Letter by ITD 4/30,apyQ IDAHQ TRANSP+ORTATfQN DEPARTMENT
P.C1. eox 8028 {208) 334-83pQ
~ ~ Boise, tD 83707-2028
itd.idaha.gov
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Apri130, 2012
Pete Friedman
Planning Director
City of Meridian
33 E Broadway Ave. Suite 102
Meridian, Idaho 83642
Re: Proposed Development at the intersection of Meridian and Amity
Dear Pete:
I attended the City Council meeting on Apri124~' and testified about the Hawkins Company's
variance application. After my discussion of the ITD efforts to balance traffic operations with
economic development, the Mayor and Council asked for more detail on the ITD evaluation
process. This letter responds to the Council's request.
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) mission statement has evolved. The past mission
was focused on "safety and mobility." The current mission has expanded to include "economic
opportunity." And while the access standards have been in place for many years, each
application for access to a State Highway viewed uniquely.
The evaluation process of the Hawkins project was based upon four factors:
1. The applicant's site plan includes several mitigation measures needed to significantly
reduce friction with through traffic using SH-69 (Meridian Road). Anew signal is to
be added at the Harris Street intersection, left turns are restricted or eliminated at the
three new accesses, and right turn deceleration lanes are to be added to five site
intersections.'In addition, ITD has the police power to extend the planned medians and
prohibit all left turns at the three new site accesses should there be mobility or safety
concerns in the future.
2. The adjacent segment of SH-69 has an accident rate of only 75% of the accident rate of
the roadway segment north of Victory Road. The project's traffic engineer reports that
the proposed site design will have a minimal impact on the accident rate abutting the
site.
3. The applicant claims that the site is not commercially marketable without direct access
to Meridian Road. The applicant reports that perspective purchasers have either
declined or been non-committal about the development without direct access to SH-69.
With the offered mitigation measures, ITD believes that three mitigated site accesses
are reasonable to facilitate the economic development of the site as well as provide for
adequate safety and mobility.
4. The 57± acre site has the potential for an annual property tax of over $500,000. This is a
significant benefit to the economy of the region.
The proposed site plan as accepted by the Department complied with our stated goals of ensuring
safety, mobility and economic opportunity.
Our review process is still evolving while ITD's leadership is working with the Idaho Legislature
and industry representatives to rewrite the rules for right-of--way encroachments (IDAPA
39.03.42). I am specifically working on a process to create a quantitative evaluation method to
meet those new rules.
A final issue is that new State legislation limits ITD's options in dealing with deeded accesses.
The Hawkins parcel has seven deeded accesses on SH-69, and to negotiate this number down to
three with full mitigation measures to address safety and mobility has been perceived as a
positive outcome by the department.
I plan to attend your May 8~' city council meeting. If you have any questions, you may contact
me directly at 334-8377.
Sincerely,
~~
David Szplett
Access Management, ITD District 3