01-27-2014 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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� � Council Exhibit B Mike Gaffron L'/�2Y1/'U From: Steve Kelley[kelleyandkelley@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, January 10, 2014 4:52 PM To: Lili McMillan; Kristi Anderson; Cynthia Bremer; Lizz Levang (clevang@aol.com); Aaron H. Printup; Mike Gaffron Subject: Thoughts on the Oliver Hill development Attachments: CCE12292013_00000.pdf As a lifelong resident of Orono and for the past twenty years, with my wife , an owner of property at 2340 Watertown Road adjacent to the proposed Oliver Hill, I've seen Orono's open spaces gradually become living spaces. Though change is hard to see at times, I think that we've been fortunate that Orono's decision makers have guided along thoughtful developments, promoting housing that best fits it's surroundings. With the proposed Oliver Hill, we hope such thoughtfulness will prevail. How can this development ,which many of us will pass by several times daily, be made an�asset to Orono? First and foremost, the development must relate well, not only to it's community as a whole, but to it's adjacent neighborhood. That's a tricky balance, given the need of the developer to attract buyers to a successful project, yet satisfy aesthetic demands at the same time. Specifically, we don't think Glendale Cove - sized homes fit the scheme at Oliver Hill. I hope a comment by staff at one of the recent meetings we attended to the effect that the homes at Glendale Cove ended up being larger than the city had envisioned doesn't bode ill for Oliver Hill. We favor the examples of modest bungalows that Mr. Abbott used to illustrate possible designs for homes on Oliver Hill, but wonder what means Orono staff has to dictate scale. Aside from scale, our major concern is setback from Willow Drive. We understand that fifty feet is only a guideline, but we think twenty five feet seems a skimpy compromise. Traveling along Willow Drive, from C.R. 24 in the north to Fox Street in the south, we don't see a concentration of homes so close to Willow as Mr. Abbott is proposing. Part of what makes that stretch of road such a pleasing drive is the setback of homes and the buffer of vegetation along the right of way. A twenty five foot setback doesn't seem to allow adequate room to allow for a buffer planting, especially given the utilities overhead and a possible trail route in the future. Would a solution to the setback be (as illustrated on the enclosed drawing)to realign the north/south lot lines of lots one and two in Block one? Seems an easy fix to a problem we feel vexes this development as currently set out. Points two and three on the enclosed sketch represent refinements to the plan that we feel would improve the aesthetics of the project, allow for improved buffering, and assure the sensitive use of the land into the future. We respectfully hope you will make thoughtful decisions - as always - regarding Oliver Hill, assuring it a proud place in the community and a proud place in the legacy that you will be leaving for generations of Oronoites to come. Sincerely, Steve Kelley and Arla Carmichiel i