2019-04-29 Sandi King1
Charlene Way
From:Sandi King <ssking72@live.com>
Sent:Saturday, April 27, 2019 9:43 AM
To:Meridian City Clerk
Subject:DevCo Development - Delano Subdivision H-2019-0027
Attachments:Apr 27th - Ltr to City of Meridian Council & Planning & Zoning.docx
Please see that both the City of Meridian Council Members and Planning and Zoning Dept receive
copies of my letter.
Thank you
Sandi King
1
Charlene Way
From:Sandi King <ssking72@live.com>
Sent:Saturday, April 27, 2019 9:43 AM
To:Meridian City Clerk
Subject:DevCo Development - Delano Subdivision H-2019-0027
Attachments:Apr 27th - Ltr to City of Meridian Council & Planning & Zoning.docx
Please see that both the City of Meridian Council Members and Planning and Zoning Dept receive
copies of my letter.
Thank you
Sandi King
April 27, 2019
City of Meridian Council, and
City of Meridian – Planning & Zoning,
cityclerk@meridiancity.org
I am a concerned neighbor, strongly opposed to the proposed Delano development as submitted,
consisting of 85 densely packed single-family homes and a group of multi-story apartment buildings
that could be between 96 and 200* units when the ultimate CUP is accepted at the latter phase of
construction. We have several alternate plans to propose that would allow DevCo to profit from their
investment while protecting the quality of life that Alpine Pointe residents assumed when they bought
their homes. One example of an alternate proposal is in attachment 1. We oppose the Delano
development in its current form, for the following reasons:
First, DevCo, the developer, has done nothing to address Alpine Pointe residents’ valid concerns about
having thousands of additional car trips through our subdivision each day (we have had three DevCo-
hosted neighborhood meetings to date) . DevCo’s plan will route the traffic from both this single-family
development and the adjoining apartment complex through Dashwood Pl, a quiet residential cul-de-sac
in Alpine Pointe that was never designed or designated to be a commercial collector road. From the
Dashwood stub road, these thousands of cars will disperse throughout Alpine Pointe to connect to
McMillan, Locust Grove and Eagle Road, creating noise and traffic hazards to children, seniors and
pets. The outlined traffic patterns will bring collateral traffic to Settlers Bridge as well. Champion Park
will also have thousands of high-density development neighbors. We respectfully ask you to help us
protect our quality of life.
In addition, Alpine Pointe has two school bus stops within our subdivision, thus the additional traffic will
pose significant danger to young school age children as those using our sub as a pass through are more
likely to drive at a higher rate of speed and not have the same concern about safety as our residents
do. In addition to this is a Daycare Facility located at the entrance into Alpine Pointe on Wainwright
which has both parental drop off and pick-up as well as buses that pick-up and drop off children.
Furthermore , it isn’t solely the Delano project that will bring forth this heavy traffic burden, but the
situation is impacted by the connection to existing subdivisions and projects under construction that
will bring the total density of the block of land bounded by Eagle Road on the east, Alpine Pointe to the
north, Ustick to the south, and Champion Park to the west to a total population that is significantly
greater in density than anywhere else in the city!
To illustrate how this proposal and future land use of nearby undeveloped parcels will result in such
high-density, this Ustick/Eagle area already has the Centrepointe Way/Ustick four-plexes (80 units) and
the Brickyard Apartments (279 units). Add another 85 single-family homes and 96 to 200 additional
apartments, and we are looking at 540 to 630 homes/apartments and 1,490 to 1,739 or more residents
in a small, tightly packed footprint (avg. Meridian household 2.76 persons).** This total resident count
and an unknown quantity of commercial traffic will use Alpine Pointe (specifically Dashwood Pl) as the
sole northern route into and out of this area. We feel that this much density must not be routed
through a quiet and far less dense subdivision like Alpine Pointe (3 houses per acre).
Secondly, the future plans for this area will add to the traffic burden ; we are concerned
that additional high density apartment projects will be proposed in the future when the combined 10
acres belonging to Mrs. Wong and Mr. Hedrick are sold (R4582530100 and R4582530202).*** The
future zoning of those parcels and the resident density would route even more traffic into Alpine Pointe
via the future Centrepointe Way to Wainwright commercial collector, N Dashwood Pl, and at
Eagle/Wainwright. If density is maxed out (200 apartments per available 5 acre parcel—Hedrick, Wong,
and Cook parcels), the Ustick/Eagle/McMillan/Locust Grove block could potentially have 1,044 homes
on the 45 acres of residential paddocks south of Wainwright, W of Eagle, and east of Champion Park,
with a potential population of 2,881 people on 45 acres (2.76 persons per household, Meridian avg.), for
a density of 64 people per acre. This would likely set a precedent for Meridian, and would overburden
Alpine Pointe and other connected communities in the area.
Third, over-connectivity: Alpine Pointe, at 90 acres and 211 homes, will be over-connected relative to
other comparable and even larger subdivisions . If we add DevCo’s proposed access point on
Dashwood, Alpine Pointe will have eight entrances/exits when the Rogue River connection and
the Centrepointe Way/Wainwright commercial collector are constructed. This just further exacerbates
our existing problem of drivers using Alpine Pointe as a high speed shortcut to avoid Eagle Road’s
already overwhelming traffic burden.
Finally, DevCo’s current proposal makes an abrupt leap from Alpine Pointe’s three homes (R-4) per
acre to R-15 and then to multi-family (R-40). We would like to see a more fluid transition from our
mostly R-4 to perhaps R-8 in the portion of the Delano development that is closest to Dashwood, and
then a transition south to R-15 (north of the Brickyard project). Perhaps the consideration
of designating the Delano apartment paddock R-40 to R-15 as a transition as well to cap population
density (parcel R4582530300) and thus put some traffic control into place.
North Dashwood Place’s fate was decided by the Meridian City Council in 2005 as a condition for
Todd Amyx to developed Alpine Pointe (aka Zebulon Heights). N Dashwood Pl was designated to be a
stub road to the Wagnild parcel for its ability to be developed, since E Jasmine Lane was a private road
used by residents of Jasmine Acres, and the parcel would be somewhat landlocked without a stub
road; ACHD staff reports did not require or recommend a stub road at N Dashwood Pl.
Here we are 14 years later, and with the creation of Centrepointe Way, the need for N Dashwood Pl
dissipates; in fact, N Dashwood Pl does not need to connect to 10.21 acres for the DevCo to
develop . DevCo has ample area and enough room to modify the Delano proposal and N Dashwood Pl
and Alpine Pointe does not need to connect, for we will connect north-to- south when the Rogue
River/N Conley (Champion Park stub road) occurs, and when the commercial collector
at Centrepointe Way/Wainwright occurs.
Below are a few solutions to the N Dashwood Pl/Alpine Pointe and DevCo Delano project problem:
1. N Dashwood Pl becomes connected to the Delano project as an emergency
lane/pedestrian/bike path, utilizing bollards . This prevents N Dashwood Pl from becoming the
de facto commercial collector in the absence of the Centrepointe Way/Wainwright commercial
collector. Emergency access is available at N Dashwood Pl, E Kern/Centrepointe Way
(created by modification of the Delano plan, and at Jasmine St/Centrepointe Way (widened for
Delano’s entrance).
2. DevCo is compelled by public agencies to modify plat to reduce the potential and imminent
traffic burdens thrust upon peaceful neighborhoods such as Alpine Pointe and Settlers
Bridge .
DevCo could create another access point at E Kern St and Centrepointe Way for the Delano
single-family home area, thus eliminating the need for any Alpine Pointe connection. The
apartment plan could be flipped (north to south) and Jasmine St continued east for future
connection to the stub streets created at the Brickyard Apartments and the future road at the
NW corner of Fast Eddy’s, which would increase traffic flow quality in this high density
area. When the parcel (currently for sale) at Jasmine and Eagle sells, this Jasmine St could be
developed to loop between Fast Eddy’s and the Brickyard Apartments, and furthermore
Jasmine could potentially be developed to connect at Eagle Road (in cooperation with ITD) for a
vital and needed road for this pending and for potential future highest density development
plans, for Meridian is planning on increasing densities from their previous comprehensive plans
regarding this application (N Dashwood connects as an emergency lane/bike/pedestrian path
with bollards in this instance).
3. DevCo is compelled to divide the Delano single-family homes (R-15) of the proposal into two
sections (see attached drawing). The northern half would be a closed- loop
neighborhood connecting at N Dashwood Pl and E Della St. E Della St would have two
turnabouts at the west and at the east end of the street. The park would be relocated west,
and an emergency lane abutting the park at the east would be an emergency lane/bike
path/pedestrian path with bollards. This would create 15-20 lots, more in line with R-8 zoning
and much more transitional in nature to Alpine Pointe (R-4). This would greatly reduce the
traffic burden upon Alpine Pointe and Settlers Bridge if N Dashwood Pl must be connected as a
public street (terminus points E and W at E Della St). Examples of previous neighborhoods with
a closed-loop are Grantham Square off of East of Locust Grove, South of Ustick and Solterra,
North of Fairview Ave off of Hickory.
The southern portion of the development could be the R-15 zoning as sought by DevCo , and
the creation of the E Kern St/Centrepointe Way entry would be utilized, and the Jasmine St
could be modified to be the main entry to this R-15 section, giving Delano access at two streets
off of Centrepointe Way.
4. Future zoning and pending zoning of parcels should be more transitional in nature, thus
capping population growth and density in such a way as to not overburden the future
commercial collector at Centrepointe Way/Wainwright, and the light at
Eagle/Wainwright. Furthermore, we respectfully ask ACHD to design the future commercial
collector with enough buffer zone for consideration of those residents of Brooksburg cul-de-sac
at Alpine Pointe, and we are hoping in an intelligent design to route traffic properly to the
Wainwright light and eliminate the cut-through traffic that will occur from those seeking to
bypass the Eagle Rd corridor.
In conclusion, without sound planning and implementation now an onerous traffic burden of cut-
through traffic seeking to avoid the Eagle Road corridor will be the fate of Alpine Pointe and Settlers
Bridge residents, thus changing the character and peace of our homes—This area will No Longer be a
great place to live. We needn’t suffer the decisions made by agencies in a much different time of our
valley (2005). The reality of explosive growth may necessitate a change in plans made decades ago, for
they will not beneficial to this area at this time.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we respectfully ask you to consider these issues with an eye towards not only
the future of Meridian and our roadways, but the quality of life of its residents. We trust you to act in
our best interests.
Sincerely,
Sandi King
2453 E Honeywood Ct
Meridian ID 83646
Ssking72@live.com
Phone: (208) 901-2989