Planning Commission Minutes 2016 07 14

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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes July 14, 2016 Page 15 of 33 relocate them. You need to find nursery that has big trees. Without consulting our landscape architect, my memory is that we can certainly get evergreens in the 12-15' high range without too much effort. They might not be available in Colorado. The oak trees are certainly going to be in that same neighborhood. Hsu asks about the neighboring Balfour properties. They all have waivers for going over the 35' maximum. Did any of those have accommodations like the eastern side where you tried to go below 35' and the rest of it was above? Schonbrun says with the exception of the cottages which line 95t" Street as part of the Lodge building, every other building that has been built in the Alvenus Park subdivision has been well above 35'. Williams says other than maybe one little corner of the Lodge, they all go to three stories or, in two cases, four stories all around the building. There is no stepping down to speak of in those other locations. Tengler says there are 350 current employees at Balfour. What do you anticipate the new building will bring? Schonbrun says the total number of employees there will probably be 35. The daytime shift is obviously the largest. We would expect 20 or so at that point. The evening shift is probably 15. The overnight shift is probably 5 to 8. In terms of parking, there is a transition period where we think the number spots we have will be sufficient even during the overlap in the change in shifts. Public Comment: Natasha Bond, 1841 Sweet Clover Lane, Louisville, CO I am one of the properties that backs up to the planned development. I am here to express some significant concerns about the PUD application. In the words of the great Dr. Seuss, I am the Lorax and I am here to speak for the trees. We have heard a lot this evening about trees. As you may be aware, adjacent to the planned development are two large, very old cottonwoods in the drainage area. The area is also inhabited by a surprising large range of wildlife. The cotton- woods are shallow -rooted trees and according to the University of California, Berkeley, there is an anticipated required root protection zone of 2-3 times the diameter of the canopy of those trees in order to adequately protect their longstanding livelihood from construction. I do not believe that the current development has allowed for that zoning and gives them enough space. We have heard this evening of the plan to preserve the existing smaller cottonwoods (when I say smaller, I do think they are more like 25' tall), along the north and east side of the developments. Those additionally will require the same root protection zone. I did not see that on the plans presented this evening. Therefore, I propose that the planned construction is not protecting the trees. It is merely leaving them there to be damaged and later removed. If Balfour genuinely intends to protect those trees, I suggest they give them the space they need biologically. We have also heard a lot this evening about the plan for mature planting. Again, according to the University of California, Berkeley, and substantiated by the website of SaveaTree.com which is a well -established industry organization, a mature tree is one over 10 years of age and having a 6' diameter trunk. There are a couple of problems with mature planting. Firstly, mature trees do not transplant well. It is extremely difficult to uproot, move, and replant a tree of that size without disturbing their root ball. To the extent, Save A Tree says "the transplanting of mature trees causes growth retardation in the majority of cases, often affecting tree growth for up to 20 years". It means that if we do plant trees of 12' to 15' height, it could well be two generations before those trees are actually screening the property in the way we have seen in the images. This brings me to my final point which is that of privacy. I actually think the Louisville City Council does an excellent job of treading the balance between allowing the area to develop and grow and maintaining a very rural feel. The privacy of my home, access to the very peaceful trails around Hecla, the unimpeded views of the Flatirons, and the convenience of living in a city such as Louisville and the neighborhood is something I put a huge value on. The planned Balfour building will significantly impact the privacy of my home and those of my neighbors. As I shown with the lack of planting and the lack of the proper protection