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i College Propertiest Case o* 2491 La dscanina Page S The landscape p lain is well done in terms of overall enhancement of the s ite r the entry off Snelling, - the future roadway boulevard and in the mixture of plant materials proposed* A key issue is the. treatment of the west edges of the bu.i ld ings where they meet the ditch and adJ scent neighbors. we have worked with the applicant and their architects and landscape architect in numerous meetings to arrive at a reasonable plan for this area. overall, we believe the plan is reasonable. with a few additional areas needing attention* There is a considerable amount of existing vegetation on the slope down to the ditch on the Paul's Place side, especially at the south end of the site. Most of this will be removed to make room for the south wing of the seven story building and the holding pond to' the south. A few significant stands of large trees will be preserved, and additional trees and shrubs will be added. No existing vegetation on the neighbors" side of, the the ditch will i be removed for this project. In fact, the plan proposes adding landscaping in the neighbors' yards. We understand the applicant has met with each of these neighbors to discuss the specific screening plan in each yard. Based on the architects,' sketches and the landscape architect "s plans we believe the attempt to screen and beautify the project from the ne ighbors f side has been _ gu ite successful. o amount o f landscaping can entirely screen a seven -story building* but we believe the proposed plan is reasonable. The building edge has been terraced back in several steps to reduce its immedi ate impact and the foundation has been screened with landscaping. perspective sketch A, iew From Southvest� illustrates this. - The closest edge of the South Campus project to the neighbors is not the seven -story Independent Living building but the three� story Assisted Living buildings a corner of which is about 1 2 5 1 from the nearest ne ighbor ' s hous a arcs s the d itch . - This i s - shown on the left side of sketch , which is a view from the northeast9 - Again, two stands of large existing trees have been retained, but the foundation and outdoor spaces at the back of this building (actually four stories on the back, side) do not appear to be screened much at a l 1 a We would suggest add iti ona l landscaping in this. arreag at the very least to dive a sense of enclosure and security for the elderly residents, and further to provide a softened view from the neighbors' aide. Another detail of the landscape plan is the evergreen screening ropos ed on - the west s ide of the student housing building as it abuts proposed South ampus Drive with only a 4f setback. The building is existing and the alignment of the new road makes sense opposite the a isting entry into the campus north of Lydia: The