3A Public Hearing 2006 0905 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Excerpt/rom the Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Agenda No. 06-12 June 22, 2006 Page 5 0/7 Kathy Goodall, 1599 Hays Street, Unit 107, said she had encountered Commissioner Wohltmann outside her building and had spoken to him briefly regarding the proposal residents had made to Mr. Langon. She said she had felt positive about the meeting with Mr. Langon, anticipating his acceptance of their revised plan for six units, but she now realized that nothing has changed and that Mr. Langon intends to build the project originally proposed. She presented photographs showing various views from her unit. She said Mr. Langon had visited her unit and had also taken pictures. She said her living room included four 45x72 inch windows. She also showed an exterior view of 1599 Hays showing the numerous windows that face 1537 Hays and would be impacted by the proposed project. She said she had asked Mr. Langon about the profit he would make from the building and he had responded that he would not be making very much money per unit, and that most of the profits would be plowed back into other projects. She said she had seen Mr. Langon driving a $100,000 Mercedes and believed he stood to make a lot of money from the project. She asked the Plarming Commission to consider the residents' comments on the project. Jonathan Taylor, 1599 Hays Street, suggested a more thoughtful examination of Mr. Williams' proposal, including a variation that might include five units instead of six. He said that, depending on the decision rendered, there may be litigation initiated by individual residents, or the Board of the building. He said litigation is not in the best interest of the community. He urged the Plarming Commission to achieve a compromise that meets both Mr. Langon's business objectives and some of the interests of Garden Terrace owners. Chair Kleebauer, seeing no one else come forward with public comments, provided Mr. Langon a brief opportunity to respond. The Applicant said he had opened his meeting the previous Tuesday with residents with the statement that he was not in attendance to make any promises, only that he was at the meeting to listen and look at their ideas. He said he had not stated that he would not profit from the project, although he had explained that a substantial portion of the proceeds would be used to capitalize the purchase of other properties needed for new projects. He noted that correspondence to the City from the Homeowners Association had asked for a denial of the rezone. He quoted from the letter as follows: "The Garden Terrace Board expects development of 1537 Hays Street to conform to existing zoning with no exceptions to setback distances or heights as currently allowed by zoning standards. We would much prefer to see construction of higher-density housing in our neighborhood." He said the recommendation in the letter was inconsistent with the complaints from residents about loss of views. He said it is very difficult to design projects around conflicting requests from neighbors. He said it would be unfair for the City to enforce standards that compromised what could be built at 1537 Hays, on behalf of a few Garden Terrace residents, several of whom are absentee owners or could well be absentee owners within six months when the project is to be constructed. He noted that the project is an enhancement to the neighborhood and the city. The Applicant said the revised project included a new landscape feature, the planting of tree species that grow fast horizontally, planted in clusters along the property line. He said it might also be possible, with the City's approval, to put trellises over the back yards of the units to screen the yards from the view of the Garden Terrace and create more