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Council continues review of Stonehill Crossing final plat after access dispute with highway district
Summary
Meridian City Council continued action on a final plat for Stonehill Crossing after staff and the applicant discussed a requested change to a required local public street. The applicant requested a permanent private driveway for one lot; staff and ACHD input were requested before final action.
Meridian City Council on Jan. 21 continued consideration of a final plat for the first phase of Stonehill Crossing after new information about access and a highway-district position surfaced during the meeting.
The 16.06-acre site lies on the south side of West Amity Road between South Meridian Road and South Linder Road and is zoned R4 and R8. The preliminary plat, approved in 2023, included a condition requiring a local public street between lots in block 1 to provide internal access rather than direct access to the collector street. The proposed final plat would create two building lots on the 16.06 acres, including Lot 1, Block 1, which is identified for a church site.
Staff explained that the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) later determined it would not allow a local street in the location previously required. City staff therefore brought a change request to council that would allow a private driveway access from South Oak Briar Way to Lot 1, Block 1, with a temporary ingress/egress easement benefitting Lot 2, Block 1. The condition as written would require that easement to terminate when an alternate public-street access is available after future redevelopment.
The property owner and the owner of the existing residence on Lot 2, Block 1, said the driveway shown on Lot 1 better serves the current home and that constructing a temporary driveway now and then redoing it later would be inefficient and costly. The owner, Kent Mills, said the grade difference between his lot and adjacent land is about 6.5 feet and that the slope is approximately an 8% grade.
Staff cautioned against approving a permanent easement for Lot 1 because if the lot later redevelops and the house is removed, the city could be left with a permanent access arrangement that conflicts with a future planned local street. Council members asked for ACHD’s input about the district’s new position and about long-term connectivity and safety implications.
Because ACHD representatives were not available to answer council’s technical questions, a council member moved and the council voted to continue the item to the next council meeting so the highway district could be present. Staff was asked to coordinate with ACHD and to return with a recommended path forward.
Speakers quoted in this story include city planning staff, the applicant’s engineer and the property owner.
