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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2-3-04 Letter from Mike AdkinsRECEI~ET? FHB - 3 200M iEy o! 11Aeridian 1!y i;ierk Office February 3, 2004 The Honorable Tammy DeWeerd, Mayor of Meridian The Honorable Council, City of Meridian 33 East Idaho Avenue Meridian, ID 83642 RE: Saguaro Canyon Estates Subdivision Dear Mayor DeWeerd and Council Members: Michael S. Adkins 6000 North Meridian Road Meridian, ID 83642 I am respectfully submitting written testimony in addition to oral testimony to be presented at the February 10th, 2004 public hearing regarding the proposed Saguaro Canyon Estates Subdivision. My estate style home and twenty acre parcel lies directly to the west of the proposed subdivision and I have several concerns that have not been addressed by the developer or by the City Council to date. On December 2, 2003 I submitted written testimony to Ms. Borchers of Meridian Planning and Zoning regarding my concerns (copy attached). To date, I have had no response from her office or from the developer regarding my concerns. The developer has not made any attempt to contact me to discuss finding a mutually beneficial resolution, indicating that his regard for adjacent properties is non-existent. I will first summarize my concerns noted in my letter of December 2, 2003 to Ms. Borchers followed by detail on these concerns. As well, I have added comments from the City Planners Staff Report dated January 5th, 2004 to the Mayor and City Council. • Lot size and density of the proposed Saguaro Canyon Estates Subdivision exceeds those recommended in typical R-4 Zoning (request is for 70% of minimums). • Consideration for adjoining properties is not adequately addressed, specifically those properties to the West. • Active farming/ranching is taking place on these properties and the needs of existing, along with the new homeowners of the subdivision, should be addressed. (Fencing on the east side has only been discussed and not required to date) • City infrastructure in North Meridian is inadequate to support the proposed subdivision. • The North Meridian Development Plan of 2002 does not appear to be of consideration. Density of the proposed Saguaro Canyon Estates Subdivision exceeds those recommended in typical R-4 Zoning, Lot Size- City Requirement R-4: 8,000 sq. ft. per lot Proposed Lot Sizes 5,735 sq. ft. minimum per lot House Size- City Requirement 1,400 sq. ft. minimum Frontage- City Requirement 80' minimum 40' minimum (cul-de-sac) Cul-de-sac City Requirement Length 450' maximum Proposed Minimum Area 1,201 sq. ft. minimum Proposed Minimum Frontage 60' minimum (perpendicular streets) 30' minimum (cul de sacs/curves) Proposed Lengths Approx. 550' maximum Staff report recommendations: Due to the lack of existing gravity sewer for 392 of the 442 buildable lots and the lack of a secondary permanent vehicular access road, we believe the annexation and preliminaryplat boundaries should be limited to the SO lots at the south end of the development. This will require the applicant to submit a new annexation legal description and a revised preliminary plat. Alternatively, staff is recommending a condition be placed on the preliminary plat and CUP/PD applications that allow a maximum of 501ots to be developed and until such time as these services become available. Finally, the applicant told staff on 12/31/03 that they understand the inherent risk involved with these two issues (extension of the North Slough Trunk and a secondary access road). The Public Works Department's preliminarily estimates the North Slough extension to be complete by Tune 2005. Staff finds that the requested zoning and annexation could be deemed premature for this section (T.4N., R.lE, Section 30) based on the Comprehensive Plan policies. However, the approval of Havasu Creek Subdivision and the school district's intent to construct a new Middle School in the next two to three years demonstrates a certain degree of intent for the City to expand in this area. The P&Z Commission and City Council should consider whether the timing is correct for expansion of the city limits into Section 30. My concerns: Meridian has a finite resource in North Meridian and approving densities of this magnitude will further exasperate over-crowding of our infrastructure. As well, Saguaro Canyon Estates doesn't protect the heritage of Meridian or the "rural-feel" that currently exists. Meridian's mantra on its letterhead states "Hub of the Treasure Valley, A good place fo live", Meridian needs to strive for something better than "a good place to live" it should be a "GREAT" place to live. If we succumb to the pressures of developers and development, Meridian will become nothing more than an over-crowded bedroom coimnunity of entry-level homes. As I have stated previously, I support growth and development, but not at the expense of existing homeowners, and certainly not without some consideration for the open space. Approving lot sizes 70% of the city requirement would be extremely questionable considering the number of homes planned for this North Meridian location. 2 Consideration for adLining~properties is not addressed, specifically those properties to the West. Staff recommendation: Staff does not anticipate that the proposed residential uses will be hazardous. However, staff finds that the new residences may be disniptive to existing agricultural practices to the west and north. The Commission and Council should rely on public testimony (oral and written) to determine whether or not the proposed uses will be disturbing or hazardous to the existing or future neighboring uses. My Recommendation: The conditional use request to allow for greater density should not be granted. And, the developer needs to provide an adequate barrier bens een the existing landowners to the west that should include a berm and solid fence protecting the future neighbors from the existing agricultural practices. Furthermore, a solid fence and high berm would be a step in the right direction towards protecting the value of existing and adjacent properties. City infrastructure Staff recommendation: Existing elementary school capacity remains an important but undetermined factor for this subdivision. In his November 10 2003 letter to the city Mr. Wendel Bivhana states that "additional students will further compoamd the camrent overcrowded situation Residents cannot be assured of attendine the neighborhood school. " Both Havasu Creek and Paramount Subdivision, approximately '/ miles to the west; have been approved for new elementary schools, although neither of these sites has a constratction date at this time. A keyquestion for the Commission and Coxrncil to consider is the degree of risk involved with approvin an annexation of which only a small portion is serviceable with municipal services and school capacity today. Joint School District Na. 2 does not intend to open the new Middle School in this section until Fall 2007, assuming it is approved on the Fa112005 bond issue. This would require extending the North Slough trui~l< to the east side of Meridian Road by Spring 2007. It could be argued ,that new residential development of this type and quantity in this square mile should not precede the availability of the public school system to provide service, u1d that the two should .coincide. Sewer - It is debatable whether the applicant's phasing of Saguaro Canyon Estates is in accordance with their connection to the North Slough Tnuilc. The Master Facility Plan's designated gravity drainage area for the majority of this subdivision is not available for service at this time. While it is possible the North Slough Tnmlc may be available to the subject property by the time Phase 2 of Saguaro Canyon Estates is ready for submission, it cannot be determined for certain because the majority of the sewer tnuik extension is through Paramount Subdivision -property outside the control of the developer of Saguaro Canyon Estates. Police/Fire -The Meridian Police Department has not replied in N~riting to this application. However, they have historically opposed new developments of this size in North Meridian until the patrol force is expanded and response times improved. Fire .service is available via Substation No. 3, tivhich opened December 2003. However, the applicant has not demonstrated how or when the maiority of the subdivision will be serviced with a permanent secondarv vehicular access. As proposed, only SO lots can be served with emergency,fre service at this time. My concerns: A development of this magnitude and this aggressive considering all of the concerns raised in the staff report is premature and certainly shouldn't be approved with the current conditional use requests for increased density, and without satisfying neighboring concerns. The proposed development will lead to further over-crowding of the schools, substantial congestion on McMillian between Meridian and Locust Grove roads, lacks the necessary police and fire protection and has inadequate sewer facilities. Finally, the staff report questions the tuning of this development and whether or not it is in the best of interests of the ci considering all of the factors called out in the report. As a resident and business leader, I recognize that growth is critical, provided it protects the interests of established property owners and adequate city infrastructure exists. The Saguaro Canyon Estates Subdivision certainly doesn't satisfy neighboring concerns and as the staff report calls out numerous times, city infrasri-ucture is inadequate. Approving this subdivision in its current form would establish a precedent in North Meridian that predisposes the future of Meridian into one of an over-crowded city with inadequate infrastructure. I am appealing to the City Council to reconsider the Saguaro Canyon Estates Subdivision and to reject it as currently proposed for all of the reasons mentioned above. I am asking the City Council to require the developer to resubmit a plan that meets the zoning requirements of the city, and more importantly, deliver a plan that is supported by adjacent home/landowners. Respectfully, Michael S. Adkins attachment: Letter to Ms. Borchers dated December 2, 2003