SUPPLEMENTAL - Laserfiche WebLink

January 31, 2025 To: Mayor Balch and City Council Members: Subject: Feb 4 City Council Meeting regarding annexation, Agenda item 12 I live in the Village of Ironwood with my property line being against the west wall of the development. I am writing this memo to discuss the west wall side of the project. Speciﬁcally I have one question regarding this project; Why is the developer proposing to build a 6 foot tall retaining wall on the west end of the development? A beautiful wall built by Ponderosa already exists at the West property line. This existing wall is sturdy, blocks noise and other nuisances, and is a wonderful property divider. A few months ago I reviewed the projects Arroyo Lago Impact Report (EIR) and under section 3.6 it states and concludes that the Preliminary Geotechnical Report does not identify any landslide-related hazards at the project site and is not within a landslide zone on the west side. I agree 100% with this conclusion in the EIR. There is currently a zero risk of a landslide at the west end of this development. Notably, the developer’s proposal to add a retaining wall suggests an awareness of landslide concerns. But why? If there truly were no landslide risks as stated in the EIR, why would a retaining wall be necessary? This suggests that the developer believes that this project adds a landslide risk on the west side that currently does not exist there. This is a safety concern for the senior citizens living on the project border, as any risk, even less than signiﬁcant risk is higher than the current risk baseline of zero risk of a landslide. I truly believe if the city decides to proceed with annexation, that safety of existing residents should be of high concern. No developer should be permitted to increase safety risks for surrounding communities. The city should require the developer to look at alternatives to the project that do not increase a landslide risk. Two options/alternatives on the west side that could eliminate risks to neighboring properties include: Establishing a 20-30 foot buffer zone between the Village of Ironwood and the new project, which maintains a similar elevation to the current elevation to create a zero landslide risk area; or, add an access street between the Village of Ironwood and the new development, at the current elevation level, which would also provide emergency access and a zero risk buffer zone. Community safety demands thorough and transparent planning, and the public deserves a clear understanding of how this development may affect neighboring properties. The more than 20 senior households living next to this project deserve the highest safety. Best regards, David Atwell Village of Ironwood Resident Pleasanton, CA 94566