pf_03178 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

to We comments was as a we is submitted and Our comments are restricted to the vegetation and grading meets the goals shielding the neighborhood from excess light, reducing the noise reaching the neighborhood and breaking up the massiveness of the clubhouse. I suspect the club members will also be glad to be shielded from at our houses. comments also include suggestions of how to accomplish the goals that the I ll1e berm was a good idea. For the first 5 years at the least, the more southern of the two benns will be major shield against headlights. (Reasons are given below in item 3). Recommendation: benn should be higher than the headlights of vehicles, (some SUV lamps are 44 inches above the ground). In calculating berm height, allow for a 15 to 20% subsidence of the soil (experience ofMNDOT personnel). extending the benn southward to the natural woods. 2. It will probably take at least 8- 15 years before the trees in this conifer band are tall enough and wide enough to effectively conceal vehicles and parking lights. This is because the trees are planted at II to 12 toot centers and initially will have only 3-4 ft crown-diameters. Further, trees grow little the years after planting and if the soils are similar to that found elsewhere in the neighborhood, growth in general will be relatively slow. Recommendation: Decrease the time to usefid size by careful specification of planting stock, and specifying appropriate modem soil management techniques. Usually, if this care is not the tree suppliers and contractors not the long nm it is cheaper to take care as it reduces the need for replanting of dead or shabby- trees. It may also allow the planting of smaller trees and thesc are less expensive. The time to reach useful size could also be decreased by planting more trees and/or planting higher on the benn, berm has been appropriately constructed and treated. 3. It will be a decade or more before the conifers will be tall enough to provide visual breaks that win relieve the size of the clubhouse during the leaf-off seasons. Recommendation: provide winter landscaping that will break-up the massiveness of the building viewed from the south east, east and northeast perspectives. Planting larger conifers closer to the building might accomplish this. 4. It was not clear to us how the view of the service entrance was shielded from the easterly directions. We thought this was to be effective immediately. 5. The mixing of shrubs with short conifers, although aesthetic, is not desirable from a biologic perspective.