PROJECT: Density concerns abound

I attended the Hayden Canyon public hearing and was dismayed but not surprised by the partial truths and misdirection of the statements made by the developer and the city planning staff. They repeatedly mentioned that the density of the development was three houses per acre, which is calculated by dividing the number of houses to be built by the number of acres in the parcel. This is very misleading.

Forty percent of the land, 244.8 acres is reserved for green space, 22.4 acres are reserved for the school and public safety facilities, and another 5 acres for roads and right of way, leaving just 339.8 acres to be actually built upon. 1,821 dwellings on 339.8 acres is 5.359 houses per acre, an average lot size of 8,128 square feet.

More than five houses per acre creates an instant shanty town; crowded, tense, leading to conflicts and issues, a breeding ground for gangs which leads to violence and drug proliferation. This kind of high-density housing is exactly what the city and county should be protecting against to preserve the existing quality of life.

My question to the developer and the Hayden city planning commission: Would you want to live in this environment? If not, don’t build it. With this housing density, the project should be renamed Hayden Hell’s Canyon. This whole plan should be put on hold until it can be revised to more reasonable density.

ROBERT FRITZ

Hayden