PZ - Applicant's Response to Staff Report (Revised-Received 2020-07-08)July 7, 2020
Sawtooth Land Surveying, LLC
P: (208) 398-8104 F: (208) 398-8105
2030 S. Washington Ave., Emmett, ID 83617
Sonya Allen
City of Meridian
33 E. Broadway Ave., Ste. 102
Meridian, ID 83642
RE: Landing South AZ, PP (H-2020-0005) — Response to the Planning and Zoning Staff report received July 2, 2020
To whom it may concern,
On behalf of JU Inc., we are submitting this letter in response to the staff report that was received on Thursday
July 2, 2020 for the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting scheduled for July 16, 2020. The applicant has the
following comments:
Tree Mitigation
On July 7. 2020, the applicant's representative met with Matt Perkins the Meridian City Arborist on the property
to discuss tree mitigation and it was determined that the previous email from May 29th, 2020 regarding the 67
inches of required tree mitigation included 50 inches of mitigation for a large silver maple along Overland Road
that will not be removed by the applicant. The applicant then, will be responsible to mitigate a total of 17 inches.
Construction Entrance
The applicant was able to get in contact with ACHD in regards to the temporary construction access off of
Overland Road. The attached email from Jake Spencer (ACHD Subdivision Inspection Supervisor) from July 2,
2020 indicates that a temporary construction entrance to Linder would be approved during development of the
subdivision, but not during home construction.
Parking
The applicant is proposing four parking spaces per unit, with two in an enclosed garage and two on a 20' x 20'
parking pad. Additionally, there are two on -street parking spaces available within the subdivision boundary and
two additional parking spaces provided at the end of each of the two common drives for a total of six guest
parking stalls. There was some concern among the Commissioners that the proposed spaces at the end of the
common driveways would make it difficult for these individuals to be back out of those spaces the entire length
of the common driveway. There is some precedent for approving this type of guest parking stall as similar spaces
were approved with the Blakeslee Commons Subdivision (H-2016-0066) back in 2016.
Density
The Commissions had some concerns about the proposed density of the subdivision. Though we are proposing a
10 lot subdivision, the gross density is only 6.16 du/acre, which is near the mid-range of the Medium Density
Residential Comprehensive Plan designation. Additionally, the Comprehensive plan supports this type of
development with the following policies:
"Encourage infill development." (3.03.01E)
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Letter (7.7.20).docx
I his is fairly straightforward in terms of a policy. The goal should be to develop these infill pieces prior to any
greenfield development that would require the extension of services. These infill pieces utilize existing services
and do not typically require additional infrastructure as a result of development.
"Locate higher density housing near corridors with existing or planned transit, Downtown, and in proximity to
employment centers."
The proposed development is along Linder Road which is slated to be widened in conjunction with a bridge over 1-
84, will be an important north -south transportation corridor. The proposed development would also be in close
proximity to Ten Mile Road. With the increase in commercial businesses in the area, this style of development
with the associated density is sorely needed.
Subdivision Layout
The Planning and Zoning Commission requested a revised subdivision layout and specifically requested the
following items be addressed:
Add a sidewalk from Spoonbill Ave. to the sidewalk along Linder Rd.
The applicant is proposing to provide a private sidewalk on each of the lots along Linder Road in order to
facilitate pedestrian access from Spoonbill Ave. to Linder Rd. The sidewalk will be on the individual lot, and not a
separate common lot. The applicant is not proposing to include a pathway as defined by Meridian City Code. The
pathway standards are too restrictive for the site and would significantly impact the layout of the subdivision.
Revise the east lots to be closer to the minimum size required for the R-4 size
There was a request to increase the size of the lots on the east side of the development to more of an R-4 size.
The layout has been revised to reflect that request, with each lot having a minimum of 8,000 square feet (which
is the minimum size in the R-4 zoning district).
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There are multiple other policies within the Comprehensive Plan that support the proposed development.
They are the following:
"Promote transportation choices, facilities, and alternatives such as car and van pooling, public transit,
alternative fleet vehicles, bicycle racks/ storage and telecommuting." (4.06.016)
The proximity to commercial and retail business along Ten Mile Road make this area a great location for
additional housing that would reduce commute times for employees of those businesses.
"Provide water in a cost effective and healthy manner." (4.09.02)
The addition of single-family residences as infill development increases the water being used within areas that
are already served by the city. The new water users will increase the fees collected by the city without an
increase in the burden on taxpayers.
With these policies set forth in the Meridian Comprehensive Plan and with support of the Planning Staff, we
request approval of the development as originally proposed.
Please contact us should you have any questions or if we can be of any assistance with your processing of these
applications.
Sincerely,
Josh Beach,
Sawtooth Land Surveying, LLC
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Letter (7.7.20).docx