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Regular City Council Meeting Monday,November 6, 2017 Page 15 Regarding the angle of Lots 5 and 6, Councilmember Etten noted that they seemed to follow the angle of the existing home, and asked the rationale for keep- ing it with lot lines. Mr. Paschke responded that part of was to obtain the appropriate square footage for each lot to meet city code and proper site access. Developer Brent Thompson Mr. Thompson advised that the reason for the lot angles was to create sufficient green space for adjacent neighbors versus directly abutting them; as well as look- ing to retain existing trees; with support expressed by Councilmember Etten. Councilmember Etten noted the homes appeared to be slab on grade, but in the Planning Commission comments indicated basements for each. Mr. Thompson advised that, through internal meetings with MnDOT over the last few months, it was found that the site historically took on water from MnDOT roadways, therefore the push for slab on grade. Mr. Thompson opined that the market would support either that or basements, and thus he had chosen to go with slab on grade and move away from full basements as initially presented. At the request of Councilmember Etten, Mr. Thompson advised that the homes would all be one-level, with an opportunity to create an additional seasonal porch on the rear of the homes versus a deck, which seemed to be of more interest to those seeking one-level living. Mr. Thompson advised that he would like to get the price point down further as well, since after the MnDOT meeting, it resulted in things creating more expense, including enlarging the water collection pond on Block 1, while attempting to retain as much green space as possible. Councilmember Etten asked about access to the pond via easement access to Lot 8, and whether that access would need to come through the Rose of Sharon prop- erty. Public Works Director Marc Culver responded that, as per Attachment D, access could be provided off Highway 36 versus more difficult access for maintenance through private property (e.g. Rose of Sharon), especially since the majority of the drainage was coming from MnDOT roadways (e.g. Highway 36). Even with the steep grade, Mr. Culver noted that the stormwater device was still essentially considered a private developer device; and as noted by Mr. Thompson, all runoff would need to be retained on-site. Mr. Culver reviewed the historic low point and MnDOT contentions, with the property owner unable to interfere or pass drainage issues to adjacent property owners.