2019-09-06 Dru and Rhonda Donat1
Charlene Way
From:Dru Donat <dru.donat@yahoo.com>
Sent:Sunday, September 08, 2019 4:48 PM
To:Meridian City Clerk
Subject:Sept 17 Devco Hearing
Dear Mayor and members of Meridian City Council,
As an Alpine Point homeowner, I write to you out of concern about the short sighted decision to punish the quiet Alpine
Point neighborhood by needlessly making it an entry and exit to a shopping center.
You have an existing nicer neighborhood that people have worked hard to be able to afford. The desirability of this
neighborhood was its quiet streets and a more private location. I'm quite sure that nobody worked, saved and moved to
Alpine Point in the hopes that we could become a busy throughway for foot and vehicular traffic. Many retired folks
chose this neighborhood for its sense of quiet privacy while being close to services.
I'm sure you will proffer white paper studies that crime will not rise and traffic will not be a problem. That's based on
reported crime. From 30+ years in law enforcement I am here to tell you from personal experience that shopping
centers and apartments accessing family neighborhoods definitely bring about increased quality of life and minor crime
issues such as trespassing, littering, damage, graffiti etc. Residents soon know that those are low priority in response and
follow up. If someone is not physically caught, residents know that the minor crime and quality of life issue is now their
burden to bear and the amount of time to report it is wasted energy unless needed for insurance. I have personally
witnessed in my experience that the through traffic, both pedestrian and vehicle, have no sense of ownership to the
affected r esidential neighborhood and treat it as such in their driving habits and pedestrian behavior. Speeding, littering,
minor thefts, trespassing and vandalism do increase. It is the homeowner that is left to deal with the situation while the
developers count their money and the local government hails its growth.
Speeding through traffic is already increasing. I routinely observe cars using our neighborhood streets to cut through.
Members of The Council could pick them out, as their driving is not like any resident who lives here and cares about the
safety and quality of life here.
I ask that you not allow streets to cut through into our quiet residential neighborhood from this new development. It is
not a necessity and only serves to punitively affect us. If you feel strongly that emergency access may be needed to the
apartments and shopping center, you could place locked gate access for emergency vehicles only at the adjoining
streets.
Please do not subject our neighborhood to these negative effects by opening it to through vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
Respectfully,
Dru and Rhonda Donat
2654 E Lacewood Dr
Meridian ID
83646
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