05-11-1999 Public Hearing - Woodhill CC

Home Browse Search

05'11/99 15:32 MO. 862 FnDl LINDQUIST & VENNUM p.l.l.p. The MalkcRon and Benshoff letters not only concede that traffic safety will be improved for Woodhill members and the general public in the overall area of Woodhill Road, County Road 15, Orono Orchard Road, and Woodhill Avenue, they also fail to identify an> specific way in which use of the secondary access will create an unreasonably negative impact on Woodhill Avenue or the Woodhill Ridge private road. If you wade through the Malkerson and Benshoff letters as well as those of the neighbors, the only place that they even begin to attempt to identify the alleged “noticeable adverse impacts for the existing residents served by Woodhill Avenue ” is on the bottom half of page 3 of the Benshoff report. The first identified ‘‘adverse impact” is the ability of the two houses located at the intersection of Orono Orchard Road and Woodhill Avenue “to use these driveways would be impacted” and the safety of their walking or bicycling on Woodhill Avenue would be “diminished.” No relative judgment or comparison to other streets in Orono or similar suburbs is made. Persons with driveways on Smith Avenue have more traffic coming by that impacts the use of their driveways than these two homes will ever have. These two homes at Orono Orchard were built in 1900 and 1930, respectively. When the current Woods home and the Woodhill Ridge development homes were built (50 additional trips per day), the property owners never complained that the addition of these homes maide backjng out of their driveways or waOang on Woodhill Avenue intolerable. Indeed, the Delaney home was originally the Dunwoody farm manager’s house and subsequently was the home of the original Woodhill golf pro, Norman Clark, who commuted to work daily from his home down Woodhill Avenue to Woodhill Country Club. Nor did the owner of the Larson property have any different expectation. Hot only was Woodhill Avenue in active use by the Woodhill Country Club but at the lime the house was built, the heating oil for the house was regularly delivered from Wayzata down Woodhill Avenue (See Affidavit of Tony Feser). The second “noticeable adverse impact” identified by Benshoff i.'s that “extensive trees and brush” obstruct sight distance in the southeast comer of the intersection of Woodhill Avenue and Woodhill private road. While the City StafT and the Parsons reports conclude that the sight distances and traffic signages are adequate at that intersection, the current owner of the property in the southeast comer of the intersection fully supports Woodhill’s application and has stated that he is willing to have any portion of right of way cleared that the City determines is necessary for proper sight lines. Third, Benshoff states that Woodhill Avenue is not wide enough for use by vehicles as well as bicycles or pedestrians. While conceding that there is greater traffic on narrower streets in Orono, Benshoff simply concludes that travel on Woodhill Avenue will be unsafe. No factual support is offered for the statement, because none can be. Woodhill Avenue is straighter, wider, .OocAf 111 9804.1