18 ATTACHMENT 05 - Laserfiche WebLink

Commissioner Narum agreed with Commissioner Pearce that it is a sad situation when neighbors are hostile towards one another. She noted that the property is zoned Agriculture which would include a farm and things like water tanks. She indicated that she is not quite as concerned about the Diamond Court residents as when they bought their houses at that location, they knew that it was agricultural land on the other side of the fence. She inquired if putting back the solid fence would make a difference. She indicated that she would be open to discussing some mitigation on this water tank, such as planting some large bushes on the back side, although she is questioning whether it was worth the effort since she did not think that was the answer to the problem. She stated that as a chemical engineer, she believes it would be most efficient to locate the tank as close to the pump as possible as the shorter distance would decrease the friction of the water to the pipe. She concluded that unless she heard some compelling reason about mitigation, she would grant the use permit and leave the tank where it is. Commissioner O'Connor stated that he is also a bit conflicted. He noted that if the application came before the Commission before the tank was installed, there would have been more opportunity to resolve some of the issues. He stated that he was not sure moving the tank 20 or 30 feet behind the garage would have been a big issue; however, considering the timing of when the tank was installed, the older photographs and what he saw when he was at the site, and the removal of the trees, he noted that it could have been better screened if some of the existing vegetation had been left in place. In response to Commissioner Fox's comments about the growth of the redwood trees, he stated that his brother has some redwood trees and that he would trim theirs trees up to give them space underneath the tree. He stated that he was not a tree expert and did not know how much vegetation there would be toward the ground if the trees were not trimmed and were allowed to fill in. He added that if the case were really that the trees were going to be off the ground, there were several types of shrubs that could be planted to screen the tank; however, he stated that he did not know if the applicant or the rear neighbor should be responsible for planting those shrubs. He noted that this was an agriculturally zoned area and that the applicants had met all the setback requirements. Chair Blank noted that historically, the Planning Commission has taken a firm line on projects that applicants work on without permits. He expressed, however, that he was sympathetic with someone who says that she had to replace an old water tank, consulted with a contractor, and relied on the contractor to inform her of the requirement for a City permit. He noted that he was surprised by the mass of the water tank as well as its color. He stated that, like Commissioner Olson, he drove down Diamond Court and wondered what it would have been like if the fence had been solid because the tank would not have been quite as visible. He noted that the redwood trees are too small and would not provide any screening either. He further noted that the site is zone Agriculture. Chair Blank stated that mitigation such as additional landscaping, painting the tank a natural earthtone color, or installing some lattice work around the tank might help the situation and that he could support leaving the tank at its current location with the right mitigation measures in place. He added that he is sensitive to the issue of efficiency and could understand why the EXCERPTS: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, Apri19, 2008 Page 11 of 15