Narrative V1AL TALL
TIMBER
July 27, 2022
City of Meridian
Planning and Zoning Department
33 W. Broadway Ave.
Meridian, ID 83642
RE: ALDEN RIDGE SUBDIVISION —Application narrative
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is to inform the City of Meridian that E5 Holdings, LLC by Kyle Enzler is requesting
annexation and zoning, preliminary plat and alternative compliance approval for the Alden Ridge
Subdivision and Dave Yorgason with Tall Timber Consulting will be the applicant's
representative. Please accept this letter as the required written narrative for the development.
Site History and Background
The site is approximately 22.05 gross acres (27.13 net acres) in size and covers 4 parcels
numbered SO421315350 and SO421315205, and SO421315100 and SO421315050. The site
address to reference with this application is 7000 N. Pollard, Meridian, Idaho, and is located
north of Chinden (HWY 20/26) and on the east side of HWY 16 side at the end of Pollard Lane. A
vicinity map identifying the site location is included with this application.
The property owners are: Prabhjot Kaur Sidhu, David Hayes and Ryenn Holdings.
The developer/applicant and his contact info is:
E5 Holdings, LLC, (Kyle Enzler, Member)
PO Box 1613
Meridian, ID 83642
Phone: 208-571-3344
Email: kyle.enzler@gmail.com
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The site is along the north rim and includes an existing estate home as well as an old home site.
The site borders State Hwy 16 on the west, there are a couple existing homes east of the
property, and on the south border is a recently approved Brighton / BVA development that is in
progress.
The existing zoning for the surrounding properties:
• To the east is RUT (Ada County)
• To the south is R-8 (High Density Residential in Meridian)
• To the west is M1 Ada County and across HWY 16 is RUT (Ada County)
• To the north across the Phyllis Canal and below the rim is RUT (Ada County)
lication and Subdivision Details
The existing zoning for the subject property is R1 and RUT (residential zones in Ada County). As
the comprehensive plan designation for the site is Low Density Residential, the request is to
annex the entire property with a majority of the site zoned R-4 residential (including to the
center of HWY 16 is approximately 20 acres) and a smaller portion zoned R-8 residential
(including to the center of Pollard is approximately 4.45 acres). The R-8 portion is only along our
southern border to accommodate a transition of lot sizing for the lots adjacent to a future
development with smaller lots along our common border. A map is included to show the two
zones with the R-8 zone as a transition to the higher density residential future homesites to the
south. With this mix in zoning, the overall density for this application will still be consistent with
the Low Density Residential designation in the City of Meridian Future Land Use Map (FLUM) for
this site of less than 3 dwelling units per acre.
The application for a preliminary plat consists of 65 residential lots and 10 common lots for a
total of 75 lots. The average lot size is 6,050 square feet and the smallest lot is 5,500 square
feet. The overall density of the development for the residential portion is 2.97 dwelling units
per acre, which in the range of allowed densities for Low Density Residential.
The applicant is committed to making Alden Ridge Subdivision a beautiful neighborhood. The
concept for this development is to provide quality homes in a development with similar size lots
adjacent to the lots along the southern border, then transition to larger lots to the northern rim.
Within the Alden Ridge Subdivision there is approximately 3.18 acres of qualified common area
open space, or approximately 14.42 percent of the total site, which exceeds the required
amount for the development, and excludes the unqualified portions on the frontage on HWY 16.
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The required amount of open space is about 2.78 acres (R-8 zone = 4.45 acres x 15% = 0.67 acres
and R-4 zone = 17.6 acres x 12% = 2.11 acres. And 0.667 + 2.112 = 2.78 total acres).
In reviewing the current City Code, qualified open space amenities are defined by a point
system. Based on the table, the minimum score required is 4 (21.73 acres divided by 5 = 4.4,
rounded = 4). Within the Alden Ridge Subdivision common lots are the following quality
amenities that will enhance the walkability and livability of the neighborhood for residents to
enjoy (and associated city code amenity score). Please note if we understand the amenity
scoring table, our calculation of the amenity score total to be 9, which is substantially higher
than the required minimum score.
Amenity Score
1. Picnic area (adjacent to pool area) 2
2. Neighborhood swimming pool 4
(w/ changing facilities and restrooms)
3. Dog waste stations (2 x 0.5) 1
4. Linear Pathways (not sure if "qualifies" for score) 2 .
Total Score 9
With the upgraded amenity and open space offerings, we ask this be a part of the
consideration to grant the requested alternative compliance to the buffer requirement too
(see bottom of narrative for explanation).
The Alden Ridge HOA will have the responsibility to maintain the common lots within the
subdivision and the amenities, including the landscaping along the HWY 16 frontage. CC&Rs will
be established to ensure quality and consistency throughout the development. The streetlights
within the development will follow dark -sky standards.
Fencing along common areas is planned to be an open style fence. Fencing on the western
border will be a solid fence on top of the berm to meet height requirements and soften sound
from the highway per city code.
Included in this application are renderings of sample homes. These renderings show the
anticipated size and style of homes, including the details of the elevations. The homes will be a
mix of single -level and two story and the exterior elevations are planned to have a variety of
colors, textures and materials as shown in the renderings in the applications.
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We intend to construct the land development improvements in 2 phases with each proposed
phase shown on the preliminary plat site plan.
The site will have 2 primary accesses to the public streets, Pollard Lane to the southwest and a
stub to a future road along the southern border. We contacted ACHD staff and they confirmed
that a traffic impact study is not required for this development due only 65 homesites. ACHD
will provide a staff report to the city to be considered during the application review and hearing
process.
Two neighborhood meetings were held describing this proposed development and we continue
to have ongoing discussions with the surrounding neighbors. All those in attendance plus those
that we have talked to that were not able to attend expressed they are either neutral or
favorable to this proposed development.
Written iustification for Alternative Comaliance
We are requesting alternative compliance approval to allow the location of the required
landscape buffer along HWY 16 to be 20 feet wide in a common lot plus a minimum of 20 feet of
landscaping in the ITD right-of-way, so the total is 40 feet wide, as shown in the landscape plan
in this application. The required width of the landscape buffer along the northwestern boundary
along HWY 16 is 35 feet wide. In addition to a wider landscape berm, as mentioned above we
are offering more amenities than the required minimum (score 9 vs. required 4) to provide
additional justification for this alternative compliance request.
The reasons for this alternative compliance request are 1) the conflict due to the existing home
and driveway and trees at the northern border, 2) the property to the south is a commercial
facility with limited or no landscaping along HWY 16 frontage, so there is no transition, 3) the
easement required for the Suez/Veolia flush line along the back of the lots, and 4) the
development has limited frontage on the highway. Regarding the conflict on the north,
requiring a berm on this area will add dirt over the dripline and the root structure of the trees,
which is harmful and will degrade the health of the trees over time. If we have a 35 foot wide
common lot along our limited frontage, the landscaping would be recessed adjacent to or
visually behind the existing trees to the north and the commercial to the south. Bringing some
of the required landscaping toward HWY 16 will make it for visible.
We contacted ITD and they are in the process of widening HWY 16 over the next few years,
including the intersection with Chinden. Because there is excess area along our frontage that will
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not be needed for road widening, ITD stated they will allow us to install additional landscaping in
their right-of-way There are conditions to meet, including maintain a swale or depression for
storm water capture, do not encroach on future widening to the south, and do not place boulders
or trees too close to the highway. ITD also requested the landscape maintenance contractors
have the ability to access the HWY 16 landscape areas from within the development to avoid the
need for maintenance vehicles to park along the highway. By increasing the landscaping in the
ITD right-of-way and providing maintenance equipment access from within the development, we
are improving the overall look of the area with a minimum of 20 feet of landscaping in the ITD
right-of-way and ensuring equal to or better safety for the maintenance contractors and drivers
along the highway.
Future application: Vacation of Right -of -Way
After annexation and preliminary plat approval, we will submit an application to vacate a portion
of Pollard Lane. Since Pollard Lane provides access to a few existing homes and Old School Lane,
the vacation of the right-of-way needs to be timed to allow continuous access to these homes,
including coordination with the development of the property south of Alden Ridge Subdivision.
Conclusion: The applications have been submitted in accordance with the requirements of the
City of Meridian and all design standards in these applications for the Alden Ridge Subdivision,
unless otherwise specified, are consistent with the City of Meridian's Uniform Development
Code. In summary and as explained above, we request the following items as a part of this
subdivision approval:
• Alternative compliance to allow reduced common lot size along HWY 16.
• R-8 zone for the portion along the southern border to accommodate similar size lots to
the adjacent development to the south, and the total density will be below 3 dwelling
units per acre for the entire site per the comprehensive plan.
We are pleased to bring these applications for the Alden Ridge Subdivision to the City of
Meridian for consideration and approval. E5 Holdings, LLC is excited to build another quality
neighborhood in the City of Meridian. If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to
contact me at 208-850-1070 or dyorgason6@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Dave Yorgason
Dave Yorgason, applicant's representative
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