June 8th City Council
This Will Be Read into the PUBLIC Record of the Meeting:
Development Proposed Hillside/Pico Street
April 20th the Planning Commission conducted a Public Hearing regarding this application. At that time residents of Kingfisher Road, Blue Mountain Court and Pico Street all raised objections to this subdivision as designed.
We raised many concerns related to drainage impacts, building a proposed alley right up to our property line, building sewer and a toxic storm water treatment facility in this alley.
The height of a series of walls that are proposed, the need to build up pads above us, potential two story homes looming even higher over us. We also felt that the proposed zone change isn't necessary. The current zoning allows up to 15 homes to be developed, which is more similar to and a reasonable transition to the existing larger estate homes on Blue Mountain Court.
We also felt that our flimsy wood fence was an inadequate buffer from whatis proposed to be built next to us. Several of us requested a block wall be built along the shared property line to buffer us from vandalism from this new alley, potential accidents with cars rolling down hill into us etc.
The Planning Commission seemed to dismiss this as too expensive. If $60 a lineal feet is assumed the cost for this wall comes out to about $37,500. If this cost is split among 20 homes this equals $1,875 per house, or$2,500 a house for a 15 lot subdivision. If you think of this as adevelopment impact fee and add it to the other fees GT charges the total would still be thousands less than what adjoining cities charge.
We also raised concerns that the zone change will increase traffic on Pico more than the current property zoning would. Pico Street east of Van Buren is really not any kind of an Arterial Street, its double loaded with driveways and kids on both sides of the street to the west of this project. School bus stops exist on or near Pico, kids walk and bike this street as well as Oriole.
In response to our concerns the Planning Commission continued the Public Hearing to May 18th and requested alternative subdivision plans that would implement the current zoning. The properties current zoning allows up to 15 homes on this property.
At the May 18th hearing 3 of the 6 Commissioners that were present for the first hearing didn't show. Two different 15 lot subdivision plans were reviewed but the Public Hearing was not reopened, even though several neighboring property owners requested to speak.
To the neighbors, the follow up Public Hearing was a farce. The Planning Commission really didn't address most of the issues we raised. Residents of Kingfisher have much more invested in getting this design right than the developer does. Our mortgages are much more than what this design cost and we live here. How would you like an alley built up to your property line?
I recommend denial of these applications based on the resolution I handed out with my request to speak. The thing I'd like you to keep in mind is that in terms of tax receipts versus cost of providing services new residential development is pretty much a break even proposition. There is no windfall to the City if you approve this project.
Clearly the folks at the American Planning Association and Urban LandInstitute would also agree with this statement, in a hundred years Lowe's and Savon will likely be long gone but the lots you are considering and future homes to be built on them will still be here.
