HomeMy WebLinkAboutDevelopment Proposal - 1610 Lawrence Road - Monkowski responseResponse to Development Proposal for 1610 Lawrence Road
Submitted by Joseph and Janice Monkowski – 1580 Lawrence Road
Danville Planning Commission Meeting – September 22, 2020 – Agenda Number 5.1
Item 1 – Lack of flat space on Parcel A for any location of a home
The Lawrence/Leema Road Specific Plan states that for “Country Estates,” which defines the type of land
use for this area, “all development . . . should be restricted to relatively flat areas.”
The proposed development plan gives the impression that the home located on Parcel A is on a
relatively flat area with a substantial flat area behind the home. A detailed look at the actual property
shows this to not be true. The proposed development plan is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Proposed Development Plan
The current tenants have created a path with their ATV. Conveniently, this path is almost at the bottom
of the steep portion of the property. There is a small drop after the path, but essentially the path
defines the border between the steep part of the property and the relatively flat part. Significantly, the
slope of the steep part is relatively constant from the property line to the path along the base of the hill.
This is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. View of horizon showing relatively constant slope extending from the property line on the
right to the path created by the ATV on the left.
Figure 3 is taken from a satellite image and is sized to be an exact overlay of the property. In this
satellite image, a blue line is placed over the path along the base of the hill.
Figure 3. Satellite image of 1610 Lawrence Road, with a blue line placed to indicate the path.
In Figure 4, this blue line, in the same location as on the satellite image, is overlaid on the proposed
development parcels. This blue line, which indicates the location of the path at the base of the hill,
passes through the front of the proposed home on Parcel A, and cuts through a significant part of
Parcels B and C.
Figure 4. Blue line showing the location of the base of the hill, overlaid on the parcel maps.
To gain another perspective on the proposed location of the home, a blue rectangle is used to mark the
location of the proposed home and the small blocked-off area behind the home on Parcel A. This is
shown in Figure 5.
This blue rectangle is then shown overlaid on a picture of the property. This picture, shown in Figure 6,
clearly shows that the proposed location of the home is entirely on the hillside.
Placement of the home will require significant modification of the hillside in the vicinity of the home,
since none of the proposed home is on a relatively flat area.
Figure 5. Blue rectangle indicates the location of the proposed home and area immediately behind it.
Figure 6. Blue area showing proposed location of home, located entirely on the hillside. The dotted
blue line is the path along the base of the hill. Note that the hill does continue to go down slightly in
front of the path.
Item 2 – Failure of Parcel A to meet minimum area requirement
Parcel A contains almost no relatively flat area. At 87, 219 square feet, it does not meet the R-100
zoning requirement.
Item 3 – Significant area of Parcels B and C covered by steep hillside
Parcels B and C contain approximately the minimum area for R-40 zoning, but significant fractions of
their areas include the sloped hillside.
Item 4 – Reminder to include statement with deeds
As the Lawrence/Leema Road Specific Plan requires, “A statement shall be recorded to run with the
deeds of all new properties acknowledging the historic rural nature of the area, and the rights of existing
properties to continue legally established rural/agricultural uses.”
In particular, we do not want any new neighbors to have a problem with our horses. Any potential new
neighbors need to be made aware, before purchase, of the normal odors, dust, etc. associated with the
rural nature of the area.