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She indicated that she walks that Trail all the time, and the closest bench to have an opportunity to sit down is quite a distance away. She added that because a lot of bicyclists run the red light, it makes great opportunity and great sense to have this passive recreational area. Ms. Hardy stated that the site also has a tract that provides informal, passive recreational opportunities: the dark shaded areas on the site plan, bio- retention areas to treat stormwater effects during the wet season. She noted that those areas are going to be dry the majority of the year; they are a dip or a swale with about an eight -inch difference, and will essentially be a landscaped area, a built -in passive gathering area where people can also run their dogs. Ms. Hardy pointed out that these are 27 houses with private streets that will be owned and maintained by the homeowners association. She stated that they are trying to keep the dues low and installing something like a tot lot or bocce ball court would increase those dues as each of these 27 homes would have to pay into that facility. With respect to the detached versus attached sidewalks, Ms. Hardy stated that they like the attached monolithic sidewalk for a couple of different reasons: when parked on the street, passengers can get out and step on pavement as opposed to a grassy swell that is difficult to maneuver, especially if they are carrying something. She stated that the concern with having park strips is that tree canopies would be closer to the streets, and a five -foot difference at maturity will still provide that canopy coverage. She added that these smaller lots also have utility boxes. She indicated that they have most recently talked to staff about having park strips along Cornerstone Court, providing the promenade feel staff is going for along the main thoroughfare. Ms. Hardy stated that there are a lot of other constraints with having a detached sidewalk, which just simply does not work with these smaller lots and might be appropriate in a more traditional downtown area. She pointed to the Autumn Glen neighborhood immediately to the west, which does have any detached sidewalk. She added that attached sidewalks are not something new and are found in established neighborhoods around the City. She added that the monolithic sidewalk is superior for this particular instance and will actually give a bigger front yard to the residents rather than having it bifurcated by its sidewalk. Ms. Hardy then addressed staff's concern about the project's bold, massive scale. She referred to the Ponderosa's Ivy Lane 12 -lot project on Stanley Boulevard, which has cul -de -sacs and the same setbacks on the sides and the fronts. She indicated that this is a beautiful project that people love and which has already passed the test of the City. She noted that for the proposed project, they purposely expressly provided bigger, 20 -foot setbacks in the rear yards around the perimeters from the existing property owners. She further noted that Ironwood has a 10 -foot setback with a pop -out on the first floor, and then steps back either 16 or 20 feet. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, August 12, 2015 Page 7 of 34