outside street and extend the Waltman from the eastern boundary to the new intersection. COMMENT: Really? What was the purpose of the September 2 meeting then? Get more out of the Web. Learn 10 hidden secrets of Windows Live. Learn Now 9/19/2008