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PZ - Narrative Ada County Highway District- Ustick Maintenance Facility (Annexation and Rezone) WRITTEN NARRATIVE Introduction: Ada County Highway District is requesting annexation and rezone to I-L (Light Industrial District) of property on Ustick Road, directly south of the City of Meridian Wastewater Treatment Plant, for a future maintenance facility. The area within the annexation request is 30.27 acres, including 20.75 acres owned by Ada County Highway District and 9.52 acres which are within Nampa-Meridian Irrigation District's Nine Mile and Five Mile Creek. The Planning Staff at the pre-application conference requested the annexation include the adjoining areas of the two creeks. The primary use on the property will be an ACHD maintenance facility including an administrative office, fleet maintenance, parts and weld shop, broom and drainage truck storage buildings, sand and salt shed, truck scales, truck wash building, decant area, fuel tanks and islands, covered storage, magnesium tanks, employee parking areas and open material storage. The applicant anticipates the facility will be constructed in approximately eight(8)phases from 2021 to 2028. A phasing plan is attached with the application. History,Adjacent Uses and Zones: The subject site is located north of W Ustick Road and west of N. Ten Mile Road. The adjacent uses around the parcel include the Meridian Wastewater Treatment Plant, zoned I-L to the north; Dakota Ridge and Wilkins Ranch Subdivisions, zoned R-8, are located to the south; property owned by the City of Meridian for a future water tank, zoned C-N, is along the east boundary; and a rural residential/agricultural parcel zoned RUT is to the west. The subject property is currently occupied by a single-family dwelling and detached garage, with the majority of the parcel in agricultural production. Five Mile Creek is located along the north boundary, and Nine Mile Creek adjoins the northeast portion of the property. The subject site falls within the floodplains of Five Mile and Nine Mile Creeks as designated on the FEMA Maps (FIRM Panels 16001CO139J and 16001C0143J, dated June 19, 2020). A neighborhood meeting was held at the subject property on March 25, 2021. Three property owners attended the meeting. There were no objections to the annexation and rezone to I-L or the proposed use. The primary concern was traffic on Ustick Road and plans for future widening. Comprehensive Plan: The property is designated on the Land Use Map as MU-NR(Mixed-Use Non-Residential). This designation does not allow for residential development and encourages light industrial uses that will be compatible with the Meridian Wastewater Treatment Plant. The proposed request for annexation and rezone to I-L (Light Industrial District) is supported by the Plan. The proposed ACHD maintenance facility will be compatible and consistent with the variety of uses in the area which include mini-storage facilities, commercial, and residential uses along the Ustick and Ten Mile corridor. An Ada County Highway District maintenance facility at this location will provide a necessary public service to the Meridian area. The two existing maintenance facilities are located within Boise and Garden City and are a significant distance from the north Meridian area. Landscaping and Buffering: Landscape easements are delineated on the site plan as required by the Unified Development Code (UDC). A 25-foot-wide landscape easement will be provided along the frontage of W. Ustick Road. and all proposed structures will meet the 35-foot required setback from the edge of right-of-way. ACHD has plans to construct Naomi Avenue north of Ustick Road along the west boundary of the subject site. A 25-foot-wide landscape buffer will be provided along the collector,Naomi Avenue and continuing north to Five Mile Creek. The proposed 25-foot-wide landscaped parkway along the west boundary north of Naomi Avenue will provide the necessary buffer between uses for the existing adjoining single-family dwelling. Utilities: The subject property lies within Meridian Water Zone 1. An existing 12-inch water main is located within W. Ustick Road and will provide potable water to the proposed facility. According to the Meridian Water Department, adequate fire flow is available to serve the proposed project. The parcel lies within the North Black Cat Sewer Trunk Service Area. The designated sewer main is located northwest of the subject site. An existing sewer main line is located east within W. Ustick Road; however, Meridian Public Works staff does not believe the trunk line has sufficient depth to service the subject parcel. Other options discussed with staff include a grinder pump for the future administrative building and fleet maintenance structure to pump to the sewer manhole in Ustick Road. All other utilities including power, telephone, natural gas, and cable are available to the site. Transportation: W. Ustick Road is designated as an arterial and is improved with 2 lanes with no sidewalk adjacent to the site. The applicant will widen Ustick Road along the parcel's frontage and install a 300-foot turn lane for new northern portion of Naomi Avenue and construct a 5-foot-wide detached sidewalk along the Ustick frontage. The applicant will allocate approximately 58 feet of right-of-way and construct a 46-foot-wide street section with vertical curb on the east side and a 5-foot-wide detached sidewalk for N. Naomi Avenue. The District intends to signalize the intersection of Naomi and Ustick in the future. The District will install two gated approaches to the future N. Naomi Avenue for permanent access into the maintenance facility. A temporary turnaround will be constructed at the terminus of N. Naomi Avenue. The existing single-family dwelling has an approach to W. Ustick Road at the southeast corner of the property. It is the intent of the District to utilize the existing dwelling as a temporary administrative office. A small,paved area will be striped for parking spaces and the existing driveway will be used for access. The District respectfully requests the Council provide a waiver allowing for the continued use of Ustick Road approach for the temporary administrative office. Pathways: The District had meetings with the Meridian Pathway Coordinator and the City's consultant, T-O Engineers, to incorporate a future multi-use pathway along the north boundary, adjacent to Five Mile Creek. The District will provide a 14-foot-wide easement and participate in the installation of the 10-foot-wide multi-use pathway. The multi-use pathway will be located north of the fenced area, and fescue will be installed as a ground covering between the color-coated chain link security fence and the pathway. Trees will be installed at 100-foot intervals as required by the UDC. The District will install 5-foot-wide detached sidewalk along the future Naomi Avenue and continue the pedestrian walkway within the 25-foot-wide landscape buffer, providing for connectivity to the multi-use pathway at the northwest corner of the subject property. Gravity and Pressure Irrigation: The property lies within the boundary of Nampa-Meridian Irrigation District and has water rights for the 20.75 acres. The designated delivery to the subject site is from the Creason Lateral. Site Plan and Phasing: A conceptual site plan depicting the future improvements on the property is included with the application. The plan is representative of the proposed buildings,uses and internal vehicular circulation; however, the site plan may be refined over time and is subject to change. The primary buildings will be located along the Ustick Corridor and include an administrative building, fleet maintenance shop, parts and welding building, and covered storage structure. It is the desire of the District to meet the requirements of the architectural guidelines, creating an aesthetically pleasing appearance from Ustick Road and Naomi Avenue. Interior to the site will be the broom truck shed; drainage truck shed; additional covered storage structure; employee parking lots; magnesium tank; fuel island with above-ground tanks; sand and salt shed; truck wash building; truck scale; decant/washout area; and equipment and material storage. An eight-year phasing plan is attached with the application which delineates the annual improvements. Phase I will include utilization of the existing dwelling as a temporary administrative office and material storage at the northeast corner of the property. Phase 2 includes additional parking north of the temporary administrative office, landscaping along Ustick Road and Naomi Avenue, construction of the Naomi Avenue along with paving the internal driveway, entrance gates and fencing. Installation of the decant area will be completed in Phase 3. Phase 4 improvements include the broom and drainage truck sheds, covered storage, magnesium tanks, fuel island and tanks, sand and salt shed, racks, regen area and the turn-lane at Ustick and Naomi Avenue. Phase 5 will include the fleet maintenance building, locker room, parts and weld shop. The new administrative building will be constructed in Phase 6. Phase 7 will include the truck wash bay and scale, followed by removal of the temporary administrative structure, additional covered storage, and employee and fleet parking lots in Phase 8. The phasing plans are subject to modification based on the available budget funds and needs of the District. We respectfully request the City of Meridian approve this request for annexation and zoning to I-L on the subject property to allow the District to better serve the Meridian area.