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from the community, staff and Planning Commission. While Summerhill still can and would build the apartment project, they believe this to be a better fit for the site as well as the larger community. Councilmember Narum asked the anticipated prices. Mr. Ebrahimi estimated $700,000 to $800,000 per unit. George Bowen said he supported the Mayor's efforts to regain some measure of local control with regards to RHNA but with that said, the applicant had nothing to do with RHNA. He said that Summerhill has been very responsive to the concems of the Parkside community, which is greatly appreciated by many residents. He felt that in light of the concerns surrounding the drought, traffic and overcrowding in schools, this lower density project is preferable and in the better interests of the entire community. He did, however, ask that the developer acknowledge the concems of the residents and defer construction until the end of the drought. He also asked that the developer implement all of the concessions made with the previous project, including the restrictions on access to the arroyo. Acknowledging Councilmember Pentin's earlier request, Mr. Bowen explained that the Parkside community wants the future residents of this project to enjoy the same access to the arroyo that Parkside does — which is off of Hopyard Road. He conceded that some Parkside residents whose homes back up to the existing trail did, at their own expense, obtain a permit from Zone 7 to get direct access to the trail but said this access is primarily used to allow them to remove the litter that trail users leave in what is essentially their back yards. He stressed again that he felt that everyone should have the same opportunities for access. Robert Natsch, Parkside resident, said his property is situated directly across the arroyo from the proposed project. While he ultimately preferred no project, he felt Summerhill was very considerate in working with residents to minimize some of the issues they were confronted with. Based on this and the reduced number of units, he and his wife could both support and in fact favor the amended project. However, he hoped for an opportunity to review and comment on the project design prior to any development. He said that the project site is home to a family of foxes as well as 5 heritage trees, at least by his definition, on the northern side that eagles and hawks use for roosting. He expressed concem that these habitats would be disturbed by development on that side of the arroyo. He said he hoped the proposed project would include the same sound wall that was required of the previous project. He supported Mr. Bowen's position regarding access to the arroyo, specifically citing potential noise and litter impacts as his primary reasons for opposing direct access to such a dense residential use. Mr. Ebrahimi confirmed that the proposed project includes the sound wall and preserves the 5 trees mentioned by Mr. Natsch. He reiterated that all of the measures taken previously have been incorporated into this project, all of which was discussed at a neighborhood meeting several months prior. With respect to timing, he explained that the apartment project's architectural plans are complete and have been submitted to the city for review and construction on that project could likely begin within a few months. By going with the new project, the additional time needed to develop the architectural plans and obtain approvals would place the first occupancy anywhere from 13 to 24 months out. Mayor Thorne closed the public hearing. Vice Mayor Brown said she was somewhat relieved to learn it would be nearly 2 years before the project is ready for occupancy. Given the nearly 50% reduction in traffic, school and water impacts she moved to support the project as recommended. Councilmember Pentin agreed that the proposed changes are positive all around. He maintained his issue with access to the arroyo and specifically with the way the project was conditioned. He requested a friendly amendment deleting the requirement for a major PUD modification to gain access to the City Council Minutes Page 13 of 18 June 16, 2015