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Minutes - 2007 - Planning & Zoning - 05/17/2007 - Regular THE CITY OF EAGLE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES 660 E. Civic Lane May 17,2007 I. CALL TO ORDER: Meeting called to order at 6: 13 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL: Present: FELIX, ZASTROW, PIERCE, ASPITARTE, McCARREL 3. PUBLIC HEARINGS: Pierce moves item C to become item A. A.(C.)CPA-I0-06 - Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to establish a Desil!nation of Foothills Cluster and Foothills Conservation - Avimor. LLC: Avimor, LLC., represented by Robert Taunton, is requesting a Comprehensive Plan Map Text Amendment to include +/- 23,320-acres into the Eagle Comprehensive Plan designating the following land uses; +/- 7,] OO-acres Foothills Cluster Development (not to exceed 2 units per acre) and +/- 16,220-acres Foothill Conservation Development (I unit per 40-acres). The +/_ 23,320-acre site is generally located from Highway 55 on the east to Willow Creek Road via Big Gulch on the west, the northern boundary is approximately five (5) miles north of the Ada/Gem County line, the southern boundary abuts the Connolly and Kastera properties more specifically described in the meets and bounds description on file at the City of Eagle. This item was continued/rom the May 14, 2007 meeting. Pierce moves to continue this item to the May 21, 2007. Seconded by Aspitarte. ALL AYES...MOTION CARRIES. B.(A.)CP A-6-07 - Citv of Eal!le: The City of Eagle is proposing a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to achieve the following: I) Adoption of the Eagle Foothills Sub-area Plan and associated text and maps; 2) Adoption of Brookside Sub-area Plan and associated text and maps; 3) Update appropriate sections of the existing plan to ensue consistency with the proposed amendments. This item was continued/rom the May 14,2007 meeting. Pierce introduces the item. Nichoel Biard Spencer, City Planner, reviews the proposed plan. Christy Richardson, ACHD, reads a letter dated May 7'h for the record. Stands for questions from the Commission regarding who is involved and roads. Commissioner Pierce asks about the modeling of the Comprehensive Plan. Planner Baird Spencer is working with Compass. Joe Hinson, Northwest Natural Resource Group, discusses wildlife and wildlife habitat. Recommends that there be a clear expression of the specific wildlife values. Alisom Gilbreath, 4838 Willow Creek Road, active participant in the Ada County foothills plan. Questions why the City would re-invent the wheel. Discusses problems with the traffic in the area. Discusses the revitalization of downtown but feels that it would be an issue if Eagle Road had more lanes. Discusses a survey done by the City of Eagle. John Petrovsky, 4831 Willow Creek Road, discusses the plan. Wanted more notice for the hearing. Would like the Commission to keep the hearing open and possibly make a schedule. Discusses the letters submitted by the public. Feels there was a disconnect between the public and the City. Discusses the density, wants the City to adopt some perfonnance standards to follow. Would like some certainty of density. Aspitarte comments on constraints. CJ Thompson, 4831 Willow Creek Road, would like the hearing to remain. Discusses the changes to the drafts of the foothills. Discusses school bonds. Page I of4 K:\P&Z\MfNUTES\Temporary ~1inufes Work Area\PZ-O,<;.17.07MIN.DOr Mike Wardle, 485 E. Riverside Drive, acknowledges the work that has gone into the plan. Discusses the concerns of the planning for the area. Discusses clustered development and open space and trails. Discusses traffic impacts and working with ACHD, COMPASS, Aspitarte asks if NACFA has seen the Avimor project. Pierce asks about the gross density. Less than I unit per acre. Lynn Purvis, discusses the plan and that the plan can change twice a year. Wants the Commission not to approve any plan that doesn't have solutions. Susan Buxton, City Attorney, applications for amendment. Discusses differences between the text and map amendment. Comprehensive plan is used as a guide. Bill Brownlee, M3 Companies, supports the effort the City and committees have put forth on the plan. Commissioner Aspitarte asks about page 149 of the plan and a central business districts. Joanne Butler, 251 E. Front Street, representing M3 Companies. Discusses working on goals and plans. Lisa Mayer, 2302 N. Aldercrest Place, recently got acquainted with this process. The Community needs to have a plan. Has concerns about traffic. Barb Jekel, 2862 N. Haven,has concerns with water impact and droughts. Reads and submits some environmental reports for the record. Deanna Smith, 910 Main Street, representing Idaho Smart Growth, commends the City for working with Blueprint for Good Growth. Discusses facilities and transportation for the plan. Feels the plan is incomplete. Michael Lawrence, 60 I W. Bannock, representing Symone and Colin Connolly who own approximately 3,000 acres in the foothills. Discusses growth and the importance of preserving the foothills. Zastrow asks about roads. Gary Allen, 60 I W. Bannock, also represents the Connolly family. Feels Eagle has done a good job with the plan. Discusses densities and large lot development. Discusses the proposed Connolly inclusion into the Brookside Planning Area. Heidi Patterson, 5529 W. Fulrich Road, discusses the Brookside Area Plan. Would like the open space to remain along Dry Creek. Butch, N. Saddleman Place. Has submitted two letters for the Commission. Feels there is a lack of evidence to support the findings for the proposed plan. Discusses roads and water. Feels there should not be a decision made until more Leslie Nona, 6411 W. Dry Creek Road. Concurs with comments made by Deanna Smith. Reads a letter submitted by the February 20,2007. Larry Sandusky, Meridian. Discusses the plan and that there is issues with density. Feels there will not be enough water for any development in the foothills. Asks that the hearing remain open. Chris Todd, Eagle. Would like the City to look into the LEAD program and integrated planning. Jill Killer 4005 N. Eagle Road. Owns Eagle Organic Farms and Eagle Stables. Discusses traffic and water. Would like the Commission to protect the Community. Robert Ward, 705 W. Quarter Drive. Feels that water issues and transportation should be resolved. Brad Gerrigan, Gerrigan Estates. Believes that large lots are better than clustered subdivisions. Wants environmental studies to be done. Would like the hearing to remain open. Kathy Pennisi, 3675 N. Saddleman, reads a letter she submitted to the Commission. Discusses constraints and roads. Feels the downtown would suffer if Eagle Road were made into five lanes. Commissioner Pierce asks if developers would have to follow the comprehensive plan. Planner Baird Spencer explains the plan would only be in effect for annexation. Page 2 of<l K:\P&Z\J\,UNUTES\Temporary ~1inules Work Area\PZ-05-17-07MIN.DOC Pierce moves to table this until June 11th at 6:00 p.m. Seconded by Aspitarte. ALL A YES...MOTION CARRIES. C. (B.)CPA-8-06 - Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to desil!nate +/_ 2.000-acres of BLM land as Public/Semi-Public - Citv of Eal!le: The City of Eagle is requesting a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to establish a land use designation on the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map of Public/Semi-Public for the BLM property. The +/_ 2,000-acre site is located approximately 'I.-mile east of State Highway 16 and directly north of the Farmers Union Canal. This item was continued/rom the May 14,2007 meeting. Pierce introduces the item. Nichoel Baird Spencer, City Planner, reviews the application. Pierce opens the public. Joan Langdon, 4690 Hartley Road. Discusses the location of the road. Does not want Hartley to be the location of the road. Paul Beckman, 3585 W. State Street. Has concerns with a recreation facility. People have been letting his cows out. This will have an impact. Lita Fry, 4122 Homer Road, Owns 200 acres along this area. Would like the area to be fenced. Pierce closes the public hearing. Aspitarte moves to table CPA-8-06 - Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to designate +/_ 2,000-acres ofBLM land as Public/Semi-Public to June 11th, Seconded by McCarreI. 4. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: A. CPA-S-06/Z0A-3-06/A-14-06!RZ-19_06_M3 Eal!le - M3 Eal!le: M3 Eagle, represented by Gerry Robbins, is requesting a Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to include +/_ 6,005- acres into the Eagle Comprehensive Plan designating the following land use and zones: 40- acres Residential Rural (up to 1 unit per 5-acres), 1,627-acres Residential Estates (up to I unit per 2-acres), 470-acres Residential One (up to one unit per acre), 670-acres Residential Two (up to two units per acre), 1,250-acres Residential Three (up to 3 units per acre), 670-acres Residential Four (up to four units per acre), 770-acres Village Center, 88-acres Mixed Use, with an annexation with Pre-Annexation Agreement, a rezone with a Development Agreement, Zoning Ordinance Amendment to Eagle City Code Section 8. The 6,005-acre site is generally located north of the Farmers Union Canal and Homer Road, east of State Highway 16 and west of Willow Creek Road more specifically described in the meets and bounds description on file with the City of Eagle. This item was continued/rom the May 14, 2007 meeting. Staff is requesting this item he continued to a date determined hy the Commission. B. CP A-2-07 - Comurehensive Plan Map Amendment from Residential Three to Mixed Use - Stahl Prouerties. LLC: Stahl Properties, LLC, represented by Hans Linton of Red Rock Development group, LLC, is requesting a Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to designate a land use designation on the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map from Residential Three (three (3) units per acre) to Mixed Use. The 10.24-acre site is located on the northwest corner of East Hill Road and North Echohawk Way more specifically described in the meets and bounds description on file at the City of Eagle. This item was continued/rom the May 14, 2007 meeting. C. CP A-3-07 - Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment from Residential Three to Mixed Use - DEB Prouerties. LLP: DEB Properties, LLP, represented by Shawn L. Nickel of SLN Planning, ]nc., is requesting a Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to establish a land use designation on the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map from Residential Three (three (3) units per acre) to Mixed Use. The one (I )-acre site is located approximately eight hundred feet Page J of4 K\P&ZIMfNUTES\Temporary Minutes Work Area\PZ-05-17-07MINDOC (800') west of Highway 55 more specifically described in the meets and bounds description on file with City of Eagle. This item was continued/rom the May 14,2007 meeting. D. CPA-4-07 - Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment from Residential Two to Mixed Use- Elov Chaparro. Jr: Eloy Chaparro Jr., represented by Shawn L. Nickel of SLN Planning, Inc., is requesting a Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to establish a land use designation on the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map from Residential Two (two (2) units per acre) to Mixed Use. The 1.97-acre parcel is located approximately Y. mile north of Chin den Blvd. Specifically described in the meets and bounds description on file with City of Eagle. This item was continued/rom the May 14,2007 meeting. E. CP A-5-07 - ComDrehensive Plan Map Amendment from Residential Estate to Residential One - Mark Beckman: Mark Beckman, represented by Chris Todd of Landmark Engineering and Planning, Inc., is requesting a Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to establish a land use designation on the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map from Residential Estate (one (\) unit per two (2) acres) to Residential One (one (I) unit per acre). The 27.74- acre site is located on the northeast comer of Meridian Road and Floating Feather Road more specifically described in the meets and bounds description on file at the City of Eagle. This item was continuedfrom the May 14,2007 meeting. Aspitarte moves to table items A, B, C, D and E to the June 11 tb meeting. Seconded by Zastrow. ALL AYES...MOTlON CARRIES. 5. ADJOURNMENT: Pierce moves to adjourn. Seconded by Zastrow. ALL AYES...MOTION CARRIES. Hearing no further business, the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m. RESPECTFULL Y SUBMITTED: APPROVED: '\ ~~E~ C IRMAN A TRANSCRIBABLE RECORD OF THIS MEETING IS AVAILABLE AT CITY HALL. ",..I..........#. ,.., .. ###. .... ~ ".. .f rN ......... 0 "\ lW v.- ~ ,.. ':J'. iIII' ~ ..... t\ <.- ...,~ ~ !IIIi r..~. ..... ... . i ,:,: 4:~ , ~ ~\ p 1 . -: 0 _ 1-. _ . : 0, Q. ." <- r.. : . , ,.. ... - . : ~. Qt. """l 4.0: 0 : ':.., e. 0 "J 9l-" ~ ~ '<C-.. ..:> ~cP.. ,,(q ~ -. ",,,\.. \\"".-......,:; -" "'" .........< ~ ,,' '. ,,:~ .... I".. ;) ._' '"",....."", J.~(~K 6.,~---, c..- SHARON K. BERGMANN CITY CLERK/TREASURER Page4of4 K:\P&Z\,\,flNUTES\Temporat)' Minutes Work Area\PZ-05-17_07MIN DOC EAGLE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING SIGN -IN SHEET May 17, 2007 CPA-6-07 - City of Eagle: The City of Eagle is proposing a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to achieve the following: 1) Adoption of the Eagle Foothills Sub -area Plan and associated text and maps; 2) Adoption of Brookside Sub -area Plan and associated text and maps; 3) Update appropriate sections of the existing plan to ensue consistency with the proposed amendments. PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY NAME ADDRESS PHONE PRO? CON? TESTIFY? . 6J g• ) `4' ik) 2OAJ / 2 ' , k .s a, w,tJ 90= l 3 t ,,6 DeA,;s- Pitj7%—b-sox. CM? GV cells./ / /Qi✓gc 229'-379s- X il�s0v, 6,Afec.i-k ltM WA -,)(A) C;ftk qq. -0►i1 1/ d1t$ ,c�, (Pp 3 9s��7_ )( a A.)���ti) 6/1Qehi( -27a, • /144via .191 0 g i n 4 1 lia ShLrr '�. ,,.ci L t Z 7'$ lrz, 1 ;tit- 6/ 3 -1 le"Z% it/o \j C>P ‘\ �S C .�\\.: e�,v q 7E n- y , -72i 7 p 1 Kan/H h -f ,;72 2 e`1 ITVKC e57 935'-9(340. i_ - c i R T 1Po115 In [& 1.4>«C.J- go g3go 41IR 5 IfrS ` r_- C.-1 II 4 `1 •i jc Y'v ( % 4Q> (,- � E iK i 6 c(76= q. oviG3 x kie - ' 73 / G o-at-,, Z.c- 1-,- 4 3 f -c l s-6 is tr., LAcZkrtC--tt.,‘,‘ r 1 ) '0wei q30 z3 / 0 euil 1211,-iidiM 0 3 t= ii tKsA.�.M , ri ' 3i -iw X LL (. 533 Rt Vws, L.� r: kte.)t-LA1 d3c)-N) -tickezcire.i.4- ef35---4-is >4 0-9 /9i ,e J /(E. Z. 0256c,- A I%vm N lti1 93‘6'2 (NC s-- cv( C, ki-o / giiii/d V /-&71 035. ,:;'' 4 9 z e ) e a e i fit-D-7 ig -L. 14, f,.,,.„ 2-n c`r . ,k- 1u.i < _ EAGLE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING SIGN -IN SHEET May 17, 2007 CPA-6-07 - City of Eagle: The City of Eagle is proposing a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to achieve the following: 1) Adoption of the Eagle Foothills Sub -area Plan and associated text and maps; 2) Adoption of Brookside Sub -area Plan and associated text and maps; 3) Update appropriate sections of the existing plan to ensue consistency with the proposed amendments. PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY NAME ADDRESS PHONE PRO? CON? TESTIFY? d 24 n kt1 A, «og t,-kf rs 5-r 333-e6g x V '�C1ne 11�,, BSI ui . -W(i) q - t'l- K vtn 1 \tCiA.�Y.L L �- c�C�i tni k 97 �1� G1�31i� 1 J �j '`� (2-G ly C � AIL (dO 1 w. AQ���L ?� -_) o ,x / � 2 , d),„_,, ' y ,694 7i, 4�Y,,.,/.,n./ it . S- /\ --7--,-- - -,.., //5:: ,-- .,-- 7:?l(P/// / .GW a „ k X Iz _f„ ,-27,,, vv,• c .t-ti., i 34" Al b&d% i3P/�l3>& (fit, , % 3 3- l /C .,,,f / , #3,_- �/ Gi( �1, /, fi, V )10.) c 9-15 31 X W.l i 40 c a. c.e2(1a—� H,r3 4• : - L. ,,ec 53 FV2 _ 1=1-0\J 1 iG ' 1 -O 3 c--- i kid, (k-C2t=c eto cu q CIS IC x ! Les I; Nc A.A () 411 c.J �r• :1 (e k a 4- EAGLE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING SIGN -IN SHEET May 17, 2007 CPA-6-07 - City of Eagle: The City of Eagle is proposing a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to achieve the following: 1) Adoption of the Eagle Foothills Sub -area Plan and associated text and maps; 2) Adoption of Brookside Sub -area Plan and associated text and maps; 3) Update appropriate sections of the existing plan to ensue consistency with the proposed amendments. PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY NAME ADDRESS PHONE...... ..PRO?._ CON? TESTIFY? 57) C4 /' C3 -2 2 //7101- - EAGLE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING SIGN -IN SHEET May 17, 2007 CPA-8-06 - Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to designate +/- 2,000-acres of BLM land as Public/Semi-Public - City of Eagle: PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY NAME ADDRESS PHONE PRO? CON? TESTIFY? Z-62( (a c*//(e2?e, C « i-i l)i/r6i'r r7) -z_?z‘ tv Janet Fr, an de-,-, R300 £ $ua_5k4-0i- ,3 e-/�//3 �' !/ rci% `� WC 4-Scsx) ,n)KS I 3T � 1 U ( o 3 7 ! 6 / 0 c > W/4 f 3% 14_(.0U6tLi) ?9 Di/ rJ, KEN //L-V7 232 2 f7, S.7c'/ielilEe'T 1?1--5i3C-- .:., 5sor10,6e .C() ?SP-7z32Cs AL/fi) ;A 36'5I-Q-% 17 / I/ dedia War 5035 0641410 AI 9 -D7/' •i- p \\ �r1 � ��1(A� �1Y1 C1`1 C 1, -��\. k\' \ v q 3q f 1-113 X ---) 4 i 1 r 5'( c? -Wet eta( 14-11 1 --„._ r-__p i C << � j : ts-�v ')�, id.Jtipc.,14i e �3�yts- cc ,C 4ca+,., 3--e Ail 1st' 3-7 N - Sco ko_,,,,, q 37 -my X EAGLE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING SIGN -IN SHEET May 17, 2007 CPA-8-06 - Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to designate +/- 2,000-acres of BLM land as Public/Semi-Public - City of Eagle: PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY NAME ADDRESS PHONE PRO? CON? TESTIFY? EAGLE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING SIGN -IN SHEET May 17, 2007 CPA-8-06 - Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to designate +/- 2,000-acres of BLM land as Public/Semi-Public - City of Eagle: PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY NAME ADDRESS PHONE PRO? CON? TESTIFY? EAGLE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING SIGN -IN SHEET May 17, 2007 CPA-10-06 - Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to establish a Designation of Foothills Cluster and Foothills Conservation - Avimor, LLC: PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY NAME ADDRESS PHONE PRO? CON? TESTIFY? —� X 32/5.- ' :;,4"0,7 - 7///77e--._--zi----z'ka, po et v .67- ky 9 :2,6 9C97 FL' RI LjZ g3172.67 x K Lti t GOIA sAt, r 3 t\ - i eyte 1 k,z_ 9 g8 4 - )` `*Qr \.1v v. L-V.k_q 0 IQ Ck-o k \ 4scrt gl )C \2,1iJ FI-Cr7d Q d trAa/IAs (/ 73/iV/3 )‹ T (Gt'7yrie:t: -/ -2?i2Itr17apAttc.6*s'-r 7' 4t?G vs-,vI 0,ee 01 9.1�er973 7 L:)-;„-: 1, U.E140 izkn qC-1 (i0 -1WA-k( ei'3f -1i471" Rei4 k,d'd `705 tip, LDr, ' I i,b 1•011-Ce-- 405 i\I 1:-_-:_fiAte; cf3c7q931/ _ 5, S I i YO 3 m 5✓c,c(c �c q. Qio� X /o �ardec J Yo i �t/. 7 �z 23 -� 72o (/(t. S`ra (X, 8g2s r,14- Cre,e-kli 7 o gYo EAGLE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING SIGN -IN SHEET May 17, 2007 CPA-10-06 - Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to establish a Designation of Foothills Cluster and Foothills Conservation - Avimor, LLC: PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY NAME ADDRESS PHONE PRO? CON? TESTIFY? EAGLE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING SIGN -IN SHEET May 17, 2007 CPA-10-06 - Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment to establish a Designation of Foothills Cluster and Foothills Conservation - Avimor, LLC: PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY NAME ADDRESS PHONE PRO? CON? TESTIFY? EAGLE FOOTHILLS PLAN COMMENTS May 17, 2007 I have lived in the Eagle area for almost 55 years. I grew up on an 80 acre farm near Eagle. We used to drive our cattle to summer pasture in Long Valley via Willow Creek road and at times even Hwy 55. We used to take our broken farm equipment to Joe Cullen in Eagle to have him weld it back together. We used to weigh our hay on the scales at the Boise Payette Lumber Co. across the street. Obviously I've seen a lot of change. Some of this change has been positive and some has not been so positive. Having lived here most of my life I can say that most development has occurred in small increments with what appears to be not a lot of comprehensive planning, even though Idaho has mandated that each county or city have a comp plan. This type of development has resulted in transportation problems and open space issues. The Eagle Foothills Plan has been a legitimate attempt at real comprehensive planning. 20,000 homes sounds like a lot of homes, and it is, but this is also a huge planning area. The concept that most people have a hard time grasping is, this is cluster development. So 20,000 homes sounds like a lot but if they are truly clustered that leaves significant open space for everyone one else to enjoy. The 40% open space requirement is a huge bonus to the area. These proposed developments are long term projects (20-30 yrs) and the market place will eventually determine how fast we get to 20,000 homes or if the area gets built out. But it's important that we have something in place now as to where and how they will be built. I think the size of the area being planned for is what most people are concerned with but its much better to plan now for this area than to allow piece meal development to chip away at it. Now is the time to plan for significant open space. Not just neighborhood parks but regional open space. Now is the time to plan for trail systems that actually go somewhere. It's time we make Ridge to Rivers a reality. The concept of planned communities is here now. We need to take advantage of it. Village centers are a good idea. They help promote trip capture and provide for a sense of community. Do I wish I could still drive cattle to Long Valley? Yes! Do I wish we could maintain the foothills as they are? Yes! The reality is the Treasure valley will continue to grow and the foothills will eventually be developed. I support the Eagle Foothills Plan and the Brookside Sub area Plan. A tremendous amount of work has gone into this plan by a cross section of the community. Not everyone will be supportive but I believe this plan is in the best interest of the community as whole. Dennis Patterson 5529 W School Ridge Rd. Boise, Idaho 83714 May 17, 2007 I want to thank the City of Eagle for allowing me to participate in the planning process by being on the sub committees for the Eagle Foothills Sub -area Plan. I enjoyed working with a cross section of the community. I want to specifically thank Nicole and the entire planning staff for the tremendous amount of hours and sacrifice that have gone into the Eagle Foothills plan. I believe this planning process has helped to better define the constraints, opportunities and a long-range vision for this area. The planning that is taking place now has a long-range benefit. It means land will being set aside for future roads and trails. Trails won't just loop around in one development but be interconnected trails. Everyone benefits when planning takes place. Now let me turn our attention to the Brookside Sub -Area Plan which encompasses our property. The 150 acre parcel of land at the northeast corner of Brookside Lane and Highway 55 has been in our family for 70 years. We support setting aside land for a future relocated Brookside Lane, Highway 55 expansion and trail system along Dry Creek. There is wisdom and long-term benefit in planning for these future needs. There are major developments proposed all around our property. I have been approached often to sell the family farm, but I don't want our farm to be just another development. I want to leave a lasting legacy to our family. I believe that through the work of the committees, the Brookside Sub -area Plan has provided the necessary framework to make that legacy possible and at the same time providing a benefit to the community. Some off the important aspects of this plan are to protect the open space along Dry Creek. This is key to providing continuity to a trail system that will hopefully connect to Eagle City, the foothills to the north and on to the east up Dry Creek (a true Ridge to Rivers trail). Another important aspect of the plan is providing for a village center. As development continues to occur in the area a village center would help capture trips by providing some basic services, like physician offices, a post office, a library, shops and a small grocery store. A village center would also provide a sense of community. Finally, as part of the legacy to my parents, I hope to incorporate a senior community into this area. This plan would allow me to do that as well. Sincerely, kieec>gazz440) Heidi Patterson SSRq W Sa lta1 Wed Jed B&Ts...ro tans( ID Foothills testimony for the Record May 17, 2007 by Joan Langdon Ken and Joan Langdon, 4690 HartleyRd. Eagle, ID 83616 RE: Transportation and Planned BLM/Park entrance There are 3 maps at the Foothills Comprehensive Plan Meetings concerning Hartley, Palmer or Little Gulch Floodway crossing Hartley and hooking into Palmer Roads to support the proposed commercial center near the current Idaho Feed Lot and Beacon Light as well as access for the M3 Eagle area. Palmer would be the best choice, as it would impact mostly a subdivision area that is currently in the planning stages. It is the shortest distance between those two points and will not impact Hartley Residents. Hartley Road has been a BLM gateway for bicycles, hikers, dog walkers, and horse riders. However, to make this gateway safe for all it should not become a thoroughfare between Beacon Light and M3 Eagle. The one lane bridge on Hartley Road crossing the Farmers Union canal is currently the home of 4 irrigation Headgates, the two new cement weirs and phone lines. Widening this road may seriously mess up the irrigation pathways established sometime since 1894. This bridge is only about 1 year old as is the asphalt road one quarter of a mile on either side of it. Gravel for this road was originally paid for by the residents living along this section and we have never been reimbursed. Additionally we had to pay to bring phone and electricity to our homes. Therefore we feel some ownership of this area and don't want to become a secondary highway for the convenience of newcomers. To use the floodway down Little Gulch, crossing Hartley, then down the floodway to Palmer duplicates what the new Linder Road will be doing and impacts a narrow area to the East of us and messes up Hartley and ruins a beautifully irrigated piece of property to the West of Hartley. This may be fun for planners to pencil on a map but it is certainly inconsiderate of the residents. I am retire4this was supposed to be my retirement house and this is where I have invested all my sweat, blood and tears. Hopefully, this is a voice of reason and will be heard. Thank you. Mayor: Nancy C. Merrill Ada County Development Services Attn: Jay Gibbons 200 W. Front Street Boise, ID 83702 February 20, 2007 Dear Mr. Gibbons, CITY OF EAGLE P.O. Box 1520 Eagle, Idaho 83616 939-6813 REC Vr:D Council: Stanley J. Bastian Phil Bandy Steve Guerber Scott Nordstrom On February 13, 2007, the Eagle City Council reviewed the Draft Ada County Comprehensive Plan and provides the following comments for consideration by staff, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Ada County Commissioners. Since the Ada County Planning and Zoning public hearing was closed on February 8, 2007, please provide in writing whether these comments will be added to the Planning and Zoning Commission record for consideration or if it is necessary for the City to resubmit these comments for consideration at the March 8, 2007, Commission. Hearing or a later BOCC hearing. Comments are arranged by document: Ada County Comprehensive Plan: 1. After reviewing the provided plans the City of Eagle has serious concerns about the placement of Planned Communities outside of Areas of Impact and the proposed densities in the north foothills which are remotely located away from basic services found in municipal boundaries. Since 2004, the County has been a participant in the Blueprint for Good Growth process that encourages Planned Communities to be developed in cities and Areas of Impact (as stated in Chapter 5, page 8-9). Throughout the current Ada County Comprehensive Plan update process the same encouragement of developing Planned Communities within cities and Impact Areas has been voiced from the citizens and the Steering Committee. 2. The recent revisions further water down the intent and commitments of the County to the BPGG process to limit development in the unincorporated area of the county focusing development into areas of city of impact. 3. The Ada County Comprehensive Plan overall statement regarding Planned Communities state that they must demonstrate the ability to fund and operate the community's utilities and services and are to be self supporting so as to not be subsidized by residents living outside the community. The remaining goals and policies stated within the plan steer Planned Communities toward being completely self-supporting communities. With this in mind, the City still has concerns about the overall accumulative impacts these proposed communities will have on Eagle and the surrounding cities. Each future proposed Planned Community might be able to show on paper Page I of 5 K:\Planning Dept\Ada County Applications\CPA12006\200600255 cpa County letter doc EXHIBIT 154 how they will be self supporting in the future, but the total build out of a Planned Community usually takes between 10 and 20 years, sometimes even longer. Therefore, the cities will be greatly impacted until build out is achieved, as is evident with the existing Hidden Springs Planned Community. The plan should eliminate Planned Communities from being developed outside the Areas of Impact, urban and urban type developments should be located within municipalities as stated in Idaho Code 67-6502(f ), or place limits on the overall number of permits based on the availability of existing schools, employment, commercial opportunities, public services, and transportation systems in the immediate area until new ones are built or improvements are made to support the Planned Community. The proposed plan does not state the timing of when the proposed communities utilities and services, including improvements of existing transportation systems, need to be in place to achieve self-sufficiency. 4. Within Chapter 5, please clarify if this is the entire county or just the unincorporated county. Should a Table 5.1 of the area of the county within the municipalities be included? 5. Within Chapter 5, page 8, the City encourages the plan top reference the Idaho Code Section in case it changes, this will allow the document to remain current longer. 6. The City would encourage limiting County approved development (keep RR and RP zones) within the Areas of Impact so that this extraordinary development does not hinder the ability to grow or annex within the Areas of Impact in the future. 7. The City strongly encourages that all development approved by Ada County in the Areas of Impact use land use, zoning, and subdivision standards that mirror those within the parent city in which the development is occurring. Also, all development within the Areas of Impact that is contiguous or within a five year CIP should be required to develop within the City. Both Policy 5.2-19 and Policy 5.2-2 should have the same criteria. In general the County should direct the Cities to come to an agreement about common boundaries throughout the County. 8. On page 23 of Chapter 5, the plan allows for industrial uses in rural areas. The plan should discourage the location of commercial and industrial within rural areas due to the lack of infrastructure, fire, police, etc. 9. Table 7.1, found in Chapter 7, is inaccurate and the City encourages that updates be made to it. The City has attached its City of Eagle Services Area for water. In regards to table 7.3, please incorporate the City of Eagle's officers and support staff which is contracted through Ada County. TheCcity has 15 officers and 2 support staff for a total of 17. 10. Within Chapter 8 (Public Land Ownership Regional Park Priorities Outside Areas of Impact), please note that Eagle Island State Park has been in the Eagle area of impact for over 20 years and the City is currently in the process of annexing the park. Please remove it from the map. North Foothills Sub -Area Plan Comments 1. The North Foothills Sub -Area Plan also allows for Planned Community as a development option. The development of any proposed Planned Community in the north foothills will drastically impact the City of Eagle. Due to the north foothills close proximity to the City, the plan should state that Planned Communities should not be developed outside of Areas of Impact. The plan should explicitly state that Planned Communities should be developed within municipal boundaries. Further, the plan should state any type of development with a density more than the current (1 per 10 acres — RR and 1 per 40 acres - RP) should be located within municipal boundaries. 2. On pages 31 to 34, the plans shows the entire planning area divided up into four sub -areas. Each area has been identified with environmental constraints and assessed with an average gross Page 2 of 5 K:\Planning Dept\Ada County Applications\CPA\2006\200600255 cpa County letter.doc density per area. To better understand the impacts of the densities will have on the City, the plan should state in detail how the densities (and density bonuses) for each sub -area were arrived at and the maximum unit by sub -area. 3. The North Foothills Sub -Area Plan incorporates an environmental constraints -based approach to development in the north foothills. Detailed maps including Drainage (watercourses, floodways, floodplains, wetlands/riparian areas), Soils/Bedrock, Landforms (rock outcrops, ridges, peaks, and unstable slopes), Slope Analysis, View sheds, Wild Life Habitat, Vegetation, and Archeological should be refined and adopted with this plan. 4. The North Foothills Sub -Area Plan discusses the use of standards and design guidelines to minimize development impacts. These standards and design guidelines should be incorporated into a North Foothills Ordinance which would protect hillsides/ridgelines, view sheds, creates more natural open space areas, minimizes disturbance to environmentally sensitive areas, and protects natural drainage ways. The standards and design guidelines should be established and adopted with the plan to better understand how development will impact the area and to limit development applications prior to the implementation of the plan. Being the northern backdrop of the City of Eagle, the City needs to be ensured that development in the area has the least amount of impact to protect the existing environment. 5. On page 36 of the North Foothills Sub -Area Plan, it indicates that one of the most appropriate development patterns within the north foothills planning area is clustering. The City agrees that in some areas this is a better development method to protect the natural environment and preserve more open space, but a Cluster Subdivision ordinance to replace the existing Non -Farm Subdivision ordinance should be drafted and adopted with this plan to ensure that development is consistent with the North Foothills Sub- Plan goals and objectives. 6. One of the short term measures on page 4 of the plan states one way to minimize development in sensitive areas and increased dedicated open space is through density bonuses and other means of transferring density. The plan should indicate in detail how the bonus system would work and what areas are eligible to transfer and receive density. Since the overall plan increases the base density within the area is additional bonus density increases required or necessary? 7. Though the January revisions places an overall 20-year development expectation of 12,000 units for the Foothills area located west of Highway 55 to Can -Ada Road how does this number differ from build -out? How will these densities be limited? Where will activity centers be developed within the planning area? What infrastructure is required to support the increase in the base density from 5,000 units to 12,000? 8. Currently, ACHD is in the planning process of creating a transportation system in the north foothills, calling it the Northwest Foothills Transportation Plan. At this time, the process has not been completed. Part of the process includes estimating and establishing extraordinary impact fees due to existing infrastructure being insufficient to serve the densities proposed within the North Foothills Sub -Area Plan. The City is concerned about the North Foothills Sub -Area Plan being adopted and new development occurring in the foothills causing impacts to the existing streets prior to ACHD adopting their plan. Therefore, the City requests that the County incorporate the Northwest Foothills Transportation Plan recommendations prior to adopting the North Foothills Sub -Area Plan. 9. One of the objectives of the North Foothills Sub -Area Plan is to have a connected network of open space. BLM manages approximately 1 l% of the gross land area in the North Foothills area and have indicated that they would be amendable in allowing the lands to be used as recreational open space. The goals and objectives provided by BLM for these parcels of land and the methods available to acquire the land should be placed in the plan. Page 3 of 5 K:\Planning Dept\Ada County Applications\CPA\2006\200600255 cpa County Ietter.doc 10. It is agreed that a detailed evaluation of potential water sources would be needed to facilitate future development. The North Foothills Sub -Area Plan indicates three approaches to secure water; 1) Continue to use wells and existing aquifers, 2) Annex to allow service to an adjacent municipal water service provider (e.g. the City of Eagle), 3) Provide water from another water service agency (e.g. United Water). Larger developments would have the resources to conduct the evaluation of finding potential water sources to serve the development and could connect to an existing system. Smaller developments or individual parcels probably do not have the resources to do this. To minimize the amount of new wells in the area which impacts the water supply for existing residents a full scale water allocation should be conducted prior to the approval of increased densities in this area. 11. It is also agreed that a detailed evaluation of potential wastewater treatment facilities would be needed to facilitate future development. The North Foothills Sub -Area Plan indicates four approaches to dispose of wastewater: 1) Septic Systems, 2) Annex to allow service to an adjacent municipal wastewater service provider (e.g. the City of Eagle), 3) Provide wastewater treatment from another wastewater service agency (e.g. Eagle Sewer District), 4) Use central Community Treatment systems. The plan states that "lot sizes required for septic systems in this area could vary significantly, anywhere from one-half acre to ten acres depending on soil and other specific site conditions". The Central Health Department requires a minimum of two acre lots in order to apply for a septic system permit. The County should incorporate the Central Health Department requirements into the plan. It should also be noted that the City of Eagle does not operate its own wastewater system. The City works with the Eagle Sewer District to provide for all its wastewater needs with the City municipal boundaries. The City is also concerned with the long term maintenance of a Community/Package treatment facility. The plan should state that the system be maintained by a licensed professional, such as a sewer district. Park and Open Space Master Plan Comments 1. The Park and Open Space Master Plan indicate that Ada County will not be involved in the acquisition, development, and maintenance of local parks (e.g. Mini -Parks, Neighborhood Parks, Community Parks, and Large Urban Parks). The plan states that these types of parks may be accepted by the County through the development of Planned Communities. What happens if Planned Communities are not a development option outside of Areas of Impact? It appears that there are no other options for the County to develop these types of parks. The plan should indicate other options for the development of these types of parks outside of Areas of Impact. Otherwise, the county residents will be forced to use the Mini -Parks, Neighborhood Parks, Community Parks, and Large Urban Parks found with the cities. 2. The Comprehensive Plan and Parks and Open Space Master Plan states minimum standards, including guidelines, for the preservation of natural open space for various types of residential communities and Planned Communities based on environmental sensitivity. They indicate that the guidelines will be reviewed on a project -by project basis. The county residents, as well as the City, have goals not limited to establishing larger areas of open space, better connectivity of open space between adjacent projects or other managed open spaces such as county, state or federals land, open space buffers between land uses, and trial connectivity. The plan should establish base guidelines up front to meet the county resident's goals instead of on a project -by project basis. General Comments: 1. Overall the City is concerned with the lack of detail within both plans. The Comprehensive Plan advocate for planned communities but without predictability as to location, regional open space and transportation planning the result may be a series of discontinuous subdivisions that may or may not in a twenty year planning horizon become self—supporting. Page 4 of 5 K:\Planning DepMda County Applications\CPA\2006\200600255 cpa County letter.doc 2. The Comprehensive Plan seems to lack a clear vision for what Ada County will look like in 20- years. Additional detail should be provided as to a comprehensive open space plan, areas that are suitable for development and areas that should remain rural. 3. The plan is formatted similar to an environmental impact statement establishing options and disclaimers. Extra language and the continual references to future amendments the plan should be removed so that there is a clear long-range vision for the county and predictability is provided for citizens and other jurisdictions. 4. The City would encourage that a complete draft including current copies of all exhibits and maps be sent to the City for review prior to additional public hearings and action on this application. Thank you for allowing the City of Eagle To comments on the draft plan. We look forward to working with you through the adoption and implementation of the plan. If you have any questions please contact Nichoel Baird Spencer at 939-0227. Sincerely, Nancy C. Merril I t-4( yor CC: Ada County Commissioners Council Attorney Zoning Administrator Page 5 of 5 K:\Planning Dept\Ada County Applications\CPA\2006\200600255 cpa County letter.doc Michael Lawrence Testimony Outline Eagle North Foothills Plan Eagle P&Z, Eagle City Hall May 17, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. 1. Intro a. Eagle's Draft Foothills Plan is a good start. b. I feel fortunate to have been a part of such an open and participatory process c. The effort has been impressive, given the few resources that resulted in such a commendable product d. Unfortunately, the proposed low -density plan cannot succeed in making Eagle the city it wishes to become. 2. I understand the concerns of those who wish to halt growth in the Foothills, and I believe we share many of the same goals. a. First, I empathize and can see the point of view of the people here who want to preserve Eagle's rural character, especially in the Foothills. There is no question that these folks are passionate and sincere. b. In addition, I also believe there is a great deal of common ground to build on. i. It is difficult to avoid the fact that tremendous population growth is at Eagle's doorstep. 1. Treasure Valley = well over 1 million in 25 years 2. Eagle = at least 127,000 in 25 years ii. And we all agree that it is important to preserve the Foothills character; elements such as publicly accessible open space, and preserved wildlife habitat iii. And we want future development to impact the existing city of Eagle positively, not negatively 3. We can get there, but not by planning to avoid growth a. Simply restricting density so much over so large an area will not deliver the results that any of us want b. See, e.g., Austin, TX: Michael Lauer, lead consultant for BGG, mentioned the Austin example at the recent Leadership Conference in Sun Valley; he said that Austin is now paying for its earlier mistake of saying: "If we don't build it, they won't come." Well, they are coming and they will continue to come. c. Put simply, Eagle is too centrally located to avoid the Treasure Valley's future growth. Page 1 of 3 S:\CLIENTS\8817\2\MPL P&Z Testimony Outline.DOC i. Let's take a look at a map of Ada and Canyon counties. You can see the location of the urbanized areas on here. ii. With this view, you can see Eagle is very centrally located — the center of population today is right about 10 Mile Road. iii. Eagle is located at the crosshairs: Highways 44 and 20-26, and Highways 16 and 55 iv. In other words, Eagle is in growth central; if Eagle does not plan for the coming population, the people who would have loved to live in the Eagle Foothills will move to Star, Horseshoe Bend, Emmett, and Middleton. And they will drive through Eagle; but they will not pay enough for the road capacity Eagle needs or for any of the services or amenities Eagle wants to provide for its residents. v. And Eagle will become just a place the Valley's million people drive through just to get from Star to Boise, or from 84 to McCall. d. Obviously, Eagle can't accommodate everyone, but there are significant problems if you artificially restrict growth where there is large development pressure... i. First, the Foothills developers will look to the county for their approvals; Eagle will have no say in what happens and planned communities or a sea of 10 acre lots will result. ii. But what's wrong with low density, you may ask? 1. you can't afford the services you need and the amenities you want except at much higher densities. 2. Developers can't afford to build the roads, and provide the public open space, park and school sites, and other amenities. 3. You are also not creating enough new taxpayers to pay to maintain roads and amenities and sustain essential public services. We provided additional information in our written submission. 4. Further, you do not create enough density around your neighborhood or community centers to support them, so they are not likely to be built except to serve pass -through traffic. Hidden Springs and Harris Ranch already contain marginal retail areas without sufficient density in the area to support them. We know this doesn't work. e. But let's say the plan is successful, and all of these landowners agree to come into the city at the densities proposed. What kind of city have you created? i. It would be unlike any city we can find anywhere. Page 2 of 3 S:\CLIENTS\8817\2\MPL P&Z Testimony Outline.DOC 1. 50,000 units and 127,000 people on 55,000 acres, an area almost 5 times the size of Manhattan, at a gross density of roughly 0.6 units per acre. 2. So, what kind of city does the plan create? It doesn't —it creates a county, which is evident when one compares the latest revisions to Eagle's plan with Ada County's plan: they are nearly identical in the intensity of development proposed for the Foothills. ii. [Put up slides — densities] We looked at cities all over the west, and could find no city remotely approaching this size with a gross density less than 1.18 units per acre. [Put up slide of cities] Some of these cities are quite attractive, as you can see. 1. Indeed, some communities cited by city officials at the joint work session have very high densities: a. Sun Valle's lowest density zone is 1 unit/acre, and it has many 2:1, 7:1, 14:1 and 21:1 ratios b. Hidden Springs "large lots" are .5 acres, and "regular" lots are 3.6 units per acre c. All with substantial open space surrounding it to maintain that "rural" feel f. We strongly urge the City's officials and the City's residents to learn from the Austins, and the Santa Fes and Bends and Boulders, and plan for Foothills that will realistically meet everyone's goals. Page 3 of 3 S:\CLIENTS\8817\2\MPL P&Z Testimony Outline.DOC X 1 Li \ »:!1`7"If�Ui1 Ifl :...t0 ; {{E{{� » 3 3 in -n.'. ; I\ \ !E 4 C2 \ « ; 41J. f P n B k: 9 §• ■ 2 § Gary Allen Testimony Outline Eagle North Foothills Plan Eagle P&Z, Eagle City Hall May 17, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. 1. Introduction — My name is Gary Allen, my address is 601 W. Bannock in Boise. I represent the Connolly family, which owns 3,000 acres in the North Foothills. 2. We would like to congratulate Eagle on the draft plan. a. Every part has been open and participatory, and we appreciate this. b. The staff has made an impressive effort: they had few resources, but put together a commendable product. c. In sum, it is a good start, but from the Connollys' point of view, it must go farther. 3. Many would say this is really simple. a. People are here clamoring for lower densities. Why shouldn't you just give it to them? b. Politically, that probably gets votes for the city council. But the question I'd like you to answer is: does it work? 4. The fact is — it doesn't work. a. If the city enacts a low -density plan as proposed, developers will have no incentive to come into the city. b. Instead, they will go to the county for approval of planned communities, non -farm subdivisions and large lots. Each of these creates its own problems for the city. c. While I see a lot of benefits in planned communities, for many in this community, they are the bogey man that spurred this planning process. Planned communities mean that urban -density development may occur and the city will have no say in it. d. Non -farm subdivision and large lot development are far worse for the city, in my view. i. This will cut off growth of the city to the north, the only real direction for its growth. If Connollys were to subdivide into 10-acre lots, it would cut off city's growth for nearly half of the city's east -west width. As you know, 10-acre lots can never be involuntarily annexed under Idaho law. ii. That type of development also means no public open space, no trails for horses, bicycles or hikers, no wildlife habitat protection, and no viewshed protection. The foothills north of Boise already include tens of thousands of acres of public land. The foothills north of Eagle include comparatively Page 1 of 3 S:\CLIENTS\8817\2\GGA P&Z Hearing Outline.doc little public land so Eagle must offer some incentives if private landowners are to dedicate their land to public use. iii. [Review Slide - Read Randall in Rural by Design (p. 229)]: iv. Low -density development also does not end Eagle's traffic woes. As my colleague Mike Lawrence has said, it just means development will be pushed farther west and north, with more drivers wanting to get through Eagle at high speed to get somewhere else. 5. We find all this very unfortunate, because the stakeholders seem to agree on a great deal. a. No disagreement that growth (tremendous growth) is on Eagle's doorstep i. The Treasure Valley is expected to include 1 million+ people in 25 years ii. Eagle's plan anticipates 127,000 in 25 years. b. No disagreement that we want to maintain the "Foothills character" i. We all want to protect scenic vistas and provide accessible open space. c. No disagreement that we want development that impacts the existing city of Eagle in a positive, not negative, way. i. Development should not transfer tax burdens, and an adequate transportation system must be provided. 6. At the end of the day, we need two significant changes to the plan to be able to support it. a. First, we would like what we call the lower ranch put into the Brookside planning area. i. [put up map] We see this as a matter of fairness as well as good planning. Essentially, the draft plan puts one side of Brookside into this area but not the other. ii. There are two quality development areas on the lower ranch that we believe are suitable for mixed use development — lower Ranch/Rodeo basin and lower part of south tank. b. Second, we believe the plan should create incentives that would increase potential overall density of Connolly Ranch up to 2 units/acre, about double what the current plan could provide. i. Of course, this would be subject to showing transportation adequacy, availability of services, provision of adequate open space and wildlife habitat, etc. ii. We are open to how this is done through density bonuses, preparation of detailed studies, or other means. This may mean moving away from determining base density based on topography, which we think is unfair, Page 2 of 3 S:\CLIENTS\8817\2\GGA P&Z Hearing Outline.doc when other factors such as proximity to the city and the care a property owner has shown his property are not considered. 7. Thank you for your consideration of these comments and I will stand for your questions. Page 3 of 3 S:\CLIENTS\8817\2\GGA P&Z Hearing Outline.doc 1.. I •+-+ ! I 4% -El c43-5;I k cd 74 5, • g-+ 4) b'A a,tts° ce5 ;21 0 vi-r, .(4), � r. z ct, O E 5, g - ;-4 ri rj) CI g •.� .4a. 'o' '- u a)wgc g go0°0Q 04 0 E •r.., a, co ; �.'• "Call n 0� .Co)C, .4° 4 � O � la) cn bA al CD Ca 'cu o °"( 6- e E "0 ,4 c43, •- - O .- �a) a •+-+ cn o ro .. 15 P.,4 .� w c CD u/ �+ bA 0 ›.., ,....1 44 g (1);-+ .>,"4 obl°- .1-9 O 4a u rim.:Z w ›, 1%. O� 0 CD = •LEi • �o 0 itz cu TopoZone - USGS Pearl (ID) Topo Map Page 1 of 1 topozone c�ryl4:49b3Wps3 agile 10c L Law South Tank Lower Ranch / Rodeo Basin 2 i '/ Broo)cside Lane Realignment 0 0.6 1.2 1-8 9.4 km Proposed Connolly Inclusion Into Brookside Planning Area Related Photos Page 1 of 1 k MSNBC.com David McNew / Getty Images PAGE, AZ - MARCH 27: The light-colored 100-foot thick "bathtub ring" of bleached sandstone, the result of a six -year drought that has dramatically dropped the level of the reservoir, shows under the red Navajo sandstone landscape of Llewellyn Gulch canyon on March 28, 2007 near Page, Arizona. Lake Powell and the next biggest Colorado River reservoir, the nearly 100-year- old Lake Mead, are at the lowest levels ever recorded. Environmentalists have Tong -lamented the damming of scenic Glen Canyon, the eastern sibling of the Grand Canyon, in the early 1960's to create the 186-mile-long Lake Powell. The US Bureau of Reclamation is evaluating four proposals to manage the drought on the Colorado River which supplies water and power to millions of people in the western states. The bureau has warned that shortages are possible as early as 2010. If the water drops too far, power generators at the dams will become inoperable. Updated: 3:48 p.m. ET March 29, 2007 URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17859144/displaymode/1176/rstry/18054965/ http: //www. msnbc. ms n. com/id/ 17859144/di s pl aymode/ 1168/rstry/ 1805496 5/rpage/ 1 /print/ 1 4/ 11 /2007 s • s• 0 • : _ u 3 3 ts • p. 3a c 3fD 0 �a N 0 0 = Nc D R � m rn 0 o. co u 0 Ci 3 3- eD r. dti PIA WON c in s6uysod Jellnaad sl116p1161H woYdM A}lalutp3 '8 aaea ;uawuoalnu3 ma c c cc cn g in ra r lD [�'D N Q° F ▪ • ( ▪ ham• a eD d a 49 o o O Crq d rt. ef o CD O F-% • `• • X tv C. 0-1 p.+ ▪ t Home » U.S. News » Environment » Climate Change 0 g' o f• CD CT Z 03 Study: Arctic sea ice melting much faster - Climate Change - MSNBC.com .N. report cites U.S. warming impacts - Climate Change - MSNBC.com Page 2 of 2 region's infrastructure at risk." Boston's transportation network may also be at risk from a sea level rise and the increased probability of a powerful storm surge, it said. As for the impact of rising temperatures, the panel said a 25 percent increase in heat waves is projected for Chicago later this century, while the number of heat -wave days in Los Angeles is projected to increase from the current 12 per year to between 44 and nearly 100. By the mid-21st century, regions in Alaska and Canada's Northwestern Territories are likely to be at "moderate to high risk" clue to coastal erosion and thawing of permafrost, the report said. North American producers of wood and timber could suffer losses of between $1 billion and $2 billion a year during the 21st century if climate change also sparks changes in diseases, insect attacks and forest fires, the panel said. Other points made in the report include: • Groundwater flows from the Edwards Aquifer in Texas could drop by up to 40 percent, leading to problems for farmers. • The Ogalla Aquifer — a shallow formation below South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas — could see natural recharge drop by 20 percent. • The costs of replenishing Florida's beaches with sand, in order to counter a sea level rise of a foot, could be between $2-9 billion. • A reliable snowmobile season is likely to disappear from most of eastern North America by the 2050s, jeopardizing the $27 billion snowmobiling industry. © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18054965/ © 2007 MSNBC.com http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18054965/print/1/displaymode/1098/ 4/11/2007 Experts issue new climate warning - Climate Change - MSNBC.com Page 1 of 3 MSNBC.com Experts issue new climate warning Report says world needs to make changes; warns Africa to be hit hardest MSNBC News Services Updated: 10:11 an_ MT April 8, 2007 BRUSSELS, Belgium - An international global warming conference approved a report Friday warning of dire threats to the Earth and to mankind — from increased hunger in Africa and Asia to the extinction of species — unless the world adapts to climate change and halts its progress. Africa will be hardest hit, the report concluded. By 2020, up to 250 million people are likely to exposed to water shortages. In some countries, food production could fall by half, it said. Agreement came after an all-night session during which key sections were deleted from the draft and scientists angrily confronted government negotiators who they feared were watering down their findings. "It has been a complex exercise," said Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Several scientists objected to the editing of the final draft by government negotiators but in the end agreed to compromises. However, some scientists vowed never to take part in the process again. The climax of five days of negotiations was reached when the delegates removed parts of a key chart highlighting devastating effects of climate change that kick in with every rise of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, and in a tussle over the level of scientific reliability attached to key statements. There was little doubt about the science, which was based on 29,000 sets of data, much of it collected in the last five years. "For the first time we are not just arm -waving with models," Martin Perry, who conducted the grueling negotiations, told reporters. The United States, China and Saudi Arabia raised the many of the objections to the phrasing, often seeking to tone down the certainty of some of the more dire projections. Apocalyptic future? The final IPCC report is the clearest and most comprehensive scientific statement to date on the impact of global warming mainly caused by man -induced carbon dioxide pollution. "The poorest of the poor in the world — and this includes poor people in prosperous societies — are going to be the worst hit," Pachauri said. "People who are poor are least able to adapt to climate change." The report said up to 30 percent of the Earth's species face an increased risk of vanishing if global temperatures rise 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the average In the 1980s and '90s. Areas that now suffer a shortage of rain will become even more dry, adding to the risks of hunger and disease, it said. The world will face heightened threats of flooding, severe storms and the erosion of coastlines. "This is a glimpse into an apocalyptic future," the Greenpeace environmental group said of the final report. Without action to curb carbon emissions, man's livable habitat will shrink starkly, said Stephen Schneider, a Stanford scientist who was one of the authors. "Don't be poor in a hot country, don't live in hurricane alley, watch out about being on the coasts or in the Arctic, and it's a bad idea to be on high mountains with glaciers melting." "We can fix this," by investing a small part of the world's economic growth rate, said Schneider. "It's trillions http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17953433/page/2/print/1/displaymode/1098/ 4/6/2007 CNN.com - Challenges ahead for a changing Earth - Oct 13, 2005 Page 1 of 3 cJ.com. Challenges ahead for a changing Earth Struggle to balance human growth, environment remains By Michael Coren CNN PRINTTHIS Powered by ijflickat>ty (CNN) -- In 1969, the Cuyahoga River flowing past Cleveland, Ohio, caught fire and burned noxious sludge from steel mills, paint factories and sewage plants. In California, an offshore drilling rig stained the coast of Santa Barbara with more than 3 million gallons of crude oil. The skies of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home to the nation's steel industry, were so dark with soot that drivers sometimes had to turn on their headlights during the day. This was America at the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. In 2005, Americans will celebrate a far different country, if they celebrate Earth Day at all. Outdoor air pollution is at its lowest level in 30 years. Govemment agencies report air pollution is down 48 percent, despite a 42 percent rise in energy consumption. And water quality, while problematic, has improved across the nation. The federal govemment has spent $80 billion on water quality since passing the Clear Water Act in 1972. "Rivers, streams and lakes are measurably cleaner than they were before the Clean Water Act, but we still have a long way to go," said Bob Irvin of the World Wildlife Fund, the world's largest privately funded conservation organization. Endangered species from bald eagles to alligators in Florida's waterways also are clawing their way back from the edge of extinction. The spectacular ecological successes of the last 30 years have brought environmentalism into the American mainstream, but the movement is vastly different than the one that was gaining political and moral clout in the United States more than three decades ago. "I think in the 1970s, environmental protection was driven by people who believed in strong advocacy and focused political pressure," said Paul Portney, economist and president of Resources for the Future, a nonpartisan institute studying the environment. "It was not so much a mainstream value. Today, it's hard to find some one who doesn't care about the environment." A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll in 2004 found only 5 percent of those surveyed said the environment.was not an important issue in the presidential election. At least 60 percent said it was either very or extremely important. (A truly global problem) Still, the struggle between conservation and economic development has only escalated. The debate now centers on how — and to what the degree — the United States will balance protection of the environment with economic concems. While legislation such as the Wildemess Act of 1964, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 are embedded in many Americans' idea of govemment responsibility for the environment, these laws are being revisited. The White House is promoting the controversial Clear Skies Act of 2003, which the Environmental Protection Agency claims will provide health benefits cheaper, faster and more reliably than the current Clean Air Act. A number of groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council contest this, saying Clear Skies will only weaken and delay health protections by releasing more toxic mercury emissions and tons of smog -forming nitrogen oxides. (Policies on some key__issues) Environmentalism has also gone global. http://cnn. worldnews. printthis.clickabi lity. com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=CNN. com+-+Ch... 11/22/2006 Warming worse than thought, data show - Climate Change - MSNBC.com Page 1 of 2 MSNBC.com Warming worse than thought, data show Summer ice could disappear as soon as 2020, leading scientist reports 8y Alex Johnson and Miguel Llanos Reporters MSNBC Updated: 2:28 p.m. MT April 10, 2007 New measurements indicate that the effects of global warming are much worse than previously suspected and could lead to a complete melting of Arctic summer ice in as little as 13 years, a leading climate scientist says. The finding follows a U.N. report that accelerated warming would have catastrophic implications for humans and wildlife, leading to food and water shortages across the planet. The sea ice data were salvaged from a British Royal Navy submarine, the HMS Tireless, which was conducting exercises under the Arctic last month until an onboard explosion. Two Royal Navy sailors died in the blast, the effects of which, perhaps ironically, were dampened by the polar ice, said Peter Wadhams, an oceanographer at Cambridge University who has made numerous submarine expeditions to measure the thickness of the Arctic ice for more than 40 years. Wadhams and a colleague, Nick Hughes, survived the explosion and managed to preserve their data, which suggest that sea ice in the summer could soon disappear altogether, Britain's ITN Television reported Tuesday. Scientists had previously predicted that the summer sea ice would disappear from the Arctic by 2040. But Wadhams' measurements indicate that the thinning was already approaching 50 percent and that the ice could disappear by 2020. "What's happening to the Earth as a whole is a catastrophe, and the disappearance of Arctic sea ice has got to be one of the first indicators of the catastrophic changes," Wadhams told ITN's Lawrence McGinty. "It's something we can see. We can see it from space — the Arctic pack ice is there, it's white, and soon it won't be there." `Things are happening much more quickly' If the findings — which were collected by measuring the ice with three-dimensional sonar equipment and assessing water temperature and salt levels — are confirmed, they would represent a significant acceleration of the damaging effects long predicted from global warming. "Peter's result, and, indeed, other results about how much open water there is in the winter in the Arctic these recent winters — how little multi -year ice there is now, ice that survives several seasons — this is all part of a pattern that suggests things are happening more quickly than we had expected," said Chris Rapley, director of the British Antarctic Survey. Scientist says projection `overly pessimistic' Walt Meier, a research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, called Wadhams' 13-year projection "extreme, but not completely implausible," and cautioned that the thinning could simply be the result of "compression of thicker ice into a smaller region." "It's dangerous to extrapolate into the future, especially from such a short period," Meier told msnbc.com Tuesday. While Wadhams' estimates "are not totally out of line with possibility," he added, "my feeling is that estimates of 13 to 20 years for the loss of summer sea ice are overly pessimistic." Wadhams is one of the world's most respected oceanographers specializing in climate science. His measurements of the Arctic ice on a similar expedition in 1996 showed that the ice had thinned each summer by an average of 40 percent between the 1970s and 1990s. The new data suggested that the rate of annual http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18039460/print/1/displaymode/1098/ 4/1 ni1nn7 .N. report cites U.S. warming impacts - Climate Change - MSNBC.com Page 1 of 2 MSNBC.com U.N. report cites U.S. warming impacts Shrinking water supplies as well as more frequent flooding predicted The Associated Press Updated: 11:03 a.m. MT April 11, 2007 UNITED NATIONS - Chicago and Los Angeles will likely face increasing heat waves. Severe storm surges could hit New York and Boston. And cities that rely on melting snow for water may run into serious shortages. These are some of the findings about North America in the report finished last week by hundreds of scientists that try to explain how global warming is changing life on Earth. The scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a summary of their findings on global warming last Friday and outlined details of the report focusing on various regions on Tuesday. According to the panel, global warming is already having an effect on daily life but when the Earth gets a few degrees hotter, the current inconvenience could give way to danger and even death. The North American impact will be felt from Florida and Texas to Alaska and Canada's Northwest Territories. "Canada and the United States are, despite being strong economies with the financial power to cope, facing many of the same impacts that are projected for the rest of the world," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Program, which co-founded the panel. He said the findings underline that the best way to reduce the effects of global warming is "deep and decisive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to avoid dangerous climate change in the first place." Tension over water The panel warned that shifts in rainfall patterns, melting glaciers, rising temperatures, increased demand and reduced supplies of water in some places are likely to increase tensions between users — industry, agriculture and a growing population. "Heavily -utilized water systems of the western U.S. and Canada, such as the Columbia River, that rely on capturing snowmelt runoff, will be especially vulnerable," the report said. A temperature warming of a few degrees by the 2040s is likely to sharply reduce summer flows, at a time of rising demand, it said. By then, the panel estimated that Portland, Ore., will require over 26 million additional cubic meters of water as a result of climate change and population growth, but the Columbia River's summer supply will have dropped by an estimated 5 million cubic meters. Meanwhile, it said, just over 40 percent of the water supply to Southern California is likely to be vulnerable by the 2020s due to losses of the Sierra Nevada and Colorado River basin snow packs. The panel also said "lower levels in the Great Lakes are likely to influence many sectors" and exacerbate controversies over diverting water to cities such as Chicago, and the competing demands of water quality, lake -based transport, and drought mitigation. NYC, Boston flooding cited Cities could also be at risk from high tides and storm surges, it said. Near the end of the 21st century, under a strong warming scenario, the New York City area could be hit by increasingly damaging floods from surges, "putting much of the region's infrastructure at risk," the panel said. A current one in 100 year flood in New York could have a return period of three to four years, it added. By the 2090s in New York, a one in 500 year flood could be a one in 50 year event "putting much of the http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18054965/print/ 1 /displaymode/ 1098/ 4/11/2007 Global warming already killing species, analysis says - CNN.com Page 1 of 2 .com. Crn7 PRINTTHIS Powered by tGicka► Global warming already killing species, analysis says WASHINGTON (AP) — Animal and plant species have begun dying off or changing sooner than predicted because of global warming, a review of hundreds of research studies contends. These fast-moving adaptations come as a surprise even to biologists and ecologists because they are occurring so rapidly. At least 70 species of frogs, mostly mountain -dwellers that had nowhere to go to escape the creeping heat, have gone extinct because of climate change, the analysis says. It also reports that between 100 and 200 other cold -dependent animal species, such as penguins and polar bears are in deep trouble. 'We are finally seeing species going extinct," said University of Texas biologist Camille Parmesan, author of the study. "Now we've got the evidence. It's here. It's real. This is not just biologists' intuition. It's what's happening." Her review of 866 scientific studies is summed up in the joumal Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. Parmesan reports seeing trends of animal populations moving northward if they can, of species adapting slightly because of climate change, of plants blooming earlier, and of an increase in pests and parasites. Parmesan and others have been predicting such changes for years, but even she was surprised to find evidence that it's already happening; she figured it would be another decade away. Just five years ago biologists, though not complacent, figured the harmful biological effects of global warming were much farther down the road, said Douglas Futuyma, professor of ecology and evolution at the State University of New York in Stony Brook. "I feel as though we are staring crisis in the face," Futuyma said. "It's not just down the road somewhere. It is just hurtling toward us. Anyone who is 10 years old right now is going to be facing a very different and frightening world by the time that they are 50 or 60." While over the past several years studies have shown problems with certain species, animal populations or geographic areas, Parmesan's is the first comprehensive analysis showing the big picture of global -warming induced changes, said Chris Thomas, a professor of conservation biology at the University of York in England. While it's impossible to prove conclusively the changes are the result of global warming, the evidence is so strong and other supportable explanations are lacking, Thomas said, so it is "statistically virtually impossible that these are just chance observations." The most noticeable changes in plants and animals have to do with earlier springs, Parmesan said. The best example can be seen in earlier cherry blossoms and grape harvests and in 65 British bird species that in general are laying their first eggs nearly nine days earlier than 35 years ago. Parmesan said she worries most about the cold -adapted species, such as emperor penguins that have dropped from 300 breeding pairs to just nine in the wester Antarctic Peninsula, or polar bears, which are dropping in numbers and weight in the Arctic. http: //cnn. space. printthis. cl i ckabi l itv. com/ot/c of?action=cnt&title=G l nha l+warm in o+a 1 rP I1I )/')MA Report: Humans stripping away planet's resources - CNN.com Page 1 of 2 .com. Report: Humans stripping away planet's resources Cry PRINTTHIS Powered by iClickabifity BEIJING, China (Reuters) — Humans are stripping nature at an unprecedented rate and will need two planets' worth of natural resources every year by 2050 on current trends, the WWF conservation group said on Tuesday. Populations of many species, from fish to mammals, had fallen by about a third from 1970 to 2003 largely because of human threats such as pollution, clearing of forests and overfishing, the group also said in a two -yearly report. "For more than 20 years we have exceeded the earth's ability to support a consumptive lifestyle that is unsustainable and we cannot afford to continue down this path," WWF Director -General James Leape said, launching the WWF's 2006 Living Planet Report. "If everyone around the world lived as those in America, we would need five planets to support us," Leape, an American, said in Beijing. People in the United Arab Emirates were placing most stress per capita on the planet ahead of those in the United States, Finland and Canada, the report said. Australia was also living well beyond its means. The average Australian used 6.6 "global" hectares to support their developed lifestyle, ranking behind the United States and Canada, but ahead of the United Kingdom, Russia, China and Japan. "If the rest of the world led the kind of lifestyles we do here in Australia, we would require three -and -a -half planets to provide the resources we use and to absorb the waste," said Greg Boume, VVWF-Australia chief executive officer. Everyone would have to change lifestyles — cutting use of fossil fuels and improving management of everything from farming to fisheries. "As countries work to improve the well-being of their people, they risk bypassing the goal of sustainability," said Leape, speaking in an energy -efficient building at Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University. "It is inevitable that this disconnect will eventually limit the abilities of poor countries to develop and rich countries to maintain their prosperity," he added. The report said humans' "ecological footprint" — the demand people place on the natural world — was 25 percent greater than the planet's annual ability to provide everything from food to energy and recycle all human waste in 2003. In the previous report, the 2001 overshoot was 21 percent. "On current projections humanity, will be using two planets' worth of natural resources by 2050 — if those resources have not run out by then," the latest report said. "People are tuming resources into waste faster than nature can tum waste back into resources." http://cnn.space. printthis.clickability. com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Report%3A+Humans+... 10/24/2006 38 poultry farms in Indiana given tainted feed - Pet Health - MSNBC.com 4k MSNBC.com Page 1 of 1 38 poultry farms in Indiana given tainted feed Some chickens likely in food supply, but human risk is low, government says MSNBC News Services Updated: 7:09 p.m. MT April 30, 2007 WASHINGTON - The U.S. government said on Monday 38 poultry farms in Indiana were given contaminated feed containing melamine in early February, with some of the animals likely to have entered the food supply. The Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration said in a joint statement that officials learned of the link between the chicken feed and tainted pet food as part of the investigation into imported rice protein concentrate and wheat gluten that have been found to contain the industrial chemical melamine and related compounds. The affected poultry farms and breeder poultry farms fed the contaminated feed to poultry within days of receiving it, the agencies said. Other farms will probably be identified as having received tainted feed, they added. All the broilers believed to have been fed contaminated products have been processed, while the breeders are under voluntary hold by flock owners, the agencies said. Birds that were given the contaminated feed will not be allowed to enter the U.S. food supply. Farmers will be compensated if they destroy the birds that consume the feed. The agencies also said there was a "low -risk" to humans and no food recalls were expected at this time. They are uncertain how many chickens were involved, how many entered the food supply or where they went. "We haven't completed counting yet," said USDA spokesman Keith Williams. Pet food tainted with melamine was also found in feed given to hogs. Last week, the USDA said about 6,000 hogs in six states — California, Kansas, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Utah — may have been given the contaminated feed. On Saturday, the agencies cited similar reasons for not issuing a recall. More than 100 brands of pet food have been recalled since March 16 because they were contaminated with melamine. An unknown number of dogs and cats have been sickened or died after eating chemical -laced pet food. © 2007 MSNBC Interactive URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18405363/ © 2007 MSNBC.com http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18405363/print/l/displaymode/1098/ 5/1/2007 Ex -generals: Global warming threatens U.S. security - CNN.com ragc r Vl . ()Irjt•t-i • lit wast ial adh it t'. Scr ‘ r+t.r /test evx as read!. cNJ.com. htnrt'tlrt'Fnen1 trr t'1. C,l PRINTTH Powered by laickabd Ex -generals: Global warming threatens U.S. security • Report predicts wars over water, hunger, displacement in the next 30-40 years • "Climate change exacerbates already unstable situations," one author says • Gen. Zinni: We can pay with money now or with lives later to address problems WASHINGTON (AP) — Global warming poses a "serious threat to America's national security" and the U.S. likely will be dragged into fights over water and other shortages, top retired military leaders wam in a new report. The report says that in the next 30 to 40 years there will be wars over water, increased hunger instability from worsening disease and rising sea levels and global warming -induced refugees. "The chaos that results can be an incubator of civil strife, genocide and the growth of terrorism," the 35-page report predicts. "Climate change exacerbates already unstable situations," former U.S. Army chief of staff Gordon Sullivan told Associated Press Radio. "Everybody needs to start paying attention to what's going on. I don't think this is a particularly hard sell in the Pentagon.... We're paying attention to what those security implications are." Gen. Anthony "Tony" Zinni, President Bush's former Middle East envoy, says in the report: "It's not hard to make the connection between climate change and instability, or climate change and terrorism." The report was issued by the Alexandria, Virginia -based, national security think-tank The CNA Corporation and was written by six retired admirals and five retired generals. They wam of a future of rampant disease, water shortages and flooding that will make already dicey areas — such as the Middle East, Asia and Africa — even worse. 'Weakened and failing govemments, with an already thin margin for survival, foster the conditions for internal conflicts, extremism and movement toward increased authoritarianism and radical ideologies," the report says. 'The U.S. will be drawn more frequently into these situations." Joining calls already made by scientists and environmental activists, the retired U.S. military leaders call on the U.S. government to make major cuts in emissions of gases that cause global warming. The Bush administration has declined mandatory emission cuts in favor of voluntary methods. Other nations have committed to required reductions that kick in within a few years. 'We will pay for this one way or another," writes Zinni, former commander of U.S. Central Command. "We will pay to reduce greenhouse gas emissions today, and we'll have to take an economic hit of some kind. Or we will pay the price later in military terms. And that will involve human lives. There will be a human toll." Top climate scientists said the report makes sense and increased national security risk is a legitimate global warming side -effect. http://cnn.usnews. printthi s.clickability. com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Ex-generals%3A+Global+war... 4/1 5/2C Use pollution to save Earth from warming? - World Environment - MSNBC.com Page 1 of 6 Web ,14 MSNBC ■! ■ `'rT NEC World News Intl Terrorism Conflict in Iraq Africa Americas Asia -Pacific Europe Mideast/N. Africa South/Central Asia Wonderful World Video U.S. News Politics World News Business Sports Entertainment Tech / Science Health Weather Travel Blogs Etc. Local News Newsweek Multimedia Most Popular NBC NEWS MSNBC TV Today Show Nightly News us, Highlander Hybrid and Cane Hybris Make MSNBC Your Homepage j MSN Home [ Hotmail 1 Sign In MSNBC Home >% World News %> World Environment n Sponsored by ri Save Earth from warming by using polluti Nobel Prize winner's idea gets attention at U.N. talks; NASA to col Ap Associated Press Updated: 1:21 p.m. MT Nov 16, 2006 NAIROBI, Kenya - If the sun warms the Earth too dangerously, the time may come to draw the shade. The "shade" would be a layer of pollution deliberately spewed into the atmosphere to help cool the planet. This over -the -top idea comes from prominent scientists, among them a Nobel laureate. The reaction here at the U.N. conference on climate change is a mix of caution, curiosity and some resignation to such "massive and drastic" operations, as the chief U.N. climatologist describes them. The Nobel Prize-winning scientist who first made the proposal is himself "not enthusiastic about it." Story continues below 1 advertisement httcri/www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15752178/ Mount Pinatubo erupts on July 8, 1 much sulfurous haze that It is belie cooled Earth by nearly 1 degree fo Some scientists have drawn on tha to propose firing sulfur dioxide, a l 11/16/2006 Winter Arctic sea ice near record low - Climate Change - MSNBC.com Page 1 of 2 MSNBC.com Winter Arctic sea ice near record low U.S. climate scientists say drop is a sign of greenhouse warming By Timothy Gardner Reuters Updated: 6:07 p.m. MT April 4, 2007 NEW YORK - Winter Arctic sea ice this year was the second smallest area on record in a sign of greenhouse warming, U.S. climate scientists said on Wednesday. Sea ice extent, or the area of ocean that is covered by at least 15 percent ice, was 5.7 million square miles in March, the Colorado -based National Sea and Ice Data Center said on Wednesday. March usually marks the end of winter in the Arctic, a period when sea ice recovers from the summertime minimum. This March's ice level represented a slight recovery from the record low during the same month last year when the ice extent was 5.6 million square miles. But low sea ice levels this winter — the world's warmest on record, according to the U.S. government — are part of a trend toward less ice. "This long-term trend, which seems to be accelerating, is really an indication of a warming, and the only way you get the warming is with greenhouse gases," said NSIDC research scientist Walt Meier. On a global level, carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, is being released in growing amounts from tailpipes and smokestacks. March 2007 Arctic sea ice extent was about 7 percent smaller than the average from 1979, the first full year satellites recorded it, to 2000. As the world warms, the extent of sea ice surrounding both poles has concerned scientists as its melting can create a feedback loop that leads to ever more warming. Ice and snow reflect solar heat back into the atmosphere. But when more of it melts, the ocean absorbs more heat, which in turn can cause more warming. A draft U.N climate report due on Friday said climate change at the poles could threaten indigenous populations with destruction of permafrost and cut habitat for migratory birds and mammals, with "major implications" for predators such as seals and polar bears. The polar bear population in Canada's Hudson Bay has dropped to about 950 in 2004 from 1200 in 1989, a decline of 22 percent, according to scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Meier said low winter sea ice can threaten wildlife habitat because it means the ice is freezing up later and melting earlier in the year. Over the last few winters sea ice has "safely" been at the lowest levels since at least a brief cooling period during mid-1800s, when the world emerged out of a period of warming during the Middle Ages, Meier said. NSIDC, which is part of the University of Colorado and is affiliated with the U.S. government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, uses shipping logs to look at data that far back. Meier said he expects winter sea ice levels to be low or lower in future years. Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.(c) Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world. URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17955650/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17955650/print/1/displaymode/1098/ 4/11/2007 Study: Arctic sea ice melting much faster - Climate Change - MSNBC.com 4k MSNBC.com Page 1 of 1 Study: Arctic sea ice melting much faster Study indicates that U.N. reports on warming are too conservative MSNBC Updated: 11:47 a.m. MT April 30, 2007 Arctic summer sea ice is melting at a significantly faster rate than projected by even the most advanced computer models, according to a new study that concludes recent U.N. reports on warming underestimate the changes in the Arctic. The shrinking of summertime ice is about 30 years ahead of the climate model projections, researchers with the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Colorado's National Snow and Ice Data Center report in the online edition of the peer -reviewed journal Geophysical Research Letters. The U.N.-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had used data from the computer models to earlier this year release two reports on the state of Earth's climate. Citing earlier studies, the IPCC estimated that the Arctic could be free of summer sea ice somewhere between 2050 and 2100. The new study, NSIDC researcher and lead author Julienne Stroeve said in a statement, "suggests that current model projections may in fact provide a conservative estimate of future Arctic change, and that the summer Arctic sea ice may disappear considerably earlier than IPCC projections." NCAR scientist and co-author Marika Holland added that "while the ice is disappearing faster than the computer models indicate, both observations and the models point in the same direction: the Arctic is losing ice at an increasingly rapid pace and the impact of greenhouse gases is growing." While computer models are built to look forward, the authors ran them from a 1953 starting point and simulated, on average, a loss in September ice cover of 2.5 percent per decade through 2006. The researchers then compared that to data taken from recent satellite measurements, as well as aircraft and ship reports, and found that the September ice actually declined at about 7.8 percent per decade. Several possible factors were cited for the disparity: • The models assume that half of the ice loss was due to increased greenhouse gases, but the study indicates those gases might play a significantly larger role. • Several models overestimate the thickness of the present-day sea ice. • The models might fail to fully capture changes in atmospheric and oceanic circulation that transport heat to polar regions. A world without summer sea ice won't raise sea levels because that ice is already on water, not land. But it would have a huge impact on polar bears and other wildlife, as well as subsistence hunters. On the other hand, it would also open shorter sea routes, facilitating commerce. The study was funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA. © 2007 MSNBC Interactive URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18398690/from/RS.5/ © 2007 MSNBC.com http: //www. m snbc. msn. com/id/ 18398690/from/RS . 5/print/ 1 /di splaymode/ l 098/ 4/30/2007 „Ancient ice shelf breaks free from Canadian Arctic - CNN.com Page 1 of 2 .com. Cr PRINTTHIS Powered by ISClickability Ancient ice shelf breaks free from Canadian Arctic -Scientist: "Disturbing event” shows "we are crossing dimate thresholds" •Researchers using satellite images discovered 2005 event •Collapse picked up by earthquake monitors 155 miles away TORONTO, Ontario (AP) — A giant ice shelf the size of 11,000 football fields has snapped free from Canada's Arctic, scientists said. The mass of ice broke clear 16 months ago from the coast of Ellesmere Island, about 800 kilometers (497 miles) south of the North Pole, but no one was present to see it in Canada's remote north. Scientists using satellite images later noticed that it became a newly formed ice island in just an hour and left a trail of icy boulders floating in its wake. &Watch the satellite images that clued in ice watchers) Warwick Vincent of Laval University, who studies Arctic conditions, traveled to the newly formed ice island and could not believe what he saw. "This is a dramatic and disturbing event. It shows that we are losing remarkable features of the Canadian North that have been in place for many thousands of years. We are crossing climate thresholds, and these may signal the onset of accelerated change ahead," Vincent said Thursday. In 10 years of working in the region he has never seen such a dramatic loss of sea ice, he said. The collapse was so powerful that earthquake monitors 250 kilometers (155 miles) away picked up tremors from it. The Ayles Ice Shelf, roughly 66 square kilometers (41 square miles) in area, was one of six major ice shelves remaining in Canada's Arctic. Scientists say it is the largest event of its kind in Canada in 30 years and point their fingers at climate change as a major contributing factor. "It is consistent with climate change," Vincent said, adding that the remaining ice shelves are 90 percent smaller than when they were first discovered in 1906. 'We aren't able to connect all of the dots ... but unusually warm temperatures definitely played a major role." Laurie Weir, who monitors ice conditions for the Canadian Ice Service, was poring over satellite images in 2005 when she noticed that the shelf had split and separated. Weir notified Luke Copland, head of the new global ice lab at the University of Ottawa, who initiated an effort to find out what happened. http://cnn.space. printthis. clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Ancient+ice+shelf+break... 1 / 1 /2007 bola -like vir us kilhingfishin NATION: Official says disease could hurt fish like smallpox did Indians BY DENNIS CAUCHON USA TODAY A deadly Ebola-like virus is killing fish of all types in the Great Lakes, a development some sci- entists fear could trigger disas- ter for the nation's freshwater fish. Because of a lack of genetic re- sistance to viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish populations could be damaged in the same way the smallpox virus struck American Indians and Dutch elm disease decimated elm trees, says Jim Winton, chief of fish health at the U.S. Geological Survey in Seattle. The disease has been found in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Niagara River and an inland lake in New York. The aggres- sive virus, which causes fish to hemorrhage, was unexpectedly found in the Great Lakes in 2005. The RV Connecticut heads out into Last year, it resulted in large fish kills that struck at least 20 species. Scientists are watching to see whether the disease re- turns in mid -May when water in the lakes warms to temperatures at which the virus attacks. "VHS ... in our fresh water is disturbing and potentially cata- strophic," Winton says. The U.S. and Canada try to contain the virus by restricting the transporting of fish and live bait and telling boaters to wash MCT photo Lake Huron's Thunder Bay. their boats when moving them between lakes. Michigan's De- partment of Natural Resources has taken the most dramatic ac- tion: closinghatcheries that pro- duce three important sport fish — walleye, northern pike and. muskellunge. "The last thing you want to do is get the virus into the hatch- eries and become a vehicle for spreading the virus," says Gary Whelan, who runs the state's hatcheries and chairs the multi- ireat Lakes state Great Lakes Fish Health Com. . "What'mittees so disturbing is that it's killing fish from so many species and h amazingly bigh mortal- ttylevels."says P414Bowser,pro- fessor elf aguatatlutal medicine at Corn& ul iversity.: The virus does not threaten humans, Bows- er says.'"Ifyou cook the fish, heat will kill the virus," he says. How VHS got into the Great Lakes is unclear. The dumping of ocean water from an interna- tional cargo slip is a: suspected cause. Also not ruled out: spawn- ing fish swimming upstream or a bird carrying a diseased fish. Genetic tests show that the strain of VHS found in the Great Lakes probably originated in, the Atlantic Ocean, near New Brunswick, Canada.Thatplaces the virus' origin near the start of the St. Lawrence River shipping route tha' a leads to the lakes. VHS thrives inwaternf40 to 59 degrees. Most water in the Great Lakes which contain about 20 percent of the world's fresh water, has not hit that tempera- ture yet this year. 30-c-2 Bigger families see a little boom - CNN.com Page 1 of 3 I J.com, Bigger families see a little boom Cf PRINTTHIS Powered by riakkabffity NEW YORK (AP) - Laura Bennett isn't bound by convention. Professionally, at age 42, she's pursuing a mid -career switch into big-time fashion design. At home, she's a mother of five - with No. 6 due next month. "It was nothing that we planned ahead of time," Bennett says. "It's more that we were enjoying all the kids. "We have a happy home. Why not have as many children as we can?" 1 It's barely a blip on the nation's demographic radar - 11 percent of U.S. births in 2004 were to women who already had A three children, up from 10 percent in 1995. But there seems to be a growing openness to having more than two children, in some case more than four. The reasons are diverse - from religious to, as Bennett reasons, "Why not?" i„ •' 5 The families involved cut across economic lines, though a sizable part of the increase is attributed to a baby boom in affluent suburbs, with more upper -middle-class couples deciding that a three- or four -child household can be both affordable and fun. The Bennetts still stand out. Among other well-off families in Manhattan, three children is generally the maximum - one or t two is much more common as parents contemplate private -school tuition of $25,000 a year even for kindergarten, and a real estate market that is far from family -friendly. Bennett's husband, Peter Shelton, is a successful architect, and the family can afford child-care help while Bennett - also an architect by training - pursues her fashion -design aspirations as a finalist on the TV reality show "Project Runway." But their motives sound similar to those of other, less wealthy parents nationwide who have opted for five or more children. It's a trend Dr. Jeff Brown tia pediatrician affiliated with Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut's wealthy southwestem suburbs, has noticed ede* trend in recent years. i ( "I don't hear people say, 'We'll have two and then we're done,' where I used to hear that before," he said. "People are much more open to three -children families than they were 10 years ago." However, really big families remain rare, Brown said, in part because many women are giving birth at older ages - they may not have their third child until in their 40s, when the prospect of a fourth might seem too daunting. ttf- The Census Department says it has no national data specifying which demographic sectors are having more kids these days. But a leading expert on family size, Duke University sociologist Philip Morgan, says it makes sense that some well- ; % off couples are opting for more children as concern about global overcrowding eases because of lowering birth rates overall. http://cnn.health. printthis.ciickability.corn/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Bi2 er+families+see+ .. 10/15/200f F=aNit0 .:60 uL."�� N A ,Y 3 6 :.� 3 ,p pp ., ,. U N 3 F. N N y y 1. q a 4.1 ou2 a42> ocY av c''0."o t•B4 may~ �'y�3.�1:4: "� 0 y� a� Q a�g�, p�ovv ax .�q C 8y > tfc=°"°�°' «�. <E-�.G L:a0i 0 • E ).N +- �roaoo_ io;;.E. 0)) O) �' {Ny . n� 0 v L W 4 z IC C M ••C p d Q p t7 I.. ° E7 y y . 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There's a 10 percent chance of shortages in four to five years, and a 25 percent chance the riv- er will run short between 2020 and 2025, according to two prominent water ofilciaLs in Ari- "I have no doubt that within. the next five to 10 years we will be in a shortage," said David ! TuOson and a member of the three -coun- ty board that 111a0ageS the ,Cerk-. -Pro'irt, which di- v-ene water from the Colorado er to Arizona. "It does not look good," Mod- eer said. Larry Dozier, general manager of the Central Arizona Project, said that when the shortages hap- pen, the project would not reduce water deliveries to cities. Rather, he said it would pri- • • ' affect non -American In- . • arms that are lower on the perking order for getting water from the Central Arizona Pro- ject. • But Dozier said the pain from shortages should be eased, if not eliminated, because the state has been buying excess Central Ari- zona Project water and storing it in the ground for the past Originally; scientists who con- ducted ‘1995ederalStudY pre- dicted state:it-Would-103e no more than 3 even in the worst drough ear. Instead, in the time since the study, Lake Powell and Lake Mead carried less water than had been predicted for the worst pos- sible drought, users took more water than expected, and the riv- er's flow was weaker than ex - Last month was e second dri- est January on record — a paltry 0.19 inches of precipitation fell in the Valley, well below the aver- age of 1.39 inches. The driest Jan- uary on record occurred in 1949 with 0.12 inches. • eporter Heath Druzin contributed to this repott. Contact reporter Cyn- thia Sewell at cmsewell0 idahostatesrnan.com or 377-6428. 0 STATESMAN . IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ORANGE COVE, Calif — A century ago, when Harvey Bailey's great uncle happened upon this spot where California's Central Valley begins its ascent toward the Sierra Nevada, he could tell it was a land made for farming. + Rich soils, abundant grou water, moderate temperatur His ranch flourished as am . . st fAmily citrus farm since he p t- ed the first tree in 19L3. Three decades later c. • e a change that would transfo • • • not only the Bailey ranch, but ithe entire San Joaquin Valle A dam in the foothills to the n rthwest created Millerton Lak and nine years after that, in 19 , a canal carried water from reservoir to farming commu ties lining the edge of the vall from Fres- no to Bakersfield. California and e federal gov- ernment had eau ked on an era of building . •• and hundreds of miles of can an ambitious engineering fea designed to cap- ture the massiv Sierra snowmelt and rhannel it to the state's far- flung cities and farms. It marked e create new da's snowpack dra from th ver. lier me of the snow- p k and spring torms could o erwhelm any p f the 1,600 es of earthen leve flooding entrai Valley suburbs. A rising Pacific Oc - • or a levee break will bring salty ean water into the Sacrament an Joaquin Delta, the heart of e state's water -delivery syste That would jeopardize the fresh water supplies for two-thirds of the state's population. To avoid that scenario, a plan to build a $3 billion canal to di- vert water around the delta is back in play. It already is gener- ating dissension, however. The most crucial piece of Cal- ifornia's water system is the snow - pack that builds each winter along the 400-mile-long Sierra Nevada. It acts as California's natural reservoir, holding a third of the state's water for drinking and ir- rigation. For decades, the cycle has re- mained relatively unchangedk The snowpack builds through winter and early spring, then melts grad- ually from late spring through midsummer. That allows the SOURCES: California Meiropolitan Water of els show it shrinking cent by the end of tht COSTLY OPTO The options for the expected changes 6 MAIN - 61. _ ' s 2't s:Ts a 4 O .E 8 .mob °ano. g O 43 I ich wo :41'1 g 2 e 6 'Nil]d ! d bb U GQ 4 M il 11112i4147141A14gcs FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2007 OBITUA Some Idaho groundwater use hear their pumps may be shut State says water users with senior rights must be ting a deadline laterwas rompted la wath assured of adequate supplies, even at expense of others calls pfiled in 2005 by W Water Coalition, a groi BY TODD DVORAK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Idaho Department of Wa- ter Resources sent another batch of warning letters Thursday, telling more than 700 groundwa- ter users their pumps could be shut down later this month to en- sure water for users with more senior rights. It's the second separate cur- tailment notice issued this month by department Director David 'Ilrthill to farmers, dairymen, busi- nesses and towns that draw wa- ter from the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer. Department' scientists tthis week rejected a proposal sub- mitted by groundwater users to set aside some of the supplies sought by seven senior rights holders, Tuthill said. "I have no choice but to issue these warning letters because the mitigation plan proposed thus far. is insufficient based on existing across more than 35,000 acres in the Magic Valley. Those letters set May 14 as the deadline to be- gin shutting down pumps unless users could agree on a plan to di- vert enough water to satisfy two.. Idaho trout farms with senior rights. Those groundwater users then stied the state, asking a judge to keep the water flowing. Fifth Dis- trict judge John Butler complied, issuing a temporary restraining order. He aLsoscheduled a hear- ing May 30 to hear arguments on the state's curtailment plan. The warning notices issued Thursday were sent to 760 indi- vidual water users spread across more than46,000 acres in abroad swath of south central and east- ern Idaho. The order targets wells that nourish crops and supply cities, dairy operations and oth- ers stretching from Jerome in the west to Idaho Falls in the east, as far south as American Falls and nnrth to Arco and Dubois, ac- en surface rights hold The coalition members include: the A&B Irrigation District, American Falls Reservoir District No. 2, Burley Irrigation District, Milner Irrigation District, Minidoka Irrigation District, North Side Canal Co. and Twin Falls Canal Co. Since 2005, the groundwater users have managed to divert enough water to supply those senior rights holders, but low snowpack and drought fore- casts have renewed the battle for the resource. State water law is grounded in legal precedent that favors users with the oldest water rights, typ- ically those who divert from sur- face sources likerivers. In times of need, the state can step in to shut down users with junior rights to guarantee supplies to se- nior right holders, Tuthill said. A spokesman for the Idaho Ground Water Appropriators, which represents hundreds rigators and 13 cities and towns, April 13, 2007 An IOACORP COm Lower Snow Pack Results In Increase In PCA Rate On April 13, 2007, Idaho Power submitted its annual Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) filing to the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (IPUC). This filing reflects the company's costs of purchasing fuel for our coal or natural gas fired generating plants as well as our costs c buying power from the wholesale energy market. Thes; total purchase costs are reduced by any sales of surplus electricity to other utilities. With IPUC approval, the revised PCA will show as a monthly charge of twenty-four one -hundredths of a ce (0.2419¢) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity used and would become effective on June 1. For the average residential customer using 1,050 kWh of electricity per month, the monthly increase will be approximately $6 Available Water Determines Costs The balance between a good supply of water in the Snake River and your power rates is clearly evident tt year. The upward adjustment in the PCA rate is prim; caused by a below -average snow pack in the mounta upstream of Brownlee Reservoir. Just 3.3 million acre feet (maf) of water are projected to flow through the reservoir between April and July, critical months for hydroelectric generation. Last year 8.4 maf was expe, to flow through Brownlee during the same period. B' comparison, the 30-year average for the period is 6.3 m In years when water is plentiful and our company can more fully utilize its 17-dam hydroelectric system, oui power production costs are lower and Idaho Power st those benefits with its customers. In 2006, for exampl, the company's PCA filing decreased Idaho customers rates by approximately 19.3 percent on average. "If you (issue) permits ... and if it's affecting endangered species then you need to pay at- " s Robin Silver, board chairman of al'Diversit itnArIzona►` that sued the government over the per- mits and had already been in litigation over undwater in the southern part of the state re these cases began. %der the federal Clean Water Act, the EPA s=the power to delegate permitting author- ity to state agencies like the Axizona Depart- ment of Environmental Quality, and 45 states have started their own programs where they issue pernuts for water discharge. In Arizona's case, though, environmental-� ists.say the permits helped harm endangered plants and birds by enabling development in the San Pedro River's watershed near Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca, straining water sup- plies that hundreds of thousands of people al 'ready use. *using construction has boomed in south - in recent years, with developers -hear Tucson and further south building more than 9,500 new homes in 2004, nearly 12,000 in 2005 and 8,500 in 2006, according to the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association. "Whenever you're issuing these Clean Wa- ter Act permits in areas where there's threat- ened or endangered species habitat, you're go- ing to be doing harm just by issuing those per-. wits," Silver said. `Activities that cause harm would not happen but for those permits." In a ruling issued in 2005, the 9th U.S. Cir- cuit Court of Appeals said EPA must ensure that endangered species won't be harmed un- SEE COURT ON MAIN 10 is( Endangered d lAthaway of sign 3Itt5, evenitthe p., . Saysld Arizona. 04.17.07 TUESDAY MAIN 9 ustices will decideEPA's role in saving rare species NATION: Pair of Arizona cases could lead to tougher rules on how development affects environment BY MIKE MADDEN GANNETT NEWS SERVICE WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a pair of Arizona cas- es that could lead to tougher requirements for how federal agencies weigh the environmen- tal effects of their policies. The specific issue before justices is whether the Environmental Protection Agency have consulted more closely with US. Fish and Wildlife Services officials when it gave Ari- zona's Department of Environmental Quality the power to issue permits for housing devel- opment in the state's southern desert. Depending on how the court rules, though, the outcome could resonate far outside Ari- zona. The federal government says complying with endangered species laws before entering into agreements with states would be impossse, it could Housing developers say if they lto six months mean construction delays of up on new projects, and, raise the cost of a new home by $5,000 to $10,000. But environmen- tal activists say the government needs to be sure endangered species aren't at risk from policy decisions that may seem unrelated at epartment of En- uality "The issue it cost and what o do it." mental activists possible for gov cies to do their ,lean Water Act ty with the En- ies Act, which for listed plants permitting t it takes to al- administer`the' ,ho line with what ed when they gered Species ernment's ar- me just ignore + gether," said senior litiga- )efenders of ►racy group ►n that joined group to sue ermits. 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' on the his- torical Air Quality Inc (AQI) data for Ada County', the number of t poor air quality days -and the amount of pollution in the air .has increased over _the past 11 years. Last year was particularly disturb- ing as we experienced 63 days in the months of June through Sep- tember when the air quality was poor enough to have a significant effect on public health. During that r time, I experienced daily headaches h and it was difficult for meto be out- e side for extended periods of time. According to many news reports at the time, other sensitive groups of people also experienced adverse health effects. Many factors affect the distri- bution of Air Quality Index Alert a Days and the max AQI such as the 1, pollutants that were monitored, when the DEQ began monitoring 11 those pollutants and the time of e year. For example, fine particulate matter (PM25) and ozone have only a been monitored and --used to deter- mine daily AQI values within the to the Editor: Valley air quality ty in the Treasure the pollutants that determine the g and has been AQI for a particular day vary sea- sonally because of the conditions requited for their formation and ac- cumulation. During the winter months, strong temperature inver- sions due to our topography and weather patterns trap the air and al- low for highlevels of PMZ 5 to build whereas during the summer months stagnant air, heat and tseInn- light , allow for the fortion and accumulation of ozone. Additional factors that may affect the data are the number of monitoring sites, the location of those sites and how Air Quality Index Alert Days are orga- nized into categories. The factors that affect the amount of pollution in our air an the number of days when our a quality is poor are our uni ue ge- ography, weather patterns and p'ollutanants that we emit into the air. The primary sources of our pollu- ltion emissions are vehicles, indus- trial processes, smoke and livestock waste, with our use of vehicles, both on- and off -road, accounting for the greatest portion of our pollution. Since we are the emitters of pollu- past 10 years whereas coarse par- Lion and can do nothing to change ticulate matter (MO and carbon our topography ; and weather pat- ] monoxide have been monitored for :tameur Adige pollutionproblems • a much longer period aftis ne. Also, become a function of our papule • only getting worse *ion growth. One can only specu- late that as more people move into the area we will see `continued deg- radation of [our] air quality [which] will jeopardize public health and could severely impact the economy and development of the region."' Any plan to reduce the amount of pollution and the number of poor air quality days in our future must address the types of vehicles we drive and the way we drive them. This summer is notfar away and I look forward to spending more time working and exercising outdoors. However, I have already begun thinking about the poor air quality in the Treasure Valley we are sure to have. While many of us already own the vehicles we plan to drive this summer, the most immediate ef- fect we can have on our future air quality is to change our driving be- havior:.In the long term, we can choose to purchase more fuel effi- cient vehicles or vehicles that run on alternative forms of energy. Un- less we address our air quality is- sues now at the individual k are sure to have themldfor us in the futurein a +gitlatory envi- ronment *Idaho Department ofEnviron- mental Quality (DEQ) Timothy Kempf, PhD., Eagle 0.alb'L=a4-4 l,eaua°'�1)Va0 ).a L.o9 •lguEl o'14 1) 6 o' g'Iyc3 � ) e .0 ~ ..V.� .. a y t+j ry+ "' 1 cbQyA ►'' chi �:^ e9 C� �a e., $V 0 4"' a:+ 0 a, .T1 .6 vim, � " V U 4! 4J " v~ 4! a Q y b NV3 a, ei G.N. cioXI 14ET, .r o _ !�i OLe 4.4 _Q �, 5 a .y Cg a+ a+ a pd o .G ..... o .1. a ... a u ^-� a+ a, 5 l) 0 b O W „L1 0 O ,-, u - W.�� O 'in co I;: 0 0 '. v O r-1' y o co)w y .a o A w a 3 a' °' „ of o v, a� t. M...%. " l - o x °ao °y > i.� uLo'3 tOao�wo o.4nnr- ... g uo = a O my 4, «a.0'.V)",-1.°:'og.t'�a. �accay,c�ong'�p'E�bo ,,as >.8mI�8r.r vy ;.:.°ba'a ova o au Zs) .V. ° aCn 'a a,v .9 . 1 13 .. .�a- kg' �°"' vuv vv o. S 0 thi1hn 6 y� ' Ca.0 =) rn et -i,'Be t:11.5A1P r .x$a�uacg . el�.' 3cii . CU bnAo �C:k V,%-e- , = f4,45.,9.1.gt.:a' g C) 0 4.4 C4 0 4- IDAHO STATESMAN '0Aa x u-0 a o.�ts : 3 c,01_•., • a o0Z ▪ oa ca 1 ' . a ('C $ • -a i y II.) Oa 0 C H °'�� v .n '> 3y ;aod >.4 = SEE AIR ON MAIN 3 to this report. Contact reporter ty;r thia Sewell atcrosewel le idahostatesman.com'or 377-642.8. IDAHO STATESMAN • IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM California's water wars rnalneverQ f'Population growth and climate change create new challenges to capturing Sierra Nevada's snowpack THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ORANGE COVE, Calif. — A century ago, when Harvey Bailey's great uncle happened upon this spot where California's Central Valley begins its ascent toward the SierraNevada, he could tell it was a land made for farming. Rich soils, abundant ground water, moderate temperatures. His ranch flourished as a•modest family citrus farm since he plant- ed the first tree in 1913. Three decades later came a change that would transform not only the. Bailey ranch, but also the entire San Joaquin Valley. A dam in the foothills to the northwest created Millerton Lake, and nine years after that, in 1952, a canal carried water from the reservoir to farming communities lining the edge of the valley from Fres- no to Bakersfield. California and the federal gov- ernment had embarked on an era of building dams and hundreds of miles of canals, an ambitious engineering feat designed to cap- ture the massive Sierra snowmelt and channel it to the state's far- flung cities and farms. It marked the beginning of California's pop- ulation explosion and 'trans formed the Central Valley into one of the richest agricultural re- gionsin1he world. A century later, California fmds itself forced to rethink its exten- sive system of capturing and de- livering water. The state's ex- panding population is part of the reason, but it '.*-the effects of glob - _ch they draw from the river. > Earlier melting of the snow - pack and spring storms could overwhehn any part of the 1,600 miles of earthen levees, flooding Central Valley suburbs. > A rising Pacific Ocean or a levee break will bring salty ocean water into the Sacramento -San Joaquin Delta, the heart of the state's water -delivery system. That would jeopardize the fresh water supplies for two-thirds of the state's population. To avoid that scenario, a plan to build a $3 billion canal to di- vert water around the delta is back in play. It already is gener- ating dissension, however. The most crucial piece of Cal- ifornia's water system is the snow- pack that builds each winter along the 400-mile-long Sierra Nevada. It acts as California's Natural reservoir, holding a third of the state's water for drinking and ir- rigation. For decades, the cycle has re- mained relatively unchanged: The snowpack builds through winter and early spring, then melts grad- ually from late spring through midsummer. That allows the reservoirs to fill and state water managers to release the water in late summer and fall, operating on a schedule that satisfies cities and farmers. Warming temperatures are al- ready beginning to disrupt that pattern. The snowpack has shrunk about 10 percent below its wintertime average, and mod - Federal water projects Provides 7 miltion acre- feet of water to: 4 million people State water projects 3 million acre-feet via the California Aqueduct and other canals. ahfornia has an annual lotm4ent:of 4 million ''' Groundwater. Provides 16.6 million acre- feet each year from public and private wells. Existing reservoirs urban areas SOURCES: California Department of Water Resources; Federal Bureau of Reclamation; Metropolitan Water District of California; Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; ESRI els show it shrinking 25-50 per- cent by the end of the century. COSTLY OPTIONS The options for coping with the expected changes vary wide- ly but have a common thread: All are expensive. Farmers, agricultural irrigation districts and some city, water managers favor creatgmore reservoirs, an ideathat has at least the partial barking of Gov Ataold Schwarzenegger.'Ho has pro- posed spending $4.5 billion to build two new reservoirs. AP Environmentalists and legisla- tive Democrats favor alternatives such as storing more water in un- derground aquifers, implement- ing tougher conservation mea- sures and making sea water suit- able for drinking "Climate change is not ficationfor »! _at Oakland -based Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, En- vironment and: Security. 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(ICI 'O a�R25aq b2Pog as j .crrgti �lv c:ra eti ro 3 Z N TCid review by Jan. 20, a deadline that was extended more than once. The company submitted the re- port Friday. - Monty Marchus, a technical en- gineer with the DEQ, said Eagle Water Co. has corrected water # pressure problems that affected the northeast section of the city. He said a new well brought on line last spring has created the required backup to the compa- ny's largest well. "The main problem right now is we still need to get the final Ts crossed and Is dotted for an ap- proved master plan," said Marches, who is the head engi- neer for public drinking water - systems in the Boise region. "We need a hydraulic analysis for the entire system and need to make sure the system doesn't have any bottlenecks," Marchus said. The master plan will determine if additional facilities are needed to provide adequate service to Eagle Water Co.: customers: Marchus said review of the plan is a priority. He said it couldtake weeks to review The public can read the Eagle Water Co. master plan at the Ida- ho Public Utilities Commission web site, www.puc.idaho.gov. " n`o en a= Company — Application for Emergency Surcharge?' The cover letter on the report says the company plans to sub- mit an application for a ratein- crease on or before March 1. The DEQhas been working with Eagle Water .Co. for more than a year to resolve these is- sues. Marchus said residents in northeast Eagle had complained about pressure problems for years, with the issue reaching crit- ical mass in late 2005. Eagle Water Co.'s service area i is between Floating Feather Road and the Boise River, and Locust Grove and Horseshoe Bend Road, according to the Idaho Public Utilities Commi c n 4'` The public utilities commis- sion issued an emergency order directing the water company to remedy the deficient water pres- sure in 2005. Fifty customers in the Eagle Springs Estates subdi- vision were affected. "They couldn't take showers the way they wanted to, -GLE WATER CONTINUED FROM MAIN 1 Robert DeShazo Jr., Eagle Wa- ter Co.'s founder and spokesman, did not return a call for comment Wednesday. The DEQasked Eagle Water Co. to submit an engineering re- port on the company's system for EE oa w0 O w °r�,o Q 3F~ C..) 1-4c5 ell -b '0�••-,a 0 CZ 0 w ° 3 ell "3 as cl • = s o ° " U Manchus said of residents' main y ig $4.E complaint. When water pressure gets very low - below 20 pounds per E h .5 square inch -•- it can.pose a to.., 0,, ° c„, heath � because conxami v o Z en rests can enter a .5 l were short time periodsin 05 when water pressure to some customers was dropping as low as 10 psi. Marrl,t,c said that while the • 3 a M y ° 5 g o q •�.I p.{ p 'o y 4 g- ai •3 . • W°4 g 1-4 S 'i~ � 2scso G eC ,_ •� cs°"• Ott w • ° c3 0, 4 5,i ° U w c�zis E a°i w gV t 1 o E o ve, 4 • ° ° ° Y 3os io . V1 NV ° [ b .2..) 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Idaho has been discovered; people love it for the same reasons I do: open space, abundant recreation op- portunities and natural re- sources, and a thriving Down- town all combine to make Boise and the surrounding ar- eas a desirable place to live. But while folks from states like Arizona and California leave their overcrowded cities to make their way here they bring with them their traffic issues and declining quality of life. Urban sprawl fueled by out-of-state residents seeking a home in the outskirts con- tributes to added traffic on al- ready congested roads, as well as decreased fertile farmland, open space and recreational opportunities. Furthermore, the growing traffic impacts air quality, ele- vating pollutants that harm public health and impair the visibility of the Boise Foothills and Owyhee Mountain vistas we all enjoy. Did you notice the inversion lingering over the valley or air -quality alerts by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality in re- cent weeks? These air -quality problems are bound to be- come more frequent with in- creased growth and traffic in the Treasure Valley. If there is a vested interest in our quality of life, Ada and the surrounding counties need to plan development in a care- ful, thoughtful manner that doesn't destroy all of the things that make this area so speciaL Right now we do not have a mass transit system, our roads are already over- crowded, and our air and wa- ter quality are declining. We are simply not prepared for the massive amount of planned communities being proposed by large, often out- of-state, corporate interests such as Taunton's SunCor. Planned communities like Bob Taunton's AVinior in rural parts of Ada County do noth- ing to support public transit. Now is the time to take a step back and plan wisely. This means mass transit and improved infrastructure. Cities and especially counties like Ada and Canyon have an opportunity to plan a more sustainable Treasure Valley. Phoenix is slowly moving in the right direction, but only after realizing it did things wrong the first time around. Contrary to what Mr. Taunton proposed, the Treasure Valley should not take Phoenix's path and allow unmitigated devel- opment in our treasured Foothills and fertile farmland. Let's learn from their mis- takes and do it right the first time! Ester Ceja is a native Idahoan and Boise resident. She served on the Treasure Valley Airshed Advisory Group in 1999/2000. 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Experts fear fire season could be fierce Outlook depends on factors ranging from summer heat and bark beetles to monsoon rains and leftover fuels BY PATRICK O'DRISCOII USA TODAY BOULDER, Colo. — Fire sci- entists preparing this year's na- tional wildfire forecast don't ex- pect much of a reprieve from 2006, the worst fire season in a half -century. An average or above -average year is likely, including more fires in parts of Southern California not already scorched in recent years, said Rick Ochoa, fire weather program manager at the National Interagency Fire Cen- ter in Boise. Potential hotspots could in- clude the Great Basin states of Nevada and Utah, along with Ari- zona. Those areas are locked in a pat- tern of widespread dryness, warmer temperatures and an ear- ly melting of mountain snow in the West, Ochoa said Thursday. He is among about 30 fire ex- perts meeting this week in Boul- der, Colo., to draft the fire out- look. The four -day session ends today. The forecast is due out Tuesday. Although much of the United States may see normal conditions, a continuing worry now is the Southeast, where severe to ex- treme drought grips parts of Al- abama, Georgia, Florida and Mis- sissippi. A 61,000-acre blaze in Georgia has burned for more than 11 days and was only 50 percent contained Thursday. "I would be very surprised if we had a light fire season," said Ochoa, who sketched out the fac- tors likely to influence the fore- cast: > Summer heat. The National Weather Service's Climate Pre- diction Center sees a warmer - than -usual spring and summer in the West. If that holds true, "the probability of a big fire season in places like the Northwest, the Northern Rockies and. Idaho is going to go up quite a bit," Ochoa said. > Dead forests. Bark beetle in- festations con1liein Colorado, Idaho and British Columbia Dead or dying trees make abundant fuel for fires, but Ochoa said those trees are more fire -prone in the fast year. Needles still on the branches make trees torches for fires to race through the treetops. > "Carry-over" fuels. Ochoa said Nevada has above -normal fire potential because of "carry- over" grass and brush that sprout- ed in the wet winters of 2005 and- 2006 and are ready to burn after a dry winter. > Uncertain monsoons. Ari- zona needs moisture, while New Mexico had a decent winter. > Alaskan temperatures. Fall, winter and spring were dry in the state's interiors If temperatures are warmer than. normal in May and June, that iity going to tell the tale for their fire season," Ochoa said. 'Natural food' markets cultivate local nroducers. iNb Mir David Zidubowsid /The Assocfated Press An unidentified grower looks overa display of Colorado -grown items available at Whole Foods on Feb. 1 duringa conference near Denver for food producers. Whole Foods gtv. es neakfarmers a market and Lucas said. By strengthening — or, as gains a competitive edge on big grocery chains BY CATHERINE TSAI THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LAKEWOOD; Colo, 7- The ll3-year-old Morning-- thesit Dairy Farm didn't even Use bar- codes on its bottles when a Whole Foods Market in Fort Collins, Colo. asked about of- fering the dairy's all -natural milk Dairy general manager Matt Lucas began bringing the glass bottles himselffrom the Morn- ing Fresh farm in Bellevue, Colo., 60 miles north of Den- ver. Until then, Morning Fresh had long made its name in home deliveries. 'Since his Whole Foods de- liveries began in 2004, Lucas admitted, Ididairy's sales have increased 20 percent. Morning Fresh now sells at least 1,000 gallons a week to supply a Whole Foods distribution cen- ter serving 10 stores. "It's a breath of fresh air to get involved with a group like that. They were so excited to get our product in their stores," some farmers say, returning to — their commitment to local products, Austin, Texas -based Whole Foods and Boulder - based Wild Oats Markets Inc. are fending off big chains like WalmMart Stores Inc., Kroger Co. and Safeway Inc., which have expanded their own or- ganic offerings and put pres- • sure on the smaller "natural" grocers. Whole Foods plans to open its first Idaho store at the south- west corner of Avenue B and Myrtle Street in Downtown Boise. The 55,000-square-foot store has yet to be built. It wouldbe part of a„17-story ho- tel, condo and retail complex. Whole Foods has signed a lease and hopes to open the store by February 2009. "WIthWal-Mart barging into the lower -end organic sales, this is a way these other re- tailers can differentiate from what Wal-Mart is doing," said Dan Hobbs, a cooperative de - SEE FOODS ON BUSINESS 6 jai LEARN MORE ABOUT U WHOLETOODS IdahoStatteiman.com 1 uG 1ucwu ►7 LaILV D11.1XLII - to w ay J Junin" 5 Eric & Allison Gilbreath rage i of .s f--7 /0 7 pz From: Eric & Allison Gilbreath [ericallison@boisecenter.net] Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 4:50 AM To: 'Eric & Allison Gilbreath' Subject: Emailing: 78807 Attachments: 78807.html&c11=78807IEagle Road tests mettle of engineers&c12=&c13=&c14=&c15=&c16=&c17=&c18=&c19=&c20=&h 1=&h2=&h3=&h4=&ns=m Eagle Road tests mettle of engineers—, Traffic overseers keep an eye on intersectionsvia computer and adjust signals to ease congestion By Hi ary Costa - Idaho Statesman Edition Date: 04/09/07 Eagle Road. The two words can evoke feelings of frustration, anger, or defeated resignation. To drivers stuck in its gridlock traffic, Eagle Road can feel like a place the traffic gods — or, at least, the \� traffic engineers — forgot. But that simply isn't so, say engineers from the Idaho Transportation Department and Ada County Highway District. Engineers from the two roadway agencies — ITD controls highways and state roads, while ACHD manages local roads in Ada County — work behind the scenes to perfect the science behind the traffic signals along the busy thoroughfare. Waiting game ACHD, which controls the traffic lights on Eagle (though ITD installs them), has in place software systems that monitor traffic at all times and then use complex formulas to change the lights in any given direction to create the most efficient traffic flow. For the intersection of Eagle and Franklin roads, that means up to 94 seconds traveling north or south, 25 seconds traveling east or west, or 20 seconds making a left turn in any direction. The yellow light adds another four orfive seconds. Put together, these times mean it takes 180 seconds — three minutes — for an entire cycle. That falls short of the seven minutes waiting at a red light that drivers complain about to ACHD. Eagle Road also has underground sensors in place at each intersection. So if no cars pull up to make a left-hand turn, for example, that lane's green light will get skipped in favor of the next scheduled lane. And if the sensors register that no more cars are coming, they will send a message to give a green to the next lane. traffic controller But despite the automation, it's still a constant balancing act on a road that carries 50,000 cars a day and whose traffic patterns vary from hour to hour, said Mike Boydstun, a traffic engineer with ACHD. 4/26/2007 l Ile luauo 0LQl.CS111i 11 - tuways luwlo rage h Ul 3 "A lot of times, (drivers have) an impression of 'Just give it more green time and it'll be fine," Boydstun said. "But when we give one movement more green time it adds more delay to other movements." For the past six years, Boydstun has been one of the people in charge of the traffic lights on Eagle Road. He divides his time between an office and the ACHD traffic control center, a long, dimly tit room with a wall blanketed by 19 television screens. Sitting at a computer console, Boydstun's fingers fly nimbly over a keyboard as he brings a live camera image of one of the Valley's major intersections up onto the large center screen. ACHD has 60 cameras placed at intersections across the county and hopes to increase that to 200 in coming years. Flipping from Eagle Road and Fairview Avenue (Camera 26) to Fairview and Locust Grove (Camera 55) and then over to I-84 and Eagle Road (Camera 46), Boydstun can monitor traffic flow up and down the Eagle Road corridor. Another set of buttons and a joystick let him rotate the cameras in all directions. He can see a half -mile down the road and zoom with incredible precision, even straight down. "If there was a quarter down there, I could see if it was heads or tails," Boydstun said, homing in on the tiny pebbles Tying in the gutter at Fairview and Eagle. Boydstun, who is in the Division of Congestion Management, spends up to five hours a day watching the cars go by. Not only does this give him a firm grasp on what traffic patterns are like throughout the county, but he can adjust a signal instantly from the Garden City control room. If he notices a crash blocking lanes, he can extend the green light in that direction to help move traffic through. But don't get any ideas — the system won't let him set a permanent green. The max it will allow is 255 seconds — just over four minutes. Signal changes As traffic patterns constantly change, agencies also must adjust to keep up. ACHD, ITD and an independent consulting firm will soon embark on a study to realign the Eagle Road light system and will debut the changes in 2008, said ITD spokeswoman Mollie McCarty. The are no pro - . uick fix however With Eagle Road already handling more cars than wer ver expect- •►"'! ake major changes throug out western Ada oun •e ore ag e sees any The planned Ten Mile interchange and Locust Grove overpass, which is under construction, should help a bit, McCarty said. Mike De St. Germain, an Eagle resident who works in Meridian, says he sees the problems every day: an intersection that takes three signal rotations to pass through, and drivers who become so frustrated with the backups that they peel off through the residential neighborhoods just off the thoroughfare. "I'm just worried that we're going to get a fatal (accident) there of some little schoolkid," De St. Germain said. "Not that they're right to do that, but I'm just saying if traffic were flowing a little more smoothly maybe they wouldn't get as frustrated." 4/26/2007 i ne ivano Oldte niaII - tuways luauu "It's like trying to put water in a pipe," Boydstun explained, forming a circle with his hands. "If the pipe is this big, you can only put so much water through it." Boydstun said he has handled his share of irate drivers in his 14 years doing signal timing, even fielding a death threat. But he enjoys his job — trying to make traffic more manageable is his way of giving back to the community, he says. "A lot of people say, 'I could get a trained monkey to do signals better,' " Boydstun said. "But the reality is there's a lot that goes on." Contact reporter Hilary Costa at 672-6730 or e-mail hcosta@idahostatesman.com. 4/26/2007 1IIC luaau JLcl1CsII14[1 - Lilways 1uanu Eric & Allison Gilbreath ragc1via taaie aaencv wants to polish downtown From: Eric & Allison Gilbreath [ericallison@boisecenter.net] Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 7:41 PM To: 'Eric & Allison Gilbreath' Subject: Emailing:71203 ,f�, Attachments: 71203.html&c11=71203IEagle agency wants to polish ..r�0JJ downtown&c12=&c13=&c14=&c15=&c16=&c17=&c18=&c19=&c20=& 8h2=&h3=&h4=&ns=rr .\G,Licc‘ 'NrA ‘‘'")( By Katy M of er - r3fc• Frio -ion Hare (17/13/n7 Of all the words that people use to describe the city of Eagle, "deteriorating" probably wouldn't top very many lists. The fast-growing city in West Ada County — which topped 20,000 residents last year — is a vibrant place where many new offices, eateries, shops and other businesses are opening. But there are areas of the city — both residential and commercial — that are so rundown and/or unsafe as to be categorized by a city consultant as "deteriorating." Eagle officials created an urban renewal agency last year to begin addressing these areas, which happen to be in and near the city's downtown. Two renewal districts have been proposed: the East State Street Area (the Parkinson neighborhood) and the Downtown Urban Renewal Area. The renewal agency's newly created board could decide to combine the contiguous districts into one, said Harlan W. Mann, the community development consultant hired by the city to assist with the establishment of the agency. , trf ffL is centprn� r rp r e and agle RQ $ a conspicuously undeveloped area ore inviting to walkers, shoppers and people o want to dine out. One goal of the renewal agency is tmake the city's dor That could mean connecting sidewalks, adding curbs, gutters, trees and street lights and updating the water/sewer infrastructure to serve expanding commercial uses. A parking garage is also a possibility, said Teri Bath, president of the Eagle Chamber of Commerce. Bath was appointed chairwoman of the Urban Renewal Agency. "The complaints that I have heard is that there's not enough parking — that's from the businesses trying to get into the area," said Bill Reed, owner of Reed Cycle Inc. on Old State Street. Reed also said that those who come to his bicycle shop rarely, if ever, complain about not being able to find a place to park. For the past six months, an Eagle Chamber of Commerce subcommittee has been talking to property owne business is about how they want the downtown to develop. "I want to synchronize the east end to the west en.; 4/26/2007 Bath said of the broader downtown area along 111C IL a11V Juuc i11Q1t tltwayb lualiu rage a vi 4. Old State Street, from Cobblestone Lane to Edgewood Lane. "We have pockets of commerce and retail. I'd like at some point for it to all flow, so you could walk from one end to the other." In his report to the city, Mann cites a lack of fire hydrants in sections of the downtown as hazardous. Two mobile home parks south of State Street in the downtown are listed as having inadequate fire protection facilities. "They have their own wells," Mann said Friday. "To fight fires, you need a lot of pressure and volume. That's where a water main is exceedingly helpful. One way of improving that situation would be to connect to a water main." The renewal district sets aside money for improvements through tax -increment financing. The money comes from taxes collected on increases in property value within the designated areas — after the urban renewal plan is approved. The soonest the city could expect anything would be January 2009, Mann said. Urban renewal districts have been established throughout the valley with mixed results. The North Nampa Urban Renewal District has been criticized for only partially delivering on what was proposed in 1994. How long will Eagle's Urban Renewal Agency exist? "It lives as long as there are things to do under the approved plan. ... There's a maximum term of an urban renewal plan of 24 years," Mann said, citing state code. Eagle Mayor Nancy Merrill and the Eagle City Council have appointed nine people to serve on the Urban Renewal Agency board. With public comment, the board will prioritize how the renewal money is spent. Board members, who have expertise in architecture, engineering, banking and planning, will serve staggered terms of one to five years. The list of those appointed to the renewal agency board are: Teri Bath, chairwoman; Lloyd Mahaffey, Scott Nordstrom, Jason Haas, Cameron Arial, Brian DeHass, Doug Racine, Jason Pierce and Bob Banks. Contact reporter Katy Moeller at kmoeller@idahostatesman.com or 377-6413. 4/26/2007 t L1G 1ua11u UtaL II1Cttt - At W ay J luwL., ei Eric & Allison Gilbreath From: Eric & Allison Gilbreath [ericallison@boisecenter.net] Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 2:07 AM To: 'Eric & Allison Gilbreath' Subject: Emailing: 69265 Attachments: 69265.html&c11=69265ITight budget prompts ACHD to rethink&c12=&c13=&c14=&c15=&c16=&c17=&c18=&c19=&c20 &h1 &h2 &h3 &h4 &ns-mcch Tight budget prompt ACHD rethink Reduced revenues, rising construction costs force road agency to postpone or cancel some big projects By Cynthia Sewell - Idaho Statesman Edition Date: 01/30/07 The Ada County Highway District does not have enough money to get all its road projects built, so commissioners are reprioritizing the to-do list. ACHD officials, who have gotten used to scheduling projects at breakneck speed to keep up with the county's booming growth, are taken aback by the sudden need to tighten their budget. "This is the first time in the five years I've been here that no new projects have been added" to the list, said ACHD Planning and Programming Manager Don Kostelec. More than a dozen major road projects already on the list — including Boise's 36th Street roundabout, a traffic signal near Meridian High School and the Hill Road extension in Eagle — are being postponed for at least one year. Three factors forced ACHD's slowdown: decreased revenue, increased construction costs, and a skyrocketing price tag on ACHD's priciest project — the East ParkCenter Bridge, scheduled for construction in 2008. The Treasure Valley's immunity to economic downturn apparently has ended, said Craig Quintana, ACHD spokesman. ACHD just wrapped up its first quarter with impact fee revenues down $4 million — or 30 percent — which put a chink in the road projects' budget. Impact fees are paid by developers to offset infrastructure costs. Construction costs have increased at least 20 percent for all scheduled projects. Any project dealing with steel, concrete or asphalt is going to cost more no matter what part of the country, Kostelec said. Additionally, Treasure Valley land prices have skyrocketed in the past several years, making it more costly for ACHD to acquire land for road projects, Kostelec said. For example, the cost of purchasing right-of-way for the Ustick Road widening project was $2 million higher than anticipated and the lowest construction bid was $3.6 million — 37 percent — more than ACHD staff estimated. The East ParkCenter Bridge, a top priority for ACHD and Boise, has turned into a cash guzzler. Within the past year, the estimated cost of building the bridge has increased from $8.7 million to as much as $17.5 million, mainly because of federal regulations requiring the bridge to also span a new flood 5/10/2007 ti inc iaano statesman - tuways ivano • t ags c ii - channel, Quintana said. "The bridge must be twice as long at twice the cost," Quintana said. The bridge is on track for now, Quintana said, but if the price tag continues to rise ACHD commissioners may have second thoughts about sacrificing other road projects to keep the bridge on schedule. The bridge connecting Warm Springs Avenue and ParkCenter Boulevard is a linchpin to future development east of Boise and to easing traffic pressure on Warm Springs Avenue. Boise's initial agreement with Harris Ranch developers allowed no more than 419 homes to be built until the bridge was constructed. The developer hit that cap in 2003. Harris Ranch developers are working with the city on a new plan to restart building homes. Additionally, Ada County recently approved The Cliffs, a 1,350-home planned community off Warm Springs Avenue, which along with a resurrected Harris Ranch and other Barber Valley housing projects could bring thousands of new homes to the area. To offer story ideas or comments, contact reporter Cynthia Sewell at cmsewell@idahostatesman.com or 377-6428. 5/10/2007 �.aaaua 4-Loawtawo, lug.. i icuuuug ' vl virtu L/CJlg11 " 1_,411UJ1 apc Iin:nu :Lure rage 1 or e MASTERING CRIME IN YOUR MASTER PLANNED COMMUNITY GIVING UP OR TAKING BACK THE STREETS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD Presented By: Brian C. Canin, AIA, AICP, President Canin Associates Urban & Environmental Planners Landscape Architects 500 Delaney Avenue, Suite 404 Orlando, Florida 32801 The subject of mastering crime in a master planned community is broad, and involves a tremendous range of different opportunities and initiatives. As planners, designers and landscape architects, we focus primarily on the design of the neighborhood, and particularly its streets, as one area that can contribute significantly to overall neighborhood security. Before discussing some of our research findings and proposals in detail, it is useful to cover some general observations that may be helpful in planning and marketing master planned communities relative to security. In designing for enhanced security there are no simple one-dimensional solutions that work well across the board. Rather, we have found that there is a continuum of conditions and responses that can be applied to enhancing security. For example, a solution that has worked perfectly in a community at one time period may not serve as well five years later, as the neighborhood changes and crime increases. When this occurs, anti -crime intervention initiatives may need to be escalated. The average suburban residential community does not have a serious crime problem compared to some inner-city older neighborhoods. Thus, suburban neighborhoods do not usually require draconian anti - crime measures. Most solutions involve multiple trade-offs, particularly relating to the cost of design elements such as walls and guardhouses, and the operation of security systems. Generally, as the level of security increases, the less the neighborhood is part of the greater community. Traditionally, walled and gated subdivisions have resulted in isolation from the rest of the community, especially as schools, parks, churches, shopping, community centers and other facilities often end up outside the neighborhood and are not readily accessible to the residents within the gated community. As important, if not more important, than trying to physically crime -proof a neighborhood, is creating the perception of safety and comfort that can influence the way people behave and use their neighborhood streets. Many studies have been done to show that the way a person carries themselves, in addition to their age and sex, can make them look like an easy target. This carries over into neighborhoods. When the streets are perceived as a "no man's land" they are more inviting to trespassers and criminals. In contrast, when the neighborhood has a feeling and reputation of "being together" and tightly organized, a much lower incidence of crime and vandalism is likely to occur. Security is an interactive mixture of perception and reality. Perceptions and realities work to influence each other, and this is one area where perception definitely affects reality. If people feel secure and safe in the streets they will use them more; especially if they are attractively designed, and this in tum will increase safety and security within the whole neighborhood. Basically two points of intervention are possible in trying to create greater neighborhood security. The first is securitizing the individual properties, and this again presents a continuum of initiatives from providing good lighting and clear paths to front doors from garages, as well as good visibility from the street, to completely wailed off home sites, with the types of security encountered in penal institutions, http://www.canin.com/artdetail.cfm?id=44 4/27/2007 t.411111 Aablitaamb, it uluug T Ul Vatl L/Gs1gu • Lanuscape iircmtecture rage lorti such as high walls, electric fences and armed response teams. These extreme measures are currently employed in many residences in suburban Johannesburg in South Africa, which has become a very crime ridden and violent environment over the last decade. The second point of intervention is the degree to which the neighborhood is securitized as a whole. Again, initiatives can vary all the way from creating the perception of safety and a high degree of community cohesiveness with very active use of the streets on the one hand, to walling off and controlling access to the neighborhood through guarded gates with limited access, as is common in many upper -scale projects. While much of the buying public has been conditioned to expect that added security and enhanced property values will be achieved through the use of walls and guard gates, there are several negative trade-offs resulting from this solution causing developers and designers to revisit the basic concept. These include: There is now substantial evidence that, while generally enhancing security, the traditional gated community is not the panacea that it is generally believed to be and in fact, in many of these communities high rates of burglary and vandalism still occur. The guard -gated solution is also quite expensive, as well -designed and landscaped walls with irrigation typically cost up to $100 per linear foot. This adds capital and maintenance costs to the development. Homeowners associations are burdened with the continuing operating and maintenance budgets for 24- hour security, which can range from $60,000 to $80,000 per guarded entrance per year. Finally, there is a growing sentiment in many jurisdictions against permitting guard gated neighborhoods with private streets. It is felt that these solutions do not promote a sense of community and neighborliness and provide enhanced security within the walls at the expense of less security on the streets outside the neighborhood. Also, some jurisdictions are reluctant to permit private streets, as a result of their concem that they will one day inherit the maintenance obligation associated with these facilities. With the increasing pressure on affordability and the desire for more livable communities, there may be better ways to spend design, construction and maintenance dollars. In addition, the option for walled and guard gated neighborhoods with private streets is not readily available in existing non -gated communities served by public streets. Canin Associates has been actively researching ways to design new master planned communities without resorting to the traditional walled and gated designs. Through careful planning, our objective is to develop a menu of options to create more attractive and pedestrian friendly streets, which in tum creates safer neighborhoods. Both of these features will add significantly to marketability. FACTORS AFFECTING NEIGHBORHOOD STREET ACTIVITY In previous times with more traditional families, mom was at home with the young kids all day. When the older kids retumed from school, they played in the front yard with their neighbors while she kept an eye on them from inside the house or spent some time socializing with other mothers on the street. Every weekend, dads and kids all over the neighborhood were out working in the yard. The predominant family unit induded two parents and two to three children. This was often supplemented by the extended family of grandparents, aunts and uncles that all lived dose by and provided a tight social fabric and network that created enhanced security. In contrast, today the traditional family is the exception. Thirty five percent (35%) of children today are in homes with a single parent, and there are many households of singles without children. In addition, many traditional families now have two working parents. Children's social patterns have also gravitated toward more passive activities such as watching television. All of these factors, and others, have tended to reduce the level of street activity in neighborhoods. As designers, we have set out the objective of creating neighborhoods of streets that are more friendly http://www.canin:com/artdetail.cfin?id=44 4/27/2007 ticuaui a-aaawiawa, Jut.. i laiuuug ' vt uatl tivbi u ' LdllU,c:.2Lpc tircuitCk. Ul1C rages or 0 and inviting to pedestrian activity and that can be used by a wide range of residents. Ideally, the neighborhood should be a place where young children can play safely in the streets, where seniors enjoy strolling through the neighborhood, where young mothers walk their toddlers to nearby mini -parks, and where teenagers have a safe place to bicycle and hang-out together. In order to do this, the streets must be attractive to users, with shaded sidewalks, interesting vistas and activity nodes such as small parks, local neighborhood churches, schools, community centers, or lakes and waterways. Ideally, the entire neighborhood would be designed to have a park -like quality in the sense that it is a pleasant place to be. In order to foster this type of neighborhood, Canin Associates has developed the following planning guidelines and design principles. PLAN FOR NEIGHBORHOOD DIVERSITY Encourage neighborhood diversity by planning for a broad range of household types. While the core market profile in each neighborhood will vary and may comprise 70 percent of the total households, it is desirable to bracket this group on either end to cover as broad a range as possible. For example, if the core households are two -parent families in houses on typically designed, 70-80 foot wide lots, with homes of 2,000 square feet as an average size, consider adding a few larger home sites in choice locations, with some smaller homes for first time buyers, and older retired couples without children. Active retirees are home during much of the day and can constitute a good source of "eyes and ears" within the neighborhood. Similarly, older residents, especially single retirees, feel more secure with some younger families nearby whom they can call on for help. Older neighbors often can interact positively with younger children and enjoy being in the company of younger people provided they still have their privacy. We have analyzed existing neighborhoods where a mixture of small and large lot sizes and homes co- exist to create a seamless community. We have found that a limited number of small homes on shallow - wide lots can exist comfortably across the street from larger homes, as could duplex units that were designed to blend into the overall neighborhood. This provides a range of home prices in the same neighborhood, while still maintaining compatibility between housing types. Homes designed for shallow -wide lots have the additional advantage of layouts where the kitchen and other living areas face directly onto the street, providing additional opportunities for neighbors to watch out for each other. This is readily perceived by people passing through the neighborhood. Some large home sites can accommodate "granny flats" that permit younger members of the family to stay in the neighborhood longer or which can be rented to young students or single, older retirees, both of whom can add diversity and presence to the neighborhood. In addition, "granny flats" can serve as small offices for the increasing number of people who are working at home. An additional benefit of mixing household types is that families with young children and elderly households are more likely to have dogs as pets. This adds to the overall security and also promotes additional pedestrian activity as people walk their dogs or meet their neighbors. PLANNING FOR PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY GENERATORS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD Throughout much of the 80's the focus in the United States has been on providing entry level housing, with tremendous pressure on containing costs. This, in combination with the significant amount of building that has taken place by national production builders who take down large blocks of lots and build three to four standard home types, has created many sterile and tow amenity neighborhoods throughout the suburbs. The demographics in the 90's, while still catering to some of the same pressures to provide affordable housing for entry level buyers, is broadening to include many more affluent households with greater discretionary spending power. These home buyers are more sophisticated and are looking for highly attractive and fully amenitized neighborhoods. A key to promoting increased pedestrian activity is the introduction of neighborhood parks. A neighborhood of 500-1,000 homesites should have a 5-10 acre park within a ten minute walking distance. Each active neighborhood park should have an all-purpose field, a small community center and basketball and tennis courts. Within 2 minutes walking time of each home site, a 1/2 - 1 acre mini -park should be provided to accommodate the needs of very young children and their mothers, who cannot be expected to walk too far from their home. In addition, by strategically locating these park systems, an active neighborhood environment can be created. http://www.canin.com/artdetail.cfin?id=44 4/27/2007 rizatnacitca, iu . 1 iatiutIL -r viuzzu. mcbigu - Linust 4pV tuuntLGk;Lure rage LI o1 0 i Good urban design should utilize the opportunity to Zink these parks with well landscaped pedestrian promenades or walks along boulevards with homes fronting the street. These higher level streets should be designed with larger lots and slightly more generous sidewalks to encourage pedestrian movement and minimize vehicular driveway conflicts with pedestrians. This solution is in sharp contrast to many contemporary designs that line collector roads with walls and landscaping designed to screen the rear yards of adjacent home sites. While often visually attractive to drivers, these streets are invariably unfriendly to pedestrians and are considerably less well used as neighborhood streets. People are much more likely to stroll down a street with attractive homes fronting on the street, where they can greet their neighbors, than walk down a road bounded by brick walls and/or fences with no direct contact to adjacent homes, experiencing only passing roadway traffic. Neighborhood parks should be designed for maximum use by surrounding them by streets and orienting homes to face the park and the street. Other uses that can productively be located near the small parks are neighborhood scale churches, day care centers, community buildings, small branch libraries, etc. STREET DESIGN Street design can also markedly affect street activity in a neighborhood. Streets should be hierarchical. Narrow streets promote slow moving vehicular traffic and enhance the feeling of security and sense of neighborhood. Short cul de sacs with no through traffic at all are recognized as the safest and most desirable locations for families having young children. On many of these streets the street itself can safely become a play area. Higher order streets such as collectors that carry more through traffic should be designed to provide on - street parking and ample sidewalks for pedestrian use. These streets must also be designed to restrict vehicular speed. Retro-fitting the streets in existing neighborhoods can be accomplished by the introduction of street trees which create a unifying neighborhood element and shade sidewalks. In some cases, the use of speed bumps, in combination with stop signs, may be necessary to slow down and reduce through traffic. HOME OCCUPANCY BUSINESSES As a greater percentage of Americans work out of their homes, neighborhood security will be enhanced 49 by the additional presence of this group of residents during the working week. This contingent work force is increasing as a result of improved telecommunication which allows workers to operate away from their office. The home is now the primary or secondary work location for approximately 44 million workers, according to Link Resources Corporation, the leading research and consulting firm in the electronic services industry. Link Resources estimates that over 13 million self-employed workers operate out of their homes. In addition, 12.8 million persons are dassified as part-time, self-employed (Le. moonlighters). Over 9 million workers bring work home from a conventional job and over 8 million workers "telecommute"; that is, work at home at least part-time during normal business hours. This latter segment is the fastest growing and reflects a decreasing demand for each employee to have a full time office. All of these segments are projected to grow at rates significantly above total employment growth. A few select home sites in the neighborhood may also be zoned for special limited home occupancy businesses to create a neighborhood activity center. This grouping of home occupancy businesses must be carefully located so as not to cause a nuisance within the neighborhood. Typical permitted uses could indude a small day care center, special health care providers and counselors, an accountant, a convenience store or small restaurant. These businesses should obtain approval from the local homeowners association. While this concept is experimental and has not yet been tested, we envision these special lots would be located at the periphery of the neighborhood, preferably directly near the entrance where they would be least intrusive. Reintroducing limited work opportunities into the neighborhood can be a benefit to establishing neighborhood character and diversity, provided adverse impacts are carefully controlled. SENSE OF ARRIVAL AND ACCESSIBILITY It is suggetedthat each n i borh d have no more than two to three extemal access connections and that these entries are clearly delineated with markers to create a sense oramval and neighborhood �� identity. Also_ maior through traffic or cut through traffic must discouraged in order to enhance neighborhood secu . There are many design and regulatory means available to acc omp is, �n tiding spe restrictions, the location of stop streets, speed bumps, and the layout of the streets http://www.canin.com/artdetail.cftn?id=44 'i ni n5 �ou✓i�� � a , S �c►� C �4/27/2007 p l hs,Atc.,rs S-11 c cress -411111 AJJVV141,4J, lll�.r. 1 iCLlllllil� T vt u31u LGJlgu • L.auust ape tircmtecture themselves. NEIGHBORHOOD AMENITIES AND FEATURES rage of 6 Typically, neighborhood amenities such as parks, lakes and golf courses are surrounded by homesites in order to maximize builder premiums. Portions of these amenities should be visually exposed to all residents to create more pedestrian friendly streetscapes and more interesting walks. This can be accomplished by locating streets around these amenities. When streets are designed to link various amenity areas, interesting walks through the neighborhood result. LANDSCAPE, STREETSCAPE AND LIGHTING Front yards should be carefully landscaped to provide privacy, as welt as harmonious and attractive streetscape treatments throughout the neighborhood. Generally, front yards should provide good visibility of the home, and especially the front door, so that passing traffic and adjacent and opposite home sites are in direct visual contact, thereby enhancing security. In addition, front yards must be designed and landscaped to be part of an overall attractive neighborhood streetscape. Street trees should be the primary landscape element unifying all properties and creating the shade and visual interest necessary to stimulate pedestrian activity. If properly designed and landscaped, the streets themselves become attractive neighborhood amenities. Street lighting is an important aspect of creating secure neighborhoods. Street lights should be placed every 60 feet on altemating sides of the street. In addition, yard lights can enhance exterior landscaping and should be placed to illuminate walks, front doors and entry areas. Supplemental flood lighting triggered by infrared sensors can also enhance safe arrival to a residence after dark. NEIGHBORHOOD CARETAKER OR CONCIERGE Columbia, Maryland has successfully experimented with a program of providing home loans for police officers as a way of introducing additional security into tough neighborhoods. This program has reduced crime by 24% in certain areas. An additional program could involve the provision a small lot with a cottage which would be owned by the neighborhood association and be strategically placed to allow a watchman/caretaker to monitor the neighborhood. This unit could be appropriately located near the neighborhood entrance or adjacent to the small neighborhood parks. This unit may be rented at a nominal rate to a retired police officer or security guard who would function as a neighborhood concierge, providing a direct security presence within the neighborhood. The concierge could be hired to patrol the neighborhood, if contracted to do so by the Association. In addition, the concierge could organize and maintain the neighborhood watch program, and even monitor incoming/outgoing traffic through electronic surveillance, if so desired. It is likely that this program could be much more cost effective than the traditional hiring of front -gate security guards and the building of walls and guard houses. HOUSING AND LOT DESIGN A significant additional security benefit can be gained by the design of the homes themselves and adjustments to the site layout employed on each lot. Homes that are designed on narrow frontage lots, predominantly with garage doors facing the street, do not create friendly neighborhoods or enhance security. This can be solved by a variety of means, including: Where larger homes with several cars in the family are located on small lots, the provision of alleys with rear garages removes the double -wide garages and driveway parking from the front yard and achieves a more attractive street facade. An even more efficient solution is the location of free-standing garages to the rear of small lots. This arrangement allows the house greater street presence and more parking space in the driveway. Front porches also promote a much more interactive street presence, as do dearly visible front doors. Frequently used living areas, such as the kitchen and family room, should be oriented to the street as well. In summary, safer, friendlier neighborhoods are the result of a combination of many factors that all need http://www.canin.com/artdetail.cfm?id=44 4/27/2007 �.cuaua c»aJ iatca, itn.. t tanning T JIUWt LGJLg11 - L411usl+tLpu t%R iuLeCLUre rage o or o to be carefully blended together to generate an adequate level of neighborhood vitality and interaction. This in tum promotes a sense of neighborhood identity which translates into the perception of a more secure neighborhood that in tum influences the reality of one. Canin Associates, Inc. 500 Delaney Avenue, Suite 404 •Orlando, FL 32801 Phone: (407) 422.4040 • Fax: (407) 425-7427 • E-mail © 2006 Canin Associates, Inc. http://www.canin.com/artdetail.cfm?id=44 4/27/2007 rage i or ' Eric & Allison Gilbreath From: Eric & Allison Gilbreath [ericallison@boisecenter.net] Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 7:38 AM To: 'Bill Brownlee'; 'nmerrill@cityofeagle.org; 'johnfranden@cableone.net' Cc: 'nbaird@cityofeagle.org; 'pfriedman@adaweb.net; 'jbanducci@speedyquick.net'; 'cemusak@cableone.net; 'growthis@aol.com'; 'head@firstsourceidaho.com'; 'lee.lenhardt@hp.cant, 'marthaemcmurray@aol.com;'bootlegl@msn.com; 'Iniccolls@earthlink.net; 'kpennisi@cableone.net'; 'jaepea@mindspring.com; 'ghorses@mindspring.com'; 'ppurdy@silvercreeksupply.com; 'chuck@chuckrosco.com'; 'winkbarb@aol.com; 'Ken.Tanner@microsoft.com; 'seajayt@starband.net; 'alasyaw@aol.com'; 'rhwest@aol.com; 'Jeff Davis'; 'Gerry Robbins'; 'Ed Squires'; Wonders, Scott'; 'Funkhouser, Gay; 'JoAnn Butler' Subject: RE: M3 meeting follow-up "It is suggested that each neighborhood have no more than two to three external access connections and that these entries are clearly delineated with markers to create a sense of arrival and neighborhood identity. Also, major through traffic or cut through traffic must be discouraged in order to enhance neighborhood security." Shortcut to: From: Bill Brownlee [mailto:BBrownlee@m3comp.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 6:48 PM To: Eric & Allison Gilbreath; nmerrill@cityofeagle.org; johnfranden@cableone.net Cc: nbaird@cityofeagle.org; pfriedman@adaweb.net; jbanduoci@speedyquidc.net; oemusak@cableone.net; growthis@aol.com; head@firstsourceidaho.com; Iee.lenhardt@hp.com; marthaemcmurray@aol.com; bootlegl@msn.com; Iniccolls@earthlink.net; kpennisi@cableone.net; jaepea@mindspring.com; qhorses@mindspring.com; ppurdy@silvercreeksupply.com; chuck@chuckrosco.com; winkbarb@aoicom; Ken.Tanner@microsoft.com; seajayt@starband.net; alasyaw@aol.com; rhwest@aol.com; Jeff Davis; Gerry Robbins; Ed Squires; Wonders, Scott; Funkhouser, Gary; JoAnn Butler; Bill Brownlee Subject: RE: M3 meeting follow-up 4/27/2007 rage z or 4 4/27/2007 rage .5 of'f From: Eric & Allison Gilbreath[ma!Ito:ericallison@boisecenter.net] Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 8:54 AM To: nmerrill@cityofeagle.org; johnfranden@cableone.net Cc: Bill Brownlee; nbaird@cityofeagle.org; pfriedman@adaweb.net; jbanduoci@speedyquidc.net; eernusak@cableone.net; growthis@aol.com; head@firstsourceidaho.com; lee.lenhardt@hp.com; marthaemcmurray@aol.com; bootlegl@msn.com; Iniccolls@earthlink.net; kpennisi@cableone.net; jaepea@mindspring.com; qhorses@mindspring.com; ppurdy@silvercreeksupply.com; chuck@chuckrosco.com; winkbarb@aol.com; Ken.Tanner@microsoft.com; seajayt@starband.net; alasyaw@aol.com; rhwest@aol.com Subject: M3 meeting follow-up A couple of afterthoughts from the M3 meeting yesterday: I. Traffic I am very disturbed by M3's plan to allow traffic down Willow Creek/Eagle Road. I have attended and participated in most of the county's foothills planning meetings. At the charrette meeting, each and every table independently planned for traffic to travel east/west and hit Highways 16 and 55, completely avoiding Willow Creek Road/Eagle Road whatsoever. This happens to mirror what NACFA has proposed with its "green frog" plan. M3 seemed to indicate last night that John Petrovsky proposed this NACFA plan simply because he lived on Willow Creek. Not true! His thoughts echo that of the hundreds he represents, and the feedback from the county planning meetings as well. This planning of traffic toward 16/55 was not simply "because we don't want it on Willow Creek Road." It was evident to the majority in attendance (who happen to live all over North Ada county, not just on Willow Creek Road) that heavy traffic should aim for existing highways versus rural neighborhoods chock-full of kids, pets, and wildlife. And with future proposals involving Highways 16 and 55 (such as 16's Connecting Idaho and 55's connection of State to Chinden) doesn't this make the most sense? I would think we need to do what the citizens who reside and drive here propose versus what an cite der suggests. In addition I believe their traffic studies should lode further south in ttren- she. Residents from thole development aren't going to hit Floating Fewer, kw example, and then end their trip_ Most will travel south to Chinden or even the interstate, and probably head into Boise or Meridian. Or if they are like most folks I know, they vvill do anything pie to avoid Eagle Road like the plague and take State Sheet heading east. I don't think Eagle Road ear} handle S more oats, let alone the 9400 that would be corning from tMIlow Creek, as M3 suggests. They won't even make it past the Eagle Road/business State intersection! Residents on Linder certainly don't want the increased traffic eittw. But at least Lkdier has room to expand. Il. Water I understand that M3 thinks well monitoring will alleviate all our worries regarding water: However l would like to know Idaho's process for dealing with the water aftershocks of over -development (W God forbid, the well monitoring isn't 100% accurate). I have lived through this nightmare on a much smaller sloe in the Eagle Springs neighborhood off old Horseshoe Bend Road. We fought the battle for years. Eagle Water blamed the developer: The developer blamed Eagle Water. The PUG said to work with DEQ. DEQ said to call PUC. No one wanted to take responsibility or action, So having been down a paraflet road, rm curious what recourse we can build in up -front, in case we find ourselves in a similar position 10-20 years from noww, when we're still here dealing with it, and the developer has moved on to the next project in another state. Ell. Public- Information One final question on public notification of meetings: Shouldn't a developer proposing a community of this magnitude be required to alert the public? The only announcements I had about last night's meeting were from NACFA and a trails committee, but nothing from M3 itself Respectfully, Allison Gilbreath 4838 Willow Creek Road Eagle, ID 83616 4/27/2007 g n.iq; peon oa C ft b A y CO 7 et 2 la et ao eeo a ON 0 SUO93 UUOD ON any" apIsIooag peog aapufl *k NO N ON Oh m45 0. 0 d et Re' x A A • x0' eg °,Q°a adoni Et" era is "* C A w r64.to sr oeD "CJ E. m ° ° a 0 A ee OD m C eo A o ° A � C NWi fn c: a. a. et ee A C o^^`d .1 055. eo A E C eta es, n 0 `�• ke m A G et ce CIO C O A m y m Zapped/peaggea; A N W 0a0 ON • Eric & Allison Gilbreath r41. G1viL From: Eric & Allison Gilbreath [ericallison@boisecenter.net] Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 9:07 PM To: 'Frank.Bruneel@itd.idaho.gov'; 'Jon.Ogden@itd.idaho.gov' Cc: 'John Franden' Subject: Highways 55 & 16 December 20, 2006 Allison Gilbreath 4838 Willow Creek Rd. Eagle, ID 83616 ericallison@boisecenter.net Idaho Transportation Department via e-mail Dear Mr. Bruneel and Mr. Ogden: I am writing to encourage ITD to continue to stand firm on resolving transportation issues prior to approving master planned communities, specifically for the Eagle foothills area and highways 55 and 16. Forbes.com just published its list of the worst commutes in the U.S.1 The Boise area is not on that list. At least not yet. Houston, Texas, however is included. Although I lived in Houston for 9 years, I no longer call it home. Why? Traffic. In addition to Houston, I spent 4years in Austin, Texas. I experienced the traffic catastrophe happening there first hand. I encourage you to read Investor's Business Daily, June 6, 2006, "Government o utions From the 1950's Won't Fix Today's Traffic Problems, by Ted Balaker.2 An excerpt follows below: "Seven years ago, mounting traffic congestion helped prompt Austin -based Dell to expand in Nashville, Tenn., instead of its home town. "We lost 10, 000 jobs that day, "recalls state Rep. Mike Krusee. The loss shocked Texas leaders into embarking on the nation's most ambitious congestion -reduction plan, which includes a privately financed $7.2 billion San Antonio -to -Austin -to -Dallas toll road Now Texas' commitment is paying off South Korean -based Samsung recently decided to open a new $3.5 billion chip plant in Austin, which beat other locations, many of whom offered bigger tax breaks." Also worth mentioning is a press release in which Boise is mentioned along with cities the size of Dallas, Boston, Houston, Austin, and Detroit. This study describes the looming congestion quickly coming our way. ('Study: Many Cities Face Los Angcics-likc Traffic Jams. Los Angeles. August 31, 2006.) 3 (� Excerpts from that study include: 1Ci6 1�r OQn1 • CthS ,k5(/ "...congestion purgatory..." Referring to the next 2 decades: "Boise, Idaho, for instance, will see its congestion more than double." "Unless we take significant action to add capacity where commuters have shown they want and need it, our economy and quality of We will take a pounding from congestion." 12r2112006 We have the opportunity to do it right. Plan up front and set an example. Idahoans should call the shots, not the developers. We need to ensure that the Boise area remains on the "best places to live" list versus the "worst traffic/commute" list. Our future and that of our children depend on it. Sincerely, J`tAllis Gilbreath 1 America's Worst Commutes by Elizabeth Eaves, Forbes.com 12/19/06 2 Can be found on www.reason.org 3 Can be found on www.reason.org 12/21/2006 IS. dSUll ruunukt 1u11 - J Luuy. 1vnu.ty < luvb I L LAM C1uuGIGJ-111W Itali'', JC1111J l GLEV 1 J1 e`'011Izr1j free minds and free markets About Reason HOME EMAIL UPDATES Get Weekly Updates Your Email Address Join ANNUAL PRIVATIZATION REPORT 2006 PRIVATIZATION WATCH Experts Policy Studies Press Room News Release Google R Publications Research Topic Study: Many Cities Face Los Angeles -like Traffic Jams Traffic delays to increase by over 65 percent; $533 billion worth of road capacity need( save 7.7 billion hours that are wasted in traffic each year Los Angeles (August 31, 2006) — How bad is your commute going to get? A lot worse. Traffic delays will increase 65 percent and the number of congested lane -miles on urbr 50 percent over the next 25 years. Los Angeles, home to the nation's worst traffic today, will continue to have the longest during peak hours taking nearly twice as long as they do when roads are free -flowing. alone. Several cities face the dubious honor of having Los Angeles -like gridlock. By 2030, drivers in 11 metro areas — Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Portland, San Francisco -Oakland, Seattle -Tacoma, and Washini stuck in daily traffic jams that are as bad as or worse than today's infamous bottleneck according to a new Reason Foundation study. In those cities it will take at least 75 pen a trip during peak hours than off-peak periods. So, for example, a trip that is supposed would take over 52 minutes. Today, only four cities (LA, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.) experience of even 50 percent But, because road capacity is failing to keep up with demand and! the Reason study finds that a whopping 30 cities will be experiencing daily delays that 50 percent longer than off-peak joumeys. Los Angeles and the other 11 cities fisted ab congestion purgatory by Austin, Boston, Bridgeport -Stamford (CT), Charlotte, Dallas-F Houston, New York City -Newark (NJ), Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix -Mesa, Riverside Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Jose, Tampa -St. Petersburg, and Tucson And even in smaller cities, traffic congestion will worsen substantially over the next twc Idaho, for instance, will see its congestion more than double and Albany, New York, wi triple its current congestion levels. To prevent or relieve this severe congestion that seriously threatens our economy, U. arterials need 104,000 additional lane -miles of capacity (about 6 percent more than cu a total cost of $533 billion over 25 years, according to the Reason report. The good news is that this investment would save drivers a stunning 7.7 billion hours E current traffic - and the ksoming congestion - can be reduced with just a fraction of the already committing to transportation projects. The $533 billion price ran breaks down th stizettly FF _ x . : just 10 to 15 percent of the money we're pr ` t sp =_ r_ T ;.; mason rounuauon - 3ruuy; ivituly .AL1CS racy L Th Nl gvicb-11Ac 114111k, Jau1J 1 Q.S V Z. V l J REASON MAGAZINE IMMIGRAT NOW. M MI GRATI TOMORRO IM MIGRATi IOREYiR TOPICS Air Quality/Climate Air Traffic Control Airport Security California Issues Corrections Education Eminent Domain Energy/Electricity Environment Garbage/Recycling Growth/Land Use Light Rail Mobility Project Privatization Transportation Water/Wastewater WiFi/Broadband SUPPORT REASON federally funded transit lines. "Contrary to conventional wisdom, it is possible for America to 'build out' of severe con relatively inexpensive to do so," said David Hartgen, the study's lead author and a prof transportation studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. 'The bottom line reduce congestion, or even simply maintain our current levels of traffic, we will need to what is presently planned for our roads." "We will be spending billions on transportation projects in the coming years, but after p and increased truck traffic our congestion will actually be far worse, if we spend those I planned," said Robert Poole, director of transportation at Reason Foundation and the director. 'We must prioritize and focus our transportation funding where it can do the n the vast majority of Americans need to drive cars and that truckers haul 80 to 90 perce goods. Unless we take significant action to add capacity where commuters have show need it, our economy and quality of life will take a pounding from congestion." The study highlights how a number of metro areas seem to be ignoring the commuting trends in their areas. Instead of reducing congestion by adding capacity on the roads s by taxpayers, many planners are crossing their fingers and hoping to get people to shii their cars behind. In highly decentralized Los Angeles, where just 4.8 percent of people commute, over half of the long-range plan money - $66.9 billion — is being spent on tra spending is nearly identical to the money ($67.7 billion) needed to relieve the area's se Likewise, cities such as San Jose and Salt Lake City, where transit's share of commuti percent, are nevertheless committing over half of their long-range transportation funds "Increased capacity is the most important need. Toll roads and variable -priced lanes, ti optimization, improved accident management, and — where justified by ridership numb should all be part of our transportation solution mix," Hartgen added. "It is vital that all I projects be evaluated on cost effectiveness and hours of delay saved." The Reason Foundation study uses national congestion figures, detailed transportatior 32 cities, and sophisticated, state-of-the-art computer modeling to calculate traffic stati cities. Full Report Online The full study, Building Roads to Reduce Traffic Congestion in America's Cities: How A Cost?, is available online at www.reason.org/ps346.pdf. A complete state -by -state brei detailed information on over 400 U.S. cities, including maps, projected congestion, lane construction costs can be found at www.reason.org/ps346/index.shtml. Reason's trans and commentary is available at www.reason.org/transportation. About Reason Reason Foundation is a nonprofit think tank dedicated to advancing free minds and fre produces respected public policy research on a variety of issues and publishes the crit monthly magazine, Reason. For more information, please visit www.reason.org. Reason's Galvin Mobility Project This study is the first in a series of Reason Foundation Galvin Mobility Project reports transportation crisis and developing practical, cost-effective solutions to traffic congest Mobility Project will offer comprehensive policy recommendations to enhance mobility officials implement effective transportation plans. http://www.reason.org/news/mobility_congestion_hartgen_083 106. shtml 12/20/2006 iceasun r uuuuaLiuu - 3Luuy. lviauy ',tucb r arc LVJ ruigciw-iu v 11cu11V JMUD Contacts 1 CLb'V ✓ VLJ David T. Hartgen, Ph.D., P.E., Professor of Transportation Studies, UNC Charlotte, (7( Chris Mitchell, Media Relations, Reason Foundation, (310) 367-6109 Print -friendly version 1 Email page Home Contact Reason ® 2006 The Reason Foundation. All rights reserved. • 3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd. • Suite 400 • Los Angeles, CA 90034 • (310) 391-2245 Please email feedback@reason.org if you have questions about this Web site. http://www.reason.org/news/mobility_congestion_hartgen 083 106.shtml 12/20/2006 REASON MAGAZINE TOPICS Air Quality/Climate Air Traffic Control Airport Security California Issues Corrections Education Eminent Domain Energy/Electricity Environment Garbage/Recycling Growth/Land Use Light Rail Mobility Project Privatization Transportation Water/Wastewater WiFi/Broadband SUPPORT REASON Mineta calls "one of the single largest threats to our economic prosperity." Surveys show that residents in various major metro areas list congestion as their No. 1 complaint. A recent analysis asked CEOs of Silicon Valley financial firms to rank their business concems. Traffic congestion tied with high housing costs for the top spot — ahead of perennial business headaches like taxes and health care. Our roadway system was designed for an America eager to spur interstate commerce but unaware of the coming boom in intemational trade. Today in the Seattle area, congestion makes it harder to get shipments from sea to stores and distribution centers on land. As a result, Puget Sound ports have lost 12% of their market share in a six -year span. Truck traffic stemming from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach already swamps area freeways, and truck traffic is expected to grow 71% by 2030. Its time to transform our transportation system from a drag on commerce to a facilitator of innovation. We must borrow good ideas, both homegrown and foreign. In Southem California, variably priced toll lanes — which control demand by increasing/decreasing the price to ensure freely flowing traffic — have actually abolished congestion in an extremely busy corridor. France has shown ways around (and under) problems that many American leaders would regard as insurmountable. A missing link in Paris' A86 ring road has long created terrible congestion because officials were understandably hesitant to finish the road by building through portions of historic Versailles. Instead of accepting congestion, as many U.S. cities and states have done, the French are filling in the missing link and preserving the historic space by building road tunnels beneath Versailles. "Socialist' France has readily embraced market -based transportation innovations. The A86 tunnels are being built with private money, and France's 5,000-mile tolled motorway system is investor -owned. Mineta said the U.S. "will never succeed in making today's traffic a thing of the past without the involvement of this nation's private sector." Some states, like Indiana, Virginia and Texas, have already come to this conclusion. More than $25 billion in private capital has already emerged for U.S. road projects in just a few states — and there's much more where that came from. States should ensure that the "from anywhere to everywhere" vision for our transportation system flourishes in the 21st century by using public -private partnerships and tapping the private sector for much -needed new road projects. After all, we cannot create the economy of tomorrow with an interstate transportation system that's stuck in the 1950s. Ted Balaker is a policy analyst at Reason Foundation and author of a forthcoming book on mobility and congestion. An archive of Balaker's research and commentary is here, and Reason's telecommuting and transportation research and commentary is here. Hi to » M PI It' D; SI M » A. ar Bi » W ar W R� T: » M C. file://C:\DOCUME-1\HP_Owner\LOCALS-.1\Temp\ZV68T614.htm 12/31/2006 • rag,cJ J1J Home Contact Reason Support Reason ® 2006 The Reason Foundation. All rights reserved. • 3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd. • Suite 400 • Los Angeles, CA 90034 • (310) 391-2245 Please email feedbackrareason.org if you have questions about this Web site. file://C:\DOCUME-1\HP Owner\LOCALS-1\Temp\ZV68T614.htm 12/31/2006 4 5/17/07 Statement of Joseph M. Hinson Northwest Natural Resource Group, LLC Before the City of Eagle Planning and Zoning Committee On the Foothills Amendment to the Eagle Comprehensive Plan May 17, 2007 Good evening, I am Joe Hinson. a partner in Northwest Natural Resource Group, a natural resource consulting firm working with M3 Companies on various aspects of their planned community in the Eagle Foothills. I am a forester and former lobbyist for the forest products industry, with 30 years experience in dealing with administrative, legislative and judicial proceedings covering a wide variety of issues. Much of my current practice involves working with private landowners or public agencies to address threatened or endangered species and the management of their habitat in ways that are acceptable to private landowners. With that background, I do have some concerns with various provisions of the draft plan. While I admire the speed in which the City's staff pulled together varied interests to complete this draft, I fear the accelerated schedule may have led to some issues that are not adequately addressed and which my present future problems. I will restrict my comments to those problems that I see which are associated with the wildlife and wildlife habitat portions of the plan. While there have been changes in the Foothills since their settlement, development has not been so great that it has eliminated wildlife use. The combination of extensive grazing, limited road access, intact areas of sagebrush, some wooded riparian areas and few residential developments have accommodated continued use by a wide range of wildlife. The opportunity to view and enjoy wildlife helps greatly in making Eagle area an attractive place to live. The opening "Statement of Purpose" in the Eagle Comprehensive Plan notes that the City will strive: "To protect fish and wildlife resources" (page 3), and cites the number of people in Idaho who participate in wildlife related activities statewide (page 98). As noted in the draft plan, "Over 90% of the Eagle Foothills is held in private ownership by less than 10 families or groups. Over the last five years the ranch families who historically have lived in the Foothills have begun looking for new options for the land with many pursuing development options." A large part of the process to revise the City's comprehensive plan to which so many people contributed was dedicated to discussions of how best to protect, maintain or enhance the open space, wildlife and recreational values provided by the Foothills area in the face of the changes cited above. The draft plan represents both a vision for the future and an expression of the intent of the community in achieving that vision. However, it is equally important that the draft plan temper that vision with the recognition that maintenance of all wildlife, open space and recreational uses of the Foothills Area as they currently exist is not possible, given the extent of the likely changes in land uses cited on page 72. The plan must be a dynamic vehicle to protect and enhance those wildlife values that are possible and desirable as human use of the Foothills Area grows. Not everyone will agree over the direction that use and growth may take. Therefore, the document must also be a roadmap for equitably resolving inevitable disputes in the future. While, as a plan, it does not have to be prescriptive, it does need to be a source of reliable guidance, with as few ambiguities and opportunities for confusion as possible. In my view there are some of both that should be clarified as this plan is finalized and approved. Wildlife is largely a function of its habitat and its management relies upon the ability of humans to recognize it and take actions to conserve, enhance or restore it. The general discussion of the various habitats in the Foothills Area (page 99-100) is sound and presents a good summary that could serve as a background for subsequent planning actions. However, the language in other parts of the plan depart from this summary by introducing no less than seven undefined terms associated with "habitat". These include: "Sensitive areas" (page 8), "Sensitive habitat for plant and wildlife species, and unique areas based on diverse values" (page 47), "Area of special concern" (page 72), "Environmentally sensitive areas" (pages 75, 77), "Key habitat areas" (page 77), "high quality native plant communities" (page 101) and "Protected habitat areas" (page 102). Add to this list two other terms, "(Species) of special concern" (page 97) or "species of concern" (page 98) and "colonial wildlife features." None of these terms are defined, either within the context of the plan or in a separate "definitions" section, which is a common part of planning documents. There is a glossary and it does include a definition of "habitat", "Areas identified by Idaho Fish and Game as holding value for the existing plant and animal species" but this is of no help, since some plants and animals exist in all habitats that are not paved over and, for those species, the area they occupy definitely has "value". So, one is left wondering who will make the determinations of what constitutes "sensitive" or "key" habitat versus "high quality native plant communities" and what criteria will guide that determination. Those determinations are not trivial matters. Consider the somewhat buried but very significant requirement for land use presented on page 77, through which "Key habitat areas as identified by Idaho Fish and Game, should receive a density of 1 unit per 5 acres." There is no indication of the criteria Fish and Game will apply in identifying "key habitat", where it may exist and for what species. Yet, this provision of the draft plan could have potentially far reaching impacts on future developments by dictating residential densities for areas that are not presently known. Not only that, it apparently envisions a new role for the Department of Fish and Game which would place the Department in a role of regulating aspects of private land use through its ability to designate "key habitat" as a determinant of acceptable residential density and, therefore, the value of lands so designated. Such a role will arguably exceed the Department's authorities, moving it from an advisory to a regulatory role, and will likely invite legislative scrutiny. When this possible role for Fish and Game is coupled with the additional implementation policies on 102-103 that would, "Require developers to complete an environmental assessment and mitigation plans prior to final plan submittal" and the comment in the Department's October 12, 2006 letter to the City in which the Department, "...expects that large projects such as this and those proposed for sensitive wildlife habitats prepare a wildlife mitigation plan for Department review and approval prior to submitting a development application", it represents a wholly new regulatory construct. Does this imply that Fish and Game will assume the role of dictating mitigation requirements for development within the City? If so, then numerous questions arise about the Department's ability to do this, staff capabilities and the process through which the agency would make decisions. Recommendations Changes to correct undefined terms, plus clarify decision making processes and the roles that various agencies will fill are certainly possible and should be considered by this body and the City Council as this plan is finalized. They include: 1. There needs to be a clear expression of the specific wildlife values that will be important to Eagle in the future and what is necessary now to maintain those values. Inevitably, today's values will change over time and as development proceeds. Mule deer, for example, will no longer likely find much of the Foothills suitable for either migration or for raising their fawns. Despite the best plans, the reality is that traffic, people and dogs will drive them elsewhere. Indeed, this is a trend that already seems evident; in the winter of 1989, Fish and Game observed over 2,000 mule deer in the Foothills area, but by 2004, this number was down to 520. Rather than reciting lists of wildlife where there is some undefined concern and assuming that development can be completed in a way that addresses those concerns, the final plan would be improved by a concise statement of the species that will add to the enjoyment of the future residents of the Foothills and for which maintenance of habitat is possible, given projected development. Such a list might include resident mule deer, although certainly not in the number experienced today, ground squirrels, hawks and other raptors, various reptiles and amphibians, songbirds, raccoons and foxes. Future residents also should know that the same habitat will support numbers of skunks, badgers, coyotes and the stray rattlesnake, all of which have their place but also with natural behaviors that many people find objectionable. The agreed upon list should then be coordinated with their habitat which should be clearly identified on a map, so that any expectations for maintaining or enhancing habitat that is important to one or more of those species along with where it is located is known No less than seven undefined terms associated with "habitat", a nonsensical definition of the term "habitat" itself coupled with uncertain procedures for identification of various habitat types and regulatory implications associated with those types goes beyond the level of imprecision that is appropriate for a plan and which reasonable people can refine in a dynamic planning process. Instead, these provisions of the draft plan invite acrimonious debate, misunderstandings and legal challenges which will divide the community on a vital aspect of its future.