03-23-2004 PC MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . . Planning Commission March 23, 2004 Page 5 Jim Nord, 19165 Hudson Circle, joint applicant, stated that he did not feel they should be held to any higher standards than other developers of wooded properties have been such as Lafayette Woods. He stated that in 1993, his family granted a 70-foot utility easement to the City which was clear-cut by the City. Steve Parker, 19530 Albany Circle, stated that he feels it will be a disaster to develop the property as proposed and did not see why the City was willing to give up such a valuable resource. Neil Christy, 19488 Boston Street, expressed his concern for traffic and the narrow street width. City Engineer T eny Maurer explained that the streets will be the same width as those in Nordic Hills and Nordic Woods. He stated that the developer of Nordic Hills requested to have the widened street access and median at County Road 1; it was not a requirement of the City. The City agreed to allow the access and he anticipated that a similar access would be done for Woodland Hills. Mike Niziolek, 12275 Rush Circle, representing the Park and Recreation Commission, stated that he feels this is a priceless opportunity to save a significant forest. There being no further public comment, Chair Ropp closed the public hearing. Commissioner Anderson stated that even though this proposal is less dense than the previous proposal, he still felt there would be a significant impact to the environment of the area. He stated that he will vote to oppose the plat because of the physical characteristics of the property including the trees, vegetation, and topography. He stated that he felt the dev~loped should be able to come up with a more creative plan with less impact on the enVIronment. Commissioner Stevens stated that he concurred with Commissioner Anderson's comments. He did not feel the site was suitable for the level of development being proposed. He stated that the developer needs to work around the topography and try to maintain the environmental characteristics. Commissioner Stevens stated that preservation of trees should go beyond a 200-foot buffer. Commissioner Ropp stated that he concurred that the site is not suitable for the density proposed. He stated that the topography of the site will be changed entirely and that he is not in favor of approving the request. Commissioner Lemke stated that the request complies with the R1c standards. He stated that if the Commission denies this plat, they are treating it different than the adjacent plats were treated. MOVED BY COMMISSIONER STEVENS AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER CURTIS TO RECOMMEND DENIAL OF THE REQUEST BY S & A FAMILY INVESTMENTS FOR PRELIMINARY PLAT APPROVAL OF WOODLAND HILLS, CASE NO. P 04-02, BASED ON THE FOLLOWING FINDINGS: 1. THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SITE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO TOPOGRAPHY, SOILS, VEGETATION, SUSCEPTIBILITY TO EROSION AND SILTATION, SUSCEPTIBILITY TO