PZ - Developer Reply to Staff Email
Charlene Way
From:Alan Tiefenbach
Sent:Thursday, March 11, 2021 2:39 PM
To:Adrienne Weatherly; Charlene Way; Chris Johnson
Subject:FW: Skybreak
Attachments:Responce to 3.5.2021 letter.pdf
Response to staff email.
Alan Tiefenbach | Current Associate Planner
City of Meridian | Community Development Dept.
33 E. Broadway Ave., Ste. 102, Meridian, Idaho 83642
Phone: 208-489-0573 | Fax: 208-489-0571
Built for Business, Designed for Living
From: Laren Bailey <laren@congergroup.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2021 9:09 AM
To: Alan Tiefenbach <atiefenbach@meridiancity.org>; Bill Parsons <bparsons@meridiancity.org>
Subject: RE: Skybreak
External Sender - Please use caution with links or attachments.
Alan and Bill,
I have attached some talking points for our meeting at 3 pm. Thank you
From: Alan Tiefenbach <atiefenbach@meridiancity.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2021 8:04 AM
To: Laren Bailey <laren@congergroup.com>; Bill Parsons <bparsons@meridiancity.org>
Subject: RE: Skybreak
Hi Laren, it looks like we are both available at 3pm. Do you want to do this by phone, or would you like me to send you a
Microsoft teams request?
Alan Tiefenbach | Current Associate Planner
City of Meridian | Community Development Dept.
33 E. Broadway Ave., Ste. 102, Meridian, Idaho 83642
Phone: 208-489-0573 | Fax: 208-489-0571
Built for Business, Designed for Living
From: Laren Bailey <laren@congergroup.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2021 3:52 PM
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To: Alan Tiefenbach <atiefenbach@meridiancity.org>; Bill Parsons <bparsons@meridiancity.org>
Subject: Skybreak
External Sender - Please use caution with links or attachments.
Alan and Bill,
I would like to set up a time to discuss Alan’s email from Friday. Do you have time tomorrow
for a call? Thank you
Laren M. Bailey, MCRP, PMP
DevCo, LLC
Ph: (208) 336-5355
Cell: (208) 899-1155
laren@congergroup.com
All e-mail messages sent to or received by City of Meridian e-mail accounts are subject to the Idaho law, in regards to
both release and retention, and may be released upon request, unless exempt from disclosure by law.
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CONGER GROUP
March 11, 2021
Dear Alan,
We are excited to provide a new community to South Meridian that is unique and
different from the norm. Our Skybreak Neighborhood is a Unique and Premier Gated
Golf Course Community. We have worked hard to design something that is a bit outside
the box. This community will stand out from other neighborhoods in the area by
providing gated private streets, rim view lots, golf course access and well-appointed and
landscaped common areas that will make Skybreak one of the most popular
neighborhoods in Meridian.
Please find our responses to your email dated 3.5.2021 comments below, we have
answered them in the same order as the comments in the email:
1. Planning staff reversed a decade of decisions that gated private streets can be approved
in an R-8 zone forcing us to request an R-15 zone for the private streets. Other projects
such as Three Corners Ranch have previously been approved with gates and private
streets in zones such as R-4 and R-8.
2. The private streets in the Skybreak Neighborhood do meet the minimum ACHD street
width and will be constructed to their structural standards. City code only requires 24'
of width for a private street we are providing 27'.
There are numerous pathways that are interconnected throughout the neighborhood.
Walking paths and pathways will be constructed throughout the neighborhood that will
allow for numerous loops and connections to neighboring properties and the City of
Meridians Regional Pathway System.
a. The precedence for private streets has already been set at Movado, East Ridge,
Cadence, and Three Corners Ranch Subdivisions, among others.
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b. We have spoken to the Land Development Department and Public Works and
they agree that there are engineering solutions that can alleviate all of their
concerns.
c. Additional sewer main is not in the best interest of the taxpayers, our approach
utilizes fewer lineal feet of sewer main. If public works would like it designed
differently that can be done. This is an engineering issue, that can be
accomplished with an engineering solution (as stated by public works staff).
3. Eagle Road is a very busy roadway, higher densities near a future collector and the Eagle
Road Arterial are appropriate. We have used the Comprehensive Plan as a guide, buy
moving the larger lots to the rim and the smaller denser lots to the south and west near
major roadways, we believe that this makes more sense from a planning and livability
standpoint. We feel that this is the best way to preserve the Southern Rim.
4. Throughout the life of this project, we have worked with the fire department and had
numerous meetings, in our last meeting on Wednesday March 311, Joe Bongiorno
indicated that he did not have a problem with our development being approved. He has
since updated his letter to not require access to Lake Hazel. Furthermore, the City had
an opportunity to require a connection to Lake Hazel on the Pura Vida Plat to our North
and decided to remove the requirement during the preliminary plat approvals. We
understand that this was done for the same reasons that we have on the Skybreak
Development. The City Council has approved the fire station, this is not a reason for
denial.
a. The Fire Department comment letter considered all of these same issues and
concluded: "This project can be serviced by the Meridian Fire Department."
b. Planning staff recommended approval of the Pinnacle Project, which was further
from the fire station than Skybreak is, only had a small portion within the 5 min
response time, had a less than 80% station reliability, and had a risk
identification of 4.
c. Station #8 will be 1/2 mile away; planned to open in 2023.
d. Appropriate conditions of approval, as recommended by the Fire Dept, include:
i. A fire safety plan must be submitted and approved prior to approval of
the final plat;
ii. The submitted phasing plan shall be strictly adhered to; any deviation
shall be approved by Meridian Fire Department.
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5. As stated in your letter, the City approved a similar situation recently on the Pura Vida
subdivision. A condition that our Final Plat will not be signed until these properties
connect to a public street is adequate. ACHD provided the same condition in their
approval.
a. The density is actually 3.31 un/acre in the LDR portion of our site, which meets
the definitions of low density laid out in the comprehensive plan.
b. We made an effort to master plan the entire 80-acre site and arrange densities
in a way that met MDR goal that covers the vast majority of the property,
transitioning densities North to South, and maximizing the high value, large lot
rim area.
i. We shifted some density toward Eagle Road and away from the Rim for
"CEO Housing", because higher densities are appropriate along Eagle
Road, and larger lots are needed to maximize rim values, provide
transition to homes in Vantage Pointe to SE, and to provide consistency
in design around the pre-existing estate style home on our rim.
ii. We did increase lot sizes in SW of our site per prior staff comments but
feel that current proposed density makes sense along Eagle Road and
adjacent to SW properties that will likely redevelop and are adjacent to
Eagle Road.
c. Significant buffering and transition provided to the SE County lots.
i. County lots are only 1 acre.
ii. On an MDR-designated property, 1/2 ac is a big lot, and provides
appropriate transition to a 1-acre lot.
iii. Staff told us in our pre application meetings, and specifically for this
project, that 1/2 acre is appropriate transition to 1 acre.
iv. Neighbors to SE preferred backyards over a pathway so we moved path
in front of the lots.
v. To the west, we have significant landscape buffering and streetscape,
plus open space area.
d. We have agreed to double the required rear setback of the three SE lots that
directly abut County lots and to double the required side yard setback of the one
SE lot that directly abuts County lots.
6. The open space is not "fragmented", it has been deliberately designed to allow all
residence easy access to open spaces and walking pathways. If all of the open Space was
centrally located residence would have to walk a quarter mile or 40 Ac. to reach a
common area.
a. We meet and exceed all Code requirements.
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b. We are required to provide 10% qualified open space and 4 qualified amenities.
We provide 18.8% open space and 14 qualified amenities.
c. Usability is not a criteria; Code calls for active and passive amenity spaces and
we provide both.
d. Centrally located is also not a criteria and often is not a good idea. In a site this
large, concentrating amenities in the middle would leave large segments of the
development too far from amenities. Our amenities are deliberately spaced
throughout the development to provide access for all and create walking loops.
e. We are building nearly a mile of pathways and 1/2 mile of regional pathways.
f. Hillside provides natural walking path opportunity similar to Foothills-type trail
that is rarely found in Meridian.
g. The significant end cap landscaping is by design to create exceptional quality
development, provide attractive entries and screening, and provide passive open
spaces along active walking areas.
It is clear that the City of Meridian Staff and the Developer do not see eye to eye on
several issues. We believe that all of the comments provided in your email can be
addressed by the City Council and we are prepared to abide by the decisions that they
make in regard to the Skybreak Neighborhood.
Sincerely,
Laren Bailey, MCRP
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