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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBaja Springs_NarrativeNunoNarrative.docx Page 1 of 2 | A Century of Engineering Excellence | Established 1921 Consulting Engineers, Land Surveyors, Planners 2323 S. Vista Ave Ste 206 Boise, ID 83705 Telephone 208.343.3381 | www.centengr.com City of Caldwell 621 Cleveland Boulevard Caldwell, ID 83605 Dear Planning Staff and Planning and Zoning Commissioners, On behalf of our client J&V Construction, we are pleased to present Baja Springs Subdivision, an infill project that will add 15 residences within easy walking distance to Caldwell High School and the Caldwell YMCA. Baja Springs Subdivision sits on a three-acre site bounded by Indiana Avenue to the west, Ison Village Subdivision to the north, Woodway Estates Subdivision to the east, and Caldwell Low Line Canal to the south. The City of Caldwell 2040 Comprehensive Plan Map designates the property as suitable for medium density residential development. This designation envisions infill development, which is further discussed in two comprehensive plan policies. Policy 1-2 seeks to “Promote infill housing development in appropriate neighborhoods.” Further, Policy 2-2 seeks to “Encourage the restoration and redevelopment of underutilized and neglected properties through infill development.” Consistent with the comprehensive plan, the property is zoned for medium density residential (R-2) development. The stated purpose of the R-2 zone is to provide medium density residential development areas at a density consistent with the comprehensive plan. It further notes, “Such zones are primarily located in older neighborhoods and adjacent to shopping, recreational, or cultural facilities. Such zones should be placed in areas that have a full range of urban services available or projected to be established.” This is certainly true of the Baja Springs Subdivision property. It is surrounded by developed or developing properties, it is close to a church, a school, and a community center. All urban services are readily available to the property. Baja Springs provides detached single family residential lots that comply with the R-2 district standards of 6,000 square-foot minimum lot size and 45-foot minimum frontage. These lots sizes are similar to those in Ison Village to the north and generally much larger than those in Woodway Estates to the east. Lots within Woodway Estates Subdivision generally range from 3,500 SF to 4,000 SF. Lot sizes in Ison Village generally range from 6,000 SF to 7,800 SF. There are two common lots within the subdivision. The first is the required street buffer. Because the Baja Springs site drains generally from east to west, this allowed us to provide additional landscaping along Indiana Avenue to accommodate the stormwater basin. NunoNarrative.docx Page 2 of 2 | A Century of Engineering Excellence | Established 1921 The entrance to Baja Springs Subdivision will come from Woodway Estates Subdivision. The developer proposes to extend Oxon Street into Baja Springs Subdivision. This amounts to 0.65 acres of roadway. Although Baja Springs does not propose access from Indiana Avenue, the subdivision still provides for emergency access. The access will be a minimum of 20-feet wide, marked with no parking signs. The emergency access will be restricted through the use of the required bollards. This is important not only to the Baja Springs Subdivision but also Woodway Estates Subdivision. The emergency access also provides foot and bike access to Indiana Avenue to travel to the high school, church, YMCA, and other points of interest. In response to comments from the neighborhood meeting, we have curved the emergency access travelway to allow for landscaping that will screen vehicle head lights shining directly into the neighbor’s property across Indiana.