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Question regarding Motion C of planning Commission Agenda 7.b, Feb 3, 2021: <br /> <br />Janice Gunlach, Community Development Director, has said, “The idea behind the [tree] ordinance is to <br />motivate people to redevelop in a way that preserves the big trees,” Gundlach has said.1 <br />This plan instead destroys 26 of 28 Heritage trees and 162 of 197 Signficant trees. <br />There is a tug of war here: Line 126 of the report essentially states that, if we argue to save trees and <br />for less density, we are arguing for developments of greater density, perhaps 1 to 3 tall buildings <br />instead of single-family homes, which I and neighbors I have talked with definitely do not want. I <br />think this is a false dichotomy but nonetheless the threat or risk is there. I have previously made clear <br />my views about limiting development in order to mitigate climate change, which affects public health <br />and general welfare, issues that development plans must not compromise. I stand by this conviction and <br />urge the commission to take this into consideration here. <br />However, the City, I now know, is enormously invested in this development. I wish that residents living <br />in close proximity had been specifically notified earlier in the process. <br />So my question for you today is this: would you consider a revision to the “preliminary plat” <br />design?2 – a revision that would preserve the neighborhood character and our unique sense of <br />place in this woodsy neighborhood, preserve a noise and privacy buffer, and most importantly <br />preserve and make room for replacement trees that sink carbon, purify the air, and help to keep the <br />lake healthy? <br />Specifically, would you consider moving the placement of the monument sign to the south of the <br />new road and eliminate Lot 1 in order to reserve a wooded area composed of existing and <br />replacement trees. This would provide a little of the woodsy feel along Galtier Street that is valued <br />by neighbors for their “beauty, importance to the environment, and positive impact on property <br />values”—values that the city recognizes in their introduction to the code regarding tree <br />preservation.3 <br />In their appeal to the city council regarding park fees, the developers have stated that because “the land <br />north of the road adjacent to the lake is quite small, provides a much-needed amenity for our future <br />Owners.”4 I put forth that the woods that we see and enjoy along Galtier is a much-needed amenity for <br />current residents of the neighborhood. <br />When you consider Motion C, and I ask the planning commission to not pass the motion as is, but <br />instead to revise the preliminary plat plan down to 19 homes, with the area currently marked as Lot 1 <br />reserved for existing and replacement trees, and with the monument sign moved to the south of the road, <br />thereby addressing in some degree the concerns I and my neighbors have expressed and the values we <br />hold in common. <br />1 https://www.startribune.com/roseville-lowers-tree-replacement-fees-for-single-family- <br />development/570412852/ <br />2 Preliminary Plat design of The Enclave at McCarrons Lake, document 7401, materials for agenda item 7.B, p. 14 <br />3 http://www.cityofroseville.com/DocumentCenter/View/18795/14d--Tree -Preservation-and-Restoration-in-All- <br />Districts?bidId=, Attachment E, p. 2, lines 60-66 <br />4 Agenda item, City Council meeting Feb 5 2021, letter from Airborne MCcarrons, dated Dec 11, <br />2020 <br />RCA Attachment D <br />Page 9 of 51