PZ - Narrative Gem State Planning, LLC
November 11, 2020
Mr. Caleb Hood, Planning Division Manager
City of Meridian
33 E. Broadway Ave., Suite 102
Meridian, Idaho 83642
Subject: Foxcroft Subdivision —Pine Avenue, west of Ten Mile Road
Applications for Annexation, Rezone, Preliminary Plat and Conditional Use
Dear Mr. Hood:
On behalf of Trilogy Development, I am pleased to submit the attached applications for the
development of the Foxcroft Subdivision*, located on both sides of the proposed Pine Avenue
extension, west of Ten Mile Road (3N, 1W, Section 10). This new development will include the
construction of a much needed and long-awaited bridge over Ten Mile Creek and will
complete Pine Avenue, a mid-mile collector, between Ten Mile Road and Black Cat Road.
Overview
Our applications include 1) annexing and rezoning 23 acres of the 35.7 acre site from R-1 and
RUT to R-8 for single family homes, 2) requesting Conditional Use approval for a multifamily
development on property that is currently zoned R-15, and 3) submitting a preliminary plat to
subdivide the properties.
The Foxcroft community totals 35.72 acres. The 12.74-acre property in the northeast is already
zoned for 216 multifamily apartments. The remaining 22.98 acres will be zone R-8 and
developed with 73 new lots for both detached and attached single family homes. These new
homes will meet the high demand for quality and diverse housing that will serve a mix of
demographics and lifestyles. There are three existing homes that will remain and become part
of the subdivision. The overall density of Foxcroft is 8.17 du/acre (216+73+3)/35.72=8.17
du/acre).
Foxcroft is surrounded by property already annexed and developed in the City of Meridian. As
a result of that location Foxcroft is a well-designed and well-integrated subdivision that
complements the surrounding land uses: the Chaparral Elementary School and Fuller Park to
the north, the recently submitted Modern Craftsman development to the east and the existing
residential homes to the west.
In addition, the developers of Foxcroft and Modern Craftsman subdivisions have coordinated
land uses, Pine Avenue road improvements and, of course, connectivity.
*Foxcroft Subdivision was previously referred to as Ten Pine Park Subdivision
9840 W. Overland Road, Suite 120, Boise, Idaho 83709
We have included a Connectivity Plan showing the extensive connections to the Chaparral
School, Fuller Park, the Modern Craftsman development and the existing neighborhoods
Annexation and Rezone
As noted above, a portion of Foxcroft is already annexed and zoned R-15 and will be developed
with 216 apartment units plus amenities. The property west of the apartments is designated as
Medium Density in the Comprehensive Plan. We plan to construct lots for both single-family
detached homes and duets or two-unit townhomes adjacent to the apartments. These homes
will serve as a transition to single family detached homes next to Ten Mile Creek and the
existing Creekstone Subdivision. There are 28 buildable lots in this 8.36-acre portion of
Foxcroft, for a density of 3.3 du/acre.
The Foxcroft property south of Pine Avenue is designated as both Medium Density and Mixed-
Use Community in the Comprehensive Plan. Our design of this portion of the development is
informed by both opportunities and constraints. Two of the existing property owners will
retain their homes and larger lots. These two lots are Lot 2, SW Block 4 at 1.4 acres and Lot 6,
SW Block 4 at 0.9 acres. The size and location of these existing home lots constrained our
layout and controlled the location of the street network and land uses.
This area of Foxcroft is also adjacent to the recently submitted Modern Craftsman
development. Modern Craftsman, designated in the Comprehensive Plan as Mixed-Use
Community, includes a variety of housing types and, due to its proximity to Ten Mile Road, over
23,000 sf for commercial uses. We consider this mixed-use development as an opportunity to
develop new home lots that do not conflict with, but rather complement, the neighboring
commercial uses.
Preliminary Plat
Our preliminary plat for Foxcroft includes standard front load home lots, rear load home lots,
detached home lots, attached home lots and multifamily lots.
As noted previously, the area west of the apartments will be single-family detached and
attached homes. These homes are adjacent to both Fuller Park and Chaparral Elementary
School.
On the south side, homes will face Pine Avenue, a mid-mile collector; however, vehicles will
access the rear of the homes via an alley or White Leaf Way. Each of these homes will have a
two-car garage and a paved apron/driveway for two additional cars. There is plenty of parking
on the surrounding local streets, White Leaf Way and Aleppo Avenue, for guest parking. These
rear loaded homes fit in nicely with the cottages and live work units along Pine Avenue in
Modern Craftsman, so that the streetscape of Pine Avenue will not be garage dominated or
fenced off.
9840 W. Overland Road, Suite 120, Boise, Idaho 83709
Traditional home lots are located adjacent to Ten Mile Creek and the existing Chesterfield
Subdivision. The residents of the homes along Aleppo Avenue and Sugar Pine Court will enjoy a
quiet neighborhood, with the benefit of excellent access to the commercial uses along Ten Mile
Road and a short walk to the school and park.
Apartments—Conditional Use Permit and Design Review
We have included an application for Conditional Use Permit for the 9 apartment buildings in
Foxcroft. Each apartment building is 3 stories and includes 24 apartment units, for a total of
216 units: 54 one-bedroom units and 162 two-bedroom units.
We have provided 429 parking spaces (415 required) on-site so that there will no need for
residents or guests to park on adjacent properties. We have also exceeded the private and
common open spaces that are required for multifamily developments. Please refer to the
development data on the plat and in the open space discussion below.
Residents and guests will be greeted by the attractive clubhouse when entering the apartment
community. The clubhouse includes a community room, kitchenette, and fitness room. The
swimming pool includes ample gathering space around the pool for those hot summer days and
warm evenings.
Open Space and Amenities
Foxcroft Subdivision is adjacent to Western Ada Recreation District's Fuller Park; with baseball
fields, volleyball court, fishing pond, playground, exercise equipment and restrooms. Even with
this public recreation facility so close by, Foxcroft includes open space and amenities: an open
space with a gazebo in NW Block 2 and a playground in SW Block 3. These neighborhood scale
open spaces provide for more intimate gathering areas for area residents and guests.
The open spaces in Foxcroft exceed the City's code requirements. UDC 11-3G-3.A.1 requires
10% open space or 3.57 acres. We are providing 4.46 acres. There are additional open space
requirements for the multifamily units: Common open space of 250 sf for each unit or 54,000
sf. We are providing 63,575 sf of common open space for the apartments. Code requires 80-85
sf of private usable open space per apartment unit, based on unit size. The code requires
17,280 sf for our unit size. We are providing 18,360 sf or 85 sf of private usable open space per
unit.
Our landscape plan and landscape rendering show the attention to detail for each of our open
spaces. Even our surface drainage lots show attractive plantings that do not interfere with the
operation of the storm water management system. Detached sidewalks long Pine Avenue
allow for significant trees and shrubs in the planting strip and behind the sidewalk.
9840 W. Overland Road, Suite 120, Boise, Idaho 83709
Connectivity
One of the most important features of Foxcroft is connectivity. As noted above, Foxcroft
residents will benefit from the close proximity to Fuller Park and Chaparral Elementary.
Residents will enjoy easy access to the Park and School by way of the 10-foot community
pathway along the entire north boundary. Multiple sidewalks throughout the community
connect to this pathway.
We are also completing a significant section of the Ten Mile Pathway that runs along Ten Mile
Creek. This community pathway is located on the west side of Ten Mile Creek in the
Creekstone Sub, north of Pine Avenue. The Foxcroft Subdivision will continue the path south of
Pine Avenue on the west side of the Creek, adjacent to the Chesterfield Subdivision. This path
was not completed when Chesterfield Subdivision was built because the developer did not
control the land. That property is now within the Foxcroft development and we can construct
the path along the west side of the Creek. A portion of the west side of Ten Mile Creek is not
within the control of the Foxcroft developer, so we are working with Nampa and Meridian
Irrigation District to construct a section of the path on the east side of the Creek in the NMID
maintenance easement. (The NMID maintenance road is located on the east side of Ten Mile
Creek both north and south of Pine Avenue) A portion of the NMID easement is also subject to
an access easement for the residents of 3725 W. Pine Avenue (S1210417400). The Ten Mile
Pathway connects to Meridian's proposed community pathway along the railroad track
easement.
The railroad pathway continues eastward through the adjacent Modern Craftsman
development all the way to Ten Mile Road. Pedestrians and bicyclists can access Ten Mile Road
and the commercial uses in Modern Craftsman using this community pathway if they don't
want to use the Pine Avenue detached sidewalks. We are also connecting to the neighboring
development with several internal sidewalks and a gated street connection on N. White Leaf
Way. We have included a Connectivity Exhibit in our Preliminary Plat set that shows the many
avenues of connection between Foxcroft and Modern Craftsman.
Of course, we cannot discuss connectivity without mentioning again that the development of
Foxcroft will include the construction of a bridge across Ten Mile Creek and the completion of
Pine Avenue—a mid-mile collector that will connect Ten Mile Road to Black Cat Road.
Streets and Utilities
Along with the completion of Pine Avenue, all streets in Foxcroft are public streets and meet
ACHD and City of Meridian standards. We have carefully spaced/off-set the street and
driveway connections to Pine Avenue. In fact,the eastern driveway into the Foxcroft
Apartments is aligned with the Modern Craftsman private road.
9840 W. Overland Road, Suite 120, Boise, Idaho 83709
Since Pine Avenue does not exist from Ten Mile Road to Ten Mile Creek, Corey Barton and
Baron Ten Mile have entered into a Development Agreement to ensure the full right-of-way is
available for the completion of Pine Avenue as a public street.
Potable water, sewer and pressurized irrigation are all readily available to the property.
It is important to note that the property owner, Viper Investments, and developer, Trilogy
Development, worked with the City of Meridian in 2012 to provide an easement for the
extension of the Pine Trunk Sewer Connector that runs along the north boundary of the
Foxcroft property. Please see the appreciation letter from Meridian Public Works included in
our application documents.
Neighborhood Meeting
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the neighborhood meeting for Foxcroft was held as a virtual
Zoom meeting. The meeting was held at 6 pm on Wednesday, October 14, 2020. The meeting
notice included a copy of the development plan and an invitation to contact the project planner
(me) at any time with questions or concerns. The names of Zoom attendees are listed on the
neighborhood meeting attendance sheet. Neighbors who emailed for more information are
also listed on the attendance sheet with their contact information.
Summary
We are pleased to submit our development applications that will provide a mix of homes at this
special location in Meridian. The construction/extension of Pine Avenue and a bridge over Ten
Mile Creek will serve all Meridian residents.
We look forward to working with you, your staff and Meridian's decision makers through the
approval process. Please do not hesitate to contact me or Shawn Brownlee if you have
questions about our proposed development or the applications.
Sincerely,
Gee
ane Suggs
cc: Shawn Brownlee, Trilogy Development
9840 W. Overland Road, Suite 120, Boise, Idaho 83709