Black Hawk Estates Preliminary Plat Hearing

Decision Makers: Victor City Council

Topic: Black Hawk Estates Preliminary Plat Hearing

City of Victor
City Council
PO Box 122
Victor, ID 83455

January 29, 2008

Dear Members of the Victor City Council,

I am writing on behalf of Valley Advocates for Responsible Development (VARD) regarding Black Hawk Estates. VARD opposes the development because we are concerned that the density is too high for this location and that the design of this development is not harmonious with the surrounding neighborhood. 

VARD believes that the developer should be required to do a Fiscal Impact Analysis to determine what density is appropriate for the location. The Comprehensive Plan encourages compact development close to the city core because it is cheaper to service and reinforces the vital downtown that the citizens have said that they want.  There are so many ways in which a development like this would impact the city. Please see the attachment, which estimates some of those likely impacts.  Given that it is nearly two miles from the city core, it seems appropriate for the City Council to wait to approve this development until a Fiscal Impact Analysis has been done.

VARD believes that the council should accept the offer made by the developer to the Planning and Zoning Commission to provide dust abatement, as this is an area of recurring concern with developments across the valley. VARD supports the recommendations of the administrator for minimal park improvements and a maintenance plan should show how the minimal improvements would be maintained and how the developer would contribute to that maintenance. VARD also supports the administrator's recommendation of additional apparatus of either “restrooms, an athletic field, trails, hard surface multiple use court (tennis or basketball courts), or gardens that demonstrate conservation principles.” VARD also agrees with the administrator's recommendation for bike paths. All of these recommendations implement the Comprehensive Plan, Policy 1 under Community Design, which calls for community design features that “promote the health, safety, and good quality of life of the citizens of the City.”

Finally, in the Preliminary Plat Hearing the P&Z discussed the need for an enforcement officer to ensure that the dark sky and lighting ordinances would be followed. While the enforcement officer is outside of the scope of this development, VARD thinks there is good reason for the City Council to consider hiring an enforcement officer.

Thank you for your consideration,

Lucy Flood

Attachment:

In the interest of taking a comprehensive view of the impacts of development, we have listed some of the impacts that this development may have on the city. These numbers are based on county and national averages. If you would like more detailed information about these statistics, please contact us.

If a subdivision has:    71    Lots
    71    Units
    40    Acres
It will add to the community:   
est. pop increase    205.9    people
Density    1.775    du/acre
wastewater    20590    gallons/day
Vehicle trips daily    674.5    vehicle trips/day
Dogs & Cats    213    Pets
school children    34.79    students
lbs trash/day    926.55    pounds of trash/day
       
And will need:       
Water    36856.1    gallons/day
Power    2948.488    kW hours/day
Police needed    0.500337    officers
Hospital Beds    5.7652    beds
retail space    4179.77    Square feet