Important Meeting Dates: Please Join Us

There are some important dates coming up regarding Lincoln Property Company’s Special Area Permit (SAP) rezoning application. It is critical that we have as many Plantation homeowners as possible at each of these meetings:

1. February 27, 2023 at 6:00pm
   > City Council Public Hearing regarding proposed Parking Code Amendment
   > Click here for the agenda

2. March 13, 2023 at 6:00pm
   > The city of Garden City will be proposing changes to the Garden City parking regulations. The changes will include changes to Garden City Code 8-4D, 8-3D, and 5-1.
   > Click here for the agenda

3. March 15, 2023 at 6:30pm, but subject to change
   > There will be public testimony at this meeting.
   > UPDATE: The applicant has requested a deferral of this meeting to allow Ada County Highway District (ACHD) to complete its review of the application and the Traffic Impact Study, and to allow both parties to review recommendations from ACHD. This meeting may be postponed and the decision to postpone it will likely happen during the meeting on the 15th. Please join us at Garden City City Hall in case the request for deferral is denied. Click here for the meeting agenda.

4. March 27, 2023 at 6:00pm - CONTINUANCE TO MAY 22, 2023
   > City Council hearing; click here for the meeting agenda.

5. April 10, 2023 at 6:00pm
   > City Council meeting; agenda TBD.

6. April 19, 2023 at 6:30pm - CANCELLED

7. April 24, 2023 at 6:00pm - CONTINUANCE TO MAY 8, 2023
   > City Council meeting regarding the parking ordinance; click here for the meeting agenda.

8. April 27, 2023 at 5:30pm - CONTINUANCE TO MAY 24, 2023
   > This meeting will include public testimony. Please join us to express your opposition to the SAP application.
   > Click here for the meeting agenda.
   > This was a very long meeting and it was decided that it be continued to another date.

9. May 8, 2023 at 6:00pm - City Council hearing
   > The agenda will include the changes to Garden City’s parking ordinances, which may affect the number of parking spaces required for the River Club’s new build. Originally scheduled on April 24, 2023.
   > Click here for the meeting agenda.
   > Public testimony was heard and a decision is expected to be made at the May 22, 2023 City Council meeting.

10. May 22, 2023 at 6:00pm - City Council meeting
    > A decision on the parking code amendments is expected to be reached at this meeting. This has been pushed to June 5, 2023.
    > The SAP agenda item has been pushed to June 12, 2023 to accommodate the P&Z Commission hearing.
    > Click here for the meeting agenda.

11. May 24, 2023 at 5:30pm - P&Z Commission hearing continuance
    > A continuance from the April 27, 2023 Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing. The SAP applicant will have a chance to rebut at this meeting. In-person public testimony is closed. The commission may read public comments into the record. Keep submitting your written comments.
    > Click here for the meeting agenda.

12. June 5, 2023 at 6:00pm - City Council meeting
    > A decision on the parking code amendments is expected to be reached at this meeting.
    > Meeting agenda TBD.

13. June 12, 2023 at 6:00pm - City Council hearing
    > Originally scheduled on March 27, 2023 and May 22, 2023, it has been continued to date certain of June 12, 2023 to accommodate the Planning and Zoning Commission hearing continuance. Please join us to make your voice heard and oppose the SAP proposal.
    > Meeting agenda TBD.

This is a fluid situation, so meeting times and agendas will change.  Please check this website or the Garden City Home Page—Public Meetings and Hearings Calendar for updates.  Please make every effort to attend as many meetings as you can.  Spread the word to your neighbors.  It is important for P&Z and City Council to witness how serious our neighborhood is about this.

WHAT IS AT STAKE, AND WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH?

• PRESERVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
  Many homeowners have lived in our neighborhood for decades and have always cherished the beauty and peace that is The Plantation.  There is nothing in the Treasure Valley that is quite like The Plantation.  Newer homeowners likely purchased in The Plantation because they also saw how special this neighborhood is—open space, the beautiful golf course, social amenities of the golf club.  We do not want to lose any of this or compromise our quality of life in any way.
  

• PRESERVE THE VALUE OF OUR PROPERTIES.
  If the SAP application goes through as submitted, our neighborhood is much less desirable due to the high density of the proposed project and the fact that there will not be adequate parking for its residents.  Our neighborhood will become a parking lot for overflow from residents at the River Club Apartments.  Our property values will decline.
  

• PRESERVE AN 18-HOLE GOLF COURSE AND ALL OF THE AMENITIES THAT COME WITH IT.
  The open space, club house, pool, and social life for members.  There is absolutely no assurance that the golf course will remain a golf course or open space whether or not the SAP proposal is approved as submitted.  Our goal is to save the golf course and open space in perpetuity.  The SAP proposal covers over 22 acres of the golf course, consuming four golf holes and part of another golf hole.  There are plans for additional development on other areas of the golf course.  At what point is there no longer enough land for an 18-hole golf course?
  

• PRESERVE FRIENDSHIPS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
  We must stick together on this. 
  

• IT IS UNCLEAR WHO OWNS THE GOLF COURSE AT THIS MOMENT.
  There have been multiple owners since 2018, and there appears to be multiple LLCs involved currently.  They all appear to be developers.  If you see or hear something that doesn’t “add up” to you, please speak up.  Take time to read David Leroy and Ron Bush’s comments and be prepared to talk with your neighbors about them.
  

• THE FEBRUARY 27, 2023 CITY COUNCIL MEETING IS OPEN TO PUBLIC COMMENT.  
  At the last meeting, Mayor Evans, asked to have a vote deferred until the meeting on February 27 to allow for additional public comment.  Commentary at the last meeting centered around the differences between The Plantation (more suburban) and the core of downtown Garden City on the north side of the river (more urban and commercial.)   The proposed parking code amendments do not differentiate between the two.  The effects of one parking space per unit, regardless of the number of bedrooms in a unit, would be very detrimental to our neighborhood especially given the massive size of the SAP proposal—750 units.  The upcoming meeting is likely when City Council will approve or deny the parking code amendments.  Please attend the meeting and speak up.