HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-19-21 Public Comment - K. Trapp - Buffalo Run App. 21076From:Kara Trapp
To:Agenda
Cc:I-Ho Pomeroy; Cyndy Andrus; Christopher Coburn; Jennifer Madgic; Terry Cunningham
Subject:Opposing Buffalo Run Subdivision R4 zoning and plans
Date:Monday, April 19, 2021 8:35:37 PM
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As a homeowner in the Meadow Creek Subdivision, I am deeply opposed to the progression ofthe Buffalo Run Subdivision as an R-4 zoned community.
Prior agreements with the developer that seemed to honor our expressed concerns now appear
to be in threat - namely additional road construction (at a now undisclosed location) if trafficexceeds 1100 vehicles per day. We were under the impression that the developer wasgoing to pave Fowler to Stucky, but that is not mentioned in the staff report--only theright-of-way the City is requiring for the portion of the road directly in front of theproperty on Fowler.
Not explicitly naming the location of the secondary access point suggests that roadconstruction through Ainsworth Park or by extension of Blackwood is once again an option.
How does cutting a road through a park or open land make more sense than adhering to theoriginal agreement of paving an already constructed road (Fowler), and leveraging an already
heavily trafficked road (Stucky)?!
A road through the park or extending Blackwood would drastically negatively impact theliving quality of those living in both Meadow Creek and Southbridge Communities. We'd notonly see an increase of traffic to Buffalo Run, but would experience traffic on Kurk fromthose seeking to shortcut their East-West distance across the Valley to 191. Given thatKurk is only 33' wide, this is terribly unsafe. We have many children and families inMeadow Creek that play, walk and ride bikes in this space. Blackwood is lined with single-
family homes and setbacks that are not at all equipped to safely buffer and handle the increaseof traffic that extending this road would create - and use of this road would be catastrophic to
the homeowners, both in home value and quality of life. The city and developer MUSTrevise to explicitly call out the prior agreement of paving Fowler to Stucky.
R-4 zoning is not compatible with the surrounding properties--even though the StaffReport seems to think so. It's agricultural on three sides and connected to Meadow Creek(by 222 yards) at the park. “The maps included in Section 6, Criterion H, show that
the R-4 district is already present in the general area, including adjacent to
unannexed lands. Therefore, the question of whether R-4 is suitable in the area
and adjacent to unannexed property has been addressed and found
acceptable with earlier applications. Staff concludes that although the R-4 is
different than the immediately adjacent zoning it is compatible and is urban
growth as called for in the growth policy.” R-4 zoning "in the general area" is a
full mile away! Meadow Creek is R-3 zoning--although built out as R-1. R-4 in this
area does not support walkability or bike-ability. There is NO public transportation in
the area. There is no shopping, schools, restaurants or shopping. This is not the
place to build a high-density urban growth area only supported by motorized vehicle
access.
“Adequate capacity in water, sewer, and major transportation servicesare known to exist or able to be added to support the potential
intensity of the R-4 zone.” This statement is simply not true, on all levels
mentioned. Traffic and major transportation services are discussed above. With
regard to water pressure, Meadow Creek residents currently struggle with water
pressure issues. There will be serious concerns regarding the accessible fire
hydrants' ability to have enough pressure to put out a fire in eitherneighborhood if R-4 zoning is allowed.
In summary, we’re requesting that the density be reduced to a maximum of R3 and that thelocation of additional access be explicitly called out as Fowler Road via Stucky. Further thedevelopers should plan for paving of Fowler to proactively reduce traffic running throughMeadow Creek/Kurk. It makes much greater sense to leverage an existing thoroughfare, rather
than disrupting a low density single-family home area with this traffic, especially when theplanned access road is commonly used by children and walkers to access a small
neighborhood park.
Can the city please be more thoughtful in considering how we enable growth while preservingthe integrity and safety of existing neighborhoods?
- The Trapp Household--
Thanks, Kara Trapp Sent from Gmail Mobile