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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - FEBRUARY 2, 2005 6 - 48 feet from the edge of the road and on the south end, they were also still over 48 feet . from the road. He indicated this was a unique neighborhood and the houses were scattered all over their lots because of the topography. He stated there were a number of homes in the neighborhood that had setback issues and have had to request variances. He stated this was a unique neighborhood and they did not want to destroy any of that uniqueness. He pointed out that their home was getting old and needed to be updated. He indicated there were various homes in the neighborhood that had requested variances to update their homes. He stated he believed they were keeping with the character of the neighborhood and this was the best option due to the unique lot they had. Commissioner Thompson stated she had looked at the lot and she agreed there was a deep embankment. She asked if they had considered expanding out to the east. Mr. Thornton replied thc problem there was with the walkout, which would make two floors and they did not want that large of an expansion. He stated there would also not be a good way to move the kitchen back there. Mr. Thornton stated they had spoken with their neighbors who had signed a petition indicating they had no objection to this project. He understood there was one objection that had come in and they had not spoken to that person. He indicated all of the neighbors he had spoken to had seen all of the documents and were in support of this project. Commissioner Thompson asked how many trees they would have to cut down for this . project. Mr. Thornton replied there were no trees that would need to be removed. Chair Sand noted the back of his property was heavily wooded and asked if they expanded out the back, would they have to remove trees. Mr. Thornton responded he was not sure, but he would be concerned about the root system of the oak trees. By Email, Zata Vickers: "I live at 3470 Siems Ct., the first house on Siems Ct across Arden Place from 2510 Siems Ct. I don't expect to be able to attend the hearing on February 2, so am e-mailing opinion and comment to you. I am opposed to this request because this construction will alter the character of the neighborhood. I enjoy the park-like quality of Siems Ct. Many trees, lawns, and other plants provided the lovely and peaceful character of this neighborhood. Houses, no matter how architecturally gorgeous, do not give the same feeling. I am constantly reminded of this from the view through my backyard windows that used to look out on an expanse of grass and trees and now look out on a very large concrete block and a baby-poop-yellow house. It is a constant reminder to many of us that the character of a neighborhood can so easily be blighted by someone else's pride and joy. That house is within its legal limits. However it has motivated me to work against similar situations, such as the variance request for 3510 Siems, where we have setback . regulations specifically to prevent such changes in character. The Thornton's house already appears to be much closer to the road than the other houses on the same side of that street. Extending it even closer to the road would further