HomeMy WebLinkAbout120920 Bette Brockman Comments 5.1Comment regarding the development proposal for 1485 Lawrence Road, Agenda Item 5.1
I’ve lived on a parcel directly south of the proposed project for the last 35 years. I’ve generally
been appreciative of the way in which the Town of Danville has strived to preserve the rural
character and integrity of this community. But this project concerns me.
The newly defined western border of the project conflicts with the Lawrence/Leema Specific
Plan. The Plan establishes a 52’ wide Right of Way for all of Lawrence Road south of Jasmine
Way with a 17’ easement on the east side. This applies to every property down the road. In
fact, just last month, a neighbor had to move an entire, brand new fence because it was only
13’ from the pavement. The proposal now before the Commission has a property line within
5.9’ of the pavement. The southwestern corner of the project is 17’, but the line then angles
over to match the lot to the north. Unfortunately, this northern lot is also encroaching into the
Right of Way. In fact, the fence there is closer to the pavement than anywhere else on the road.
This is a step backwards in the Town’s goal to standardize the historically skewed property lines
along the Lawrence Road.
What does this say about the relevance of the Specific Plan? The same is true for the General
Plan, which, as stated on the first page of the Staff Report, requires a minimum of 1 acre per
parcel. Yet the project is under 5 acres, even with the land taken from the Right of Way. Also of
note is the fact that without the giveaway, the parcel would fall short of the criterion for 40,000
square feet per lot. Is this the only criterion that matters?
The public is entitled to know why and how this parcel is being allowed to take public land and
why it can violate the General Plan. We need to know which rules still apply, which don’t, and
why.
In any case, any new, private installations, especially fences and definitely privacy fences should
not be allowed within 17’ of the road.
A separate item that affects both us and the Breton parcel, involves the drainage swale along
the eastern and southern edges of the project. The Stormwater Draft Report (III.A.2) states that
the ditches will “remain undisturbed”. However, this ditch routinely overflows in heavy rain
years and floods both of our properties to the south (just ask my husband who has had to use
the municipal sand bag facility to help reduce the damage). This is due to the non-fortified,
poorly maintained, relatively sharp corner where the flow turns to the west. This corner needs
to be fortified with a concrete curve that will not clog or overflow. Also, who will be responsible
for ensuring that the ditch is maintained?
Sincerely,
Bette Brockman, 1463 Lawrence Rd