2019-10-08 Mike and Malissa Bernard1
Charlene Way
From:Sonya Allen
Sent:Tuesday, October 08, 2019 9:25 AM
To:Adrienne Weatherly; Charlene Way; Chris Johnson
Cc:Bill Parsons; Frank Marcos; Sandi King; Mike and Malissa Bernard
Subject:RE: October 8, 2019 Malissa Bernard written testimony DevCo, Delano Boise City
Council letter
Clerk – Please include this email in the public record for the Delano Subdivision project. Thank you!
From: Mike and Malissa Bernard <MMBERNARD1@msn.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 8, 2019 9:17 AM
To: citycouncil@cityofboise.org
Cc: Mike and Malissa Bernard <MMBERNARD1@msn.com>; Bill Parsons <bparsons@meridiancity.org>; Sonya Allen
<sallen@meridiancity.org>; Frank Marcos <bsblcty@aol.com>; Sandi King <ssking72@live.com>
Subject: October 8, 2019 Malissa Bernard written testimony DevCo, Delano Boise City Council letter
To the Honorable David Bieter, Mayor,
To the Members of the City Council of Boise:
You are hearing the application CPA 19-00002 on October 8, 2019 for the annexation of a parcel from Boise’s
area of impact to Meridian’s area of impact. This parcel, at 14120 W Jasmine Lane, is part of the subdivision
for the Delano project presented by DevCo Real Estate Development. This item was heard previously in June
of 2018, and that application was abruptly withdrawn by the applicant.
We, as residents of Alpine Pointe, asked the City of Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission to deny or
defer this application in the City of Meridian for a myriad of reasons. The Planning and Zoning Commission
read the letter by Daren Fluke on July 18, 2019, where Mr. Fluke asked for this application to be deferred or
denied. The P and Z Commission read and heard the testimony of many neighbors against this subdivision,
many neighbors agreeing the plan was not complementary or harmonious to Alpine Pointe in density transition;
neighbors objected to the traffic patterns; neighbors objected to the poor design; neighbors objected to the
addition of more high density projects to existing high density projects; neighbors objected to skinny streets for
parking and basic navigation; neighbors objected to the small percentage of usable green space; neighbors
objected to the style of housing--among other concerns.
This application resulted in the recommendation for denial by the Meridian P and Z Commissioners for two key
reasons in the motion: the applicant needed to work with the City of Boise regarding the annexation of the
Cook parcel and the applicant was to work with the neighbors. The recommendation for denial was
unanimous. The commissioners had many questions, comments, and concerns regarding this application (in
the P and Z minutes, Meridian, July 18, 2019), many echoing the concerns of our area neighbors.
The applicant has not demonstrated any intentions to work with the neighbors thus far, though alternate plans
have been revealed to the applicant, the City of Meridian planning staff, the City of Meridian Planning and
Zoning Commission, ACHD Commissioners, ACHD Planning, and to the Mayor of Meridian and to the City of
Meridian City Council that would allow the applicant to develop while our neighborhood could retain its
character, and the City of Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission believed that these plans present viable
alternatives vs. the applicant’s plan. I will publicly ask for denial of this project when it is ultimately heard by
the City of Meridian City Council, as will many of my neighbors if it is to exist in its current form.
2
If this 4.15 parcel is to be sent to Meridian’s area of impact, under MU-R designation, we would like to have
Boise’s word that Meridian could develop this parcel under MU-R parameters of 6 units per acre to 40 units per
acre, and not be bound to any condition of high to maximum density potentials. We have been told by the
applicant recently that DevCo is proposing to build high density, for the City of Boise would realize the higher
end of density for this parcel with potentials of at least four stories (Mr. Laren Bailey, 26 September 2019).
We would ask the City to consider the rest of this square mile. There is one high density project that exists (80
unit four-plexes) and one that is being constructed (Brickyard project) that will cumulatively result in
approximately 350 total units. This will result in approximately 1000 total people when fully leased. If the City
of Meridian and/or the City of Boise maximize the density potentials for the Wong parcel at 14104 W Eagle
View and the Hedrick parcel at Jasmine Lane and Eagle Road, in addition to expected buildouts for the
Enzler (2610 E Jasmine Lane) and Bollinger (2800 E Jasmine Lane) parcels, this small collective acreage of
the Valley could have 3,000 inhabitants or more, all south of Wainwright and east of Champion Park
subdivision—that is nearing the population of McCall on a very dense footprint.
DevCo’s current proposal makes an abrupt leap from Alpine Pointe’s less than 3 homes per acre to R-15 and
then to multi-family at 96 proposed units for the Cook parcel. We would like to see a more fluid transition from
our mostly R4 to perhaps R-6/R-8 in the portion of the Delano development that is closest to Dashwood (the
single family homes), and then a transition to R-15 for the single family parcel to the south, towards the
Brickyard apartments. Furthermore, perhaps R-15 rather than multi-family at the Cook parcel (R4582530300)
to buffer some of the density.
Please consider a possible future light office use or low-height (single stories) for the 14104 W Eagle View
(Wong) parcel if it is to remain in the City of Boise impact area. There are 2.76 homes per acre in Alpine
Pointe, and the threat of incompatible 3 to 4 stories behind homes on .28 to 1/3 acre is not complementary or
transitional in nature.
Furthermore, consider the stresses and strains of overburdened Eagle Road at most points, for often the traffic
on Eagle is so congested that neighbors exiting at the Wainwright and Eagle light cannot get through when
their light is green…absolutely not a budge with vehicles blocking all points at peak hours. I have sat through
many perfectly good green lights with absolutely nowhere to go.
I do not object to the 14120 W Jasmine Lane parcel being assigned to the City of Meridian, however, I do
object to the Delano application due to several reasons: its “good enough” approach to design and integration
as an infill project; poor traffic patterns; the applicant’s penchant for piggybacking upon other infrastructures
or neighborhoods’ character rather than building its own; the ignorance of the directive to work with the
neighbors as recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission in Meridian; finally the flagrant lack of
follow-through with the City of Boise regarding the first application in June 2018. I feel this lack of basic grace
has put two cities in a seemingly awkward position when there has been history of good conduct and rapport
between Boise and Meridian.
We respectfully ask you to consider these issues regarding the future of our two cities, and to consider the
future quality of life for residents of Boise and Meridian.
Thank you.
Malissa Bernard
4025 N Dashwood Pl
Meridian ID 83646
mmbernard1@msn.com
208.362.3295