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Mr. Cummings replied that none of them worked because, if for some reason, he <br /> missed something, the balcony cannot be undone. He stated that it is really a matter of <br /> avoiding this problem altogether. He noted that it sets a bad precedent for other <br /> neighbors to have the ability to build a rear-facing balcony on another house and create <br /> an additional amount of City workload to solve this problem for somebody else. He <br /> added that it would not be consistent with what the residents are used to in the Birdland <br /> neighborhood. <br /> Commissioner Nagler stated that it is possible to say in theory that something may be <br /> unanticipated and, therefore, what was intended to have happen does not in fact <br /> happen; and major buildings are engineered on paper with calculations, and one could <br /> say the calculation could be wrong but the building gets built. He added that he does <br /> not candidly know, from his perspective, if simply saying "it may not be what it looks to <br /> be or what it is intended to be is the sole objection" is reasonable, as opposed to saying <br /> it is not adequate for these specific reasons. <br /> Mr. Cummings replied that engineering is an exact science and is typically black and <br /> white with calculations that can be compensated; but this is about trees that are organic <br /> and do what they want. He reiterated that a fence can be fixed in one day but a tree <br /> cannot be fixed. <br /> Commissioner Nagler agreed that not all proposed solutions are trees, and that was <br /> why he was asking if there is no solution, no matter how; that from his point of view, a <br /> solid stucco wall is not a solution. <br /> Mr. Cummings replied that he does not feel comfortable with any kind of architecture <br /> that facilitates people lingering in their backyards where they can look into his backyard. <br /> Acting Chair Ritter noted that in one of the slides, the windows of the house are <br /> changing slightly, although they would result in views similar to existing ones. <br /> Mr. Cummings stated that he is uneasy with the whole construction but he is making a <br /> compromise with that. He added that he feels he is being reasonable by objecting to <br /> just this one balcony. <br /> Gustavo Francken, neighbor, stated that he and his wife received the letter a month or <br /> two ago, and they came down and took a look at the plans. He indicated that they do <br /> not really have any issues with all the upgrades and thinks it will be really good in <br /> general. He noted that they also did a remodel about a year-and-a-half ago on their <br /> house and took about five months to complete. He further noted that it is extremely <br /> expensive to remodel and wanted to know how long and how intrusive on the <br /> neighborhood that would be. <br /> Mr. Francken stated that he has no real issues at all with the plans except for the <br /> balcony in the back. He indicated that they have a two-story Monterey-style house and <br /> EXCERPT: PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES, May 27, 2015 Page 4 of 14 <br />