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aesthetic purposes and also for traffic calming and controlling speeds. He said many things have been <br /> maintained from one project to the other; there are two major lots that will be carved off whose homes <br /> will be maintained. Front yards will be landscaped within the development as previously proposed. <br /> There will be a sidewalk provided on one side of the subject street and a masonry wall constructed <br /> around all the project boundaries to separate the existing neighborhood. Changes include the added <br /> number of lots, reduction of lot size, additional bio-retention swales and more on-street parking. One of <br /> the biggest trade-offs in the new proposal was that the applicant proposed only one-story homes which <br /> was a big concern of neighbors, and it results in some slight changes in the average depth of the rear <br /> yards. Because lot sizes were reduced and stories reduced from two to one, there is a reduction in the <br /> average square footage in the homes and garages. They used to go up to 4,600 square feet and now <br /> the largest home will be at 3,600 square feet. There are still 4 styles with three different plans and a <br /> good mix of architecture throughout the development. <br /> Mr. Dolan said several amenities were proposed with the project. Along with the re-alignment of <br /> Cameron Avenue the City will end up with some surplus right-of-way which will be dedicated to some of <br /> the property owners. One of the main amenities is that there will be a public sidewalk constructed by <br /> the project along Cameron connecting Palmer down to Martin Avenue, providing for a safe pedestrian <br /> pathway, particularly for children on their way to school. It will be constructed entirely within the City <br /> owned right-of-way. There will also be a crosswalk on Martin Avenue. There are dedications of land to <br /> surrounding property owners to provide them with additional depth and separation from the new project, <br /> as well as to provide them with accessibility to accessory buildings. He said there is one additional and <br /> substantial amenity not proposed last time where Ponderosa Homes has agreed to contribute $25,000 <br /> to the Bernal Park Fund. <br /> A number of concerns were addressed in the original staff report brought up by neighbors leading up to <br /> that public hearing. There were issues about building height for one neighbor in particular. Ponderosa <br /> worked with them to reduce the building height of the building across the street from that neighbor. <br /> There were questions about whether the roof pitch fit in with the neighborhood. Staff analyzed this and <br /> found it is similar to the range of roof pitches in the surrounding developments. There was a concern <br /> that neighbors did not want a stop sign in this particular stretch and none is proposed. There was a <br /> request there be red curbs along Cameron Avenue to prevent parking across from existing neighbors. <br /> This has not yet been determined and the City will explore this with the tentative map. The initial <br /> feedback from the Traffic Engineer is that it is something that can be easily accommodated. There will <br /> be more than adequate parking on the internal loop street and no parking would be necessary on <br /> Cameron Avenue. <br /> For the homes on Cameron Avenue across from the project, there was concern about how close would <br /> activity areas in the backyards would be. The applicant agreed to a 30 foot setback from Cameron <br /> before a pool or accessory structure could be installed. There were concerns about dust control and <br /> standard conditions include a dust control plan and once prepared, staff would meet with neighbors to <br /> ensure it was adequate. There has been concern about the construction schedule because due to the <br /> market, the applicant has described the fact that they propose to do these 5 at a time and this will be <br /> accelerated based upon demand and stretch out construction for some time. If there is any street <br /> damage, the streets would have to be repaired. There was also a similar concern relating to dust with <br /> rodent infestation. A condition requires an abatement plan be prepared to address ground squirrels and <br /> other varmints, and staff will meet with the neighbors to ensure adequacy of the proposal. <br /> Councilmember Sullivan referred to neighborhood issues, stating the Council received a letter today <br /> regarding issues raised by Janice Kane which were covered except for the drainage issue, and he <br /> asked Mr. Dolan to summarize the issue. <br /> Mr. Dolan said staff prepared a supplemental memorandum today which is before the Council. They <br /> identify which conditions apply to those issues. There were two different conditions that address off-site <br /> drainage requirements. They added a few words to one to strengthen them and staff would request that <br /> City Council Minutes Page 14 of 18 December 6, 2011 <br />