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| Submitted comments will appear below after staff approval. | |
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| Sue Wolfe | 5/26/2011 12:12:06 PM |
| I have lived on the hillside area for approximately 12 years (Hillside Drive and DeArmoun Road). Having watched development of hillside neighborhoods over the years, and particularly the challenges associated with hillside development, it would seem in everyone's best interest to allow this parcel of land to be developed as a large-lot community with on-site systems,as long as the land can support the on-site systems, which appears to have been demonstrated by the developer. High density housing is not the highest and best use for this property, not from a community perspective nor an individual homeowner's perspective. | |
| Brian Bethard | 5/23/2011 2:49:38 PM |
| I own Lot 4, Block 2 Southpointe Subdivision, which adjoins the proposed development. I see the rezone as a positive step for the neighborhood and consider it to be within the scope of the hillside district plan. As a real estate appraiser, the rezone to larger lots is the best use of the parcel and is consistent with buyer preference for more privacy and a natural setting. From the perspective of a lot owner that is building in the area, I am pleased with the down-zone from a possible 800 lots to the proposed 80 lots. I did not move to the hillside to be surrounded by 800 homes. The paved roads are also an amenity that will greatly benefit the entire area. In addition, it is my understanding, that the lots will have AdvanTex septic systems, which are a monumental improvement over the traditional trench systems used in other large lot developments. In summary, the rezone of the parcel will positively impact the neighborhood. Please call if you have questions. Brian Bethard, MAI 242-4337 | |
| Jess Grunblatt | 4/17/2011 2:30:35 PM |
| As a 30 year property owner and resident of this area I have a number of concerns with the proposed Viewpoint South, Tract A-1, A-4, B-1 and B-2 rezone request. 1)Increased Traffic: single point of access via existing Potter Valley Road (PVR) is not suitable to support increasing access and emergency service requirements (ie.wildfire and earthquake vulnerability). School bus access is not possible. Extended steep hillside restricts emergency vehicle response and switch backs require general use 25mpg speed limits. 2)Ground Water Contamination: Onsite septic threatens existing down slope wells. Contamination issues in Paradise Valley illustrate this vulnerability. The proposed development effectively terminates utility extension. The developer should clearly demonstrate that full development of upper Potter Valley does not threaten down slope wells and post bond to ensure future compliance. 3)Proposed “Nature Trail” is routed on very steep terrain and is probably impractical to build and/or use. 4)Recreation Use: Pedestrian/cyclist use in this area is well established and growing however appropriate infrastructure for these uses are not identified. Retrofit is difficult and planning should explicitly provide for safe pedestrian and cyclist users. 5)Connectivity: recreational infrastructure should demonstrate linkages to local walking and access requirements and plans. 6)Greece Drive: plat notes should stipulate that no access to Greece Dr. is allowed by this subdivision. 7)Potter Creek Development Master Plan: This action would eliminate the property from the Potter Creek Development Master Plan and does not provide adequate substitute planning or identify consequences of this action on future development. General traffic access, emergency response and recreational needs should be addressed for the entire Potter Creek area. | |
| Michelle Leibold | 4/11/2011 4:56:14 PM |
| I have concerns over this rezone and plat. My primary concern is how all this development of lots with houses above us will affect our well, our septic system, and our lot. We sit just below the wetland acres that they show but still plan to develop. We currently have a good well but with the bedrock aquafir, we may very well loose the water supply we have or it may be contaminated by other septic systems or runoff. Any disruption of the surrounding areas affects the water flow to the current areas. I found this out several years ago when land to the south of us was being disturbed while trying to get perc tests and draining it, and suddenly we ended up with a large perpetual puddle in part of our yard and garden, which still is always wet and often holds water. Prior to that it had no excess water there. I am not sure how it was so affected by the changes that were made but the result shows the impact. I would also like to see where any pedestrian trails and easements will be. Currently Potter Valley and Villages Scenic is very busy with walkers, bike riders, dogs, and horses on the road. There is no easement for this traffic and it presents a dangerous situation with blind curves and people and bikes on the road, not even staying on the shoulder because of the amount of rocks there. Potter Valley is one of the most utilized roads in the city for the bikers and skiers training but it has no easement. I am concerned someone will be injured before the city does anything about it. | |
| Darrell Krolick | 4/5/2011 1:09:03 PM |
| I called the number posted on the blue public notice sign and it was no longer in service. After several calls to the planning department I found that person had retired. Little if any additional information was available.I don't see alot of information on how Potter Valley Road will be 'realigned' and will it be paved? How will residents above the subdivision exit safely during 'realignment'. Will Finland drive be improved to exit out to Romania and GoldenView DR. This is the shortest distance to area schools and used by many parents to access Golden View, Bear Valley and South Anchorage High Schools. It is already a dangerous road and increased pressure will make it worse. Can this area suppport R6 zoniong? Most new adjoining parecels are larger lots. | |
| Suzan Mullane | 4/4/2011 5:09:38 PM |
| Bedrock issues in this proposed development are an issue when it comes to maintaining the integrity of our existing wells! Have there been scientific studies? Where's the data? I'm also concerned about the stress on the wetlands. Moreover, where are the proposed trails? I do not see any on the map. It would seem that dedicated green space, with trails, would not only offer greater neighborhood connectivity, but provide for ESSENTIAL safety. This issue is not a luxury; it is an issue of potential liability. If trails are not on the map, how are we to know, or you for that matter, that this is not just another sales pitch? Real estate hyperbole? Quite possibly, it's been done before in Potter Valley. | |
| David Hamre | 4/4/2011 10:51:03 AM |
| This rezone and plat brings up a number of unresolved issues in the neighborhood. I'll list the issues that should be considered. 1. The aquafir consists of thin cracks in bedrock with very limited amounts of water transfer. It is quite possible that another 30-40 wells upslope could pinch off the water supply to my house downhill. When I bought the land in 1983, Potter Creek Development was going to be using a municipal water source or their own well, which is located downhill and approximately 1/2 mile to the north of my house. I made my investment decision based on this information. Now they want to change the plan and could easily pinch off my water supply. 2. These hillsides are very difficult to develop safely and in an environmentally friendly manner. Location of the primary and secondary on-site septic systems is critical. Failure to adhere to strict standard will result in contamination of the bedrock water supply, compromising everyone's water sources downhill of the subdivision. 3. Another recent development just to the south of the area has horribly damaged the hillside in conflict with the R-6 provision that the zoning should allow for "low density residential while at the same time PROTECTING and ENHANCING those physical and ENVIRONMENTAL features which add to the desirability of suburban residential living." By the time this sudivision is done, in complicity with the municipality, it will have terraced over 75% of the hillside in the subdivided area with corresonding impacts to native vegetation. This also creates signicant runoff of top soil as we can easily see because we live downslope from this development. The disturbed cut and fill slopes for the principal roadway in this new subdivision are almost 200 feet wide. Any roads designed in the proposed subdivision should be careful designed in a curvelinear fashion to closely follow terrain features that will minimize impacts. This can be enforce by invoking the clause in muni ordinance that allows for road easments of a suitable width to construct and maintain any cut and fill slopes. Had these standards been applied on the Bergron development to the south of the proposed subdivision the impacts would have been perhaps half of what they are. This negatively affects not only the adjacent neighborhoods, but I can't imagine why anybody would want to pay for an R-6 lot that is just rudely bulldozed and terraced out of the side of the mountain. This should be a design consideration in the new subdivision. 4. I bought my lot and built a modest home in 1983-84. At the time my home to lot value was an appropriate 2-1 ratio, which is a rule of thumb value. I have been working in the same job with a pension plan for the past 25 years, which has allowed me sufficient income to raise a family and pay my taxes. During this time period my property taxes have increased from $1,600/year to over $9,000 per year. A significant driver in this is the escalation of the raw land value. My ratio is now on the order of 1-1 between house and land. Our lot values were driven up significantly by the introduction of a four house subdivision on the same street, resulting in a doubling of lot value. I'm already on the verge of not being able to afford to keep the house I've lived in for 25 years when I retire simply because the property taxes will eat up too much of the income. Meanwhile, these large tracts encompassed by the proposed subdivision pay less than 10% of what I pay per acre. There is significant inequity in the system. There is something wrong when the older residents are driven out of their homes by new, rich folks buying up land and building mansions in the neighborhood. 5. There is significant pedestrian and bike traffic up and down Potter Valley Road and Villages Scenic Parkway. The municipality taxes the heck out of this area because of the high property values, but hasn't given a thing back to the area. There are no pedestrian trails or easements. There is no police presence. The nearest fire station is over 20 minutes away, which means if your house catches fire it is simply going to burn down. The biggest issue though is the foot and bike traffic on an arterial road. This is a situation where someone will get run over some day and it won't be until then that the municipality does something about it. At the very least, the new subdivision should be required to provide a dedicated pedestrian/bike easment in their design as well as some collector routes to Goldenview area and Villages Scenic Parkway. They should also be required to build the pathway's to a gravel standard. 6. There will be more by the hearing time. | |
| Gordon Osgood | 4/3/2011 8:33:14 PM |
| As of 3 April 2011, the proposed plat for Case S11864 has still not been posted online for public review, and the hearing date indicated online remains 11 April 2011. As of 30 March 2011, the plat was reportedly undergoing changes, per a MOA contact. The hardcopy Notice of Public Hearing was postmarked 21 March 2011, with a hearing date of 11 April 2011. The prior meeting of the Rabbit Creek Community Council was 10 March 2011 (prior to the Notice of Public Hearing), and the next meeting is scheduled for 14 April 2011 (after the scheduled hearing date of 11 April 2011). The "Site Address" of the Case is indicated to be 6520 England Avenue, however no Blue Notice of Public Hearing sign has been posted along England Avenue. Does the MOA plan to delay the public hearing date to allow an appropriate time period for public review after the proposed plat is made available for review, and to enable residents to engage their community council if desired? | |