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Council hears divided testimony on Pollard North rezone; remands rezone request to planning commission for revision
Summary
A proposed change to the Pollard subdivision — rezoning 19.76 acres from R8 to TNR and approving a 157-lot preliminary plat — prompted concerns about density, block length and transition to existing neighborhoods. The City Council remanded the application back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for further revision and review.
Meridian City Council on Jan. 14 took up a proposed modification to the Pollard subdivision development agreement, a rezone request from R8 to Traditional Neighborhood Residential (TNR), and a revised preliminary plat for about 19.76 acres (file H2024-0037). The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended denial; council remanded the matter back to the commission for revisions after hearing extended public comment and applicant testimony.
Staff briefed council on the proposal: the applicant first sought TNR zoning and a 177-lot layout and later submitted a reduced plan with 157 lots. The applicant proposes a mix of detached and attached single-family homes, alley-loaded and front-loaded lots, and an overall gross density of roughly 7.15 units per acre with 4.2 acres (about 21.26%) of qualified open space. Staff highlighted UDC requirements for block-face length in TNR and identified three alternatives that would address the block-length issue: keep R8 zoning citywide, apply R8 zoning along the north perimeter and R15 to the south, or retain R8 and add pedestrian connections — options that would need additional notice or commission review.
Applicants and proponents said they revised plans to reduce lot counts and to add park and pedestrian connections after the commission hearing. Opponents — many homeowners from the neighboring Fairborn and Alden Ridge subdivisions — said the proposed TNR density is too high, would create traffic and school impacts, and would not provide an adequate transition to existing lower-density properties. Concerns also included longer block faces and the potential for the area to develop like rental communities to the east.
Council members discussed alternatives, including a split-zone approach that would keep R8 along the north and allow smaller lots on the southern portion. After extensive public testimony and back-and-forth with the applicant, the council voted to remand the application to the Planning and Zoning Commission for further revision and to allow neighbors and staff to work with the applicant on a revised plat and zoning approach. The applicant said they support the option of R8 on the perimeter with R15 interior zoning and are prepared to bring revised materials back through the public process.
