Capital Hill PUD Page 37 of 67 <br />Planned Unit Development Application - Tentative Stage - Written Statement <br />March 3, 2017 Revised:June 19, 2017 <br />Trees will also be preserved in Tract B between lots 29 and 30, as well as in Tract C and D. <br />Tracts C and D also provide a common area that serves as the entry to the development. <br />It makes more sense to preserve a large area of vegetation along the perimeter of the <br />development site. By extension, all of the trees on the perimeter of the lots in the conservation <br />zone are preserved. Some trees in the developable area that are along the perimeters of the <br />lots will be preserved as well, where it is practical. <br />This project proposes to remove trees for purposes of developing the road, utilities, and <br />ultimately the homes that will occupy the lots. To the greatest degree practical, existing trees will <br />be preserved and when trees are removed for the construction of the homes and driveways, <br />new trees will be planted. The new trees will be healthy and site appropriate trees that will thrive <br />in a residential environment and provide all of the advantages that trees provide to a <br />neighborhood. <br />6. Trees and stands of trees located along ridgelines and within view corridors; <br />The site contains no ridgelines nor is it within a view corridor. To the extent that the highest <br />point on the property could have been considered part of a ridgeline it is already developed with <br />a home, garage and a vineyard. If the Ribbon Trail is considered a view corridor, then there is a <br />significant area of existing vegetation that has been preserved between the development and <br />the Ribbon Trail. <br />7. Trees with significant habitat value; <br />Significant habitat value is not a term that is defined in the land use code, so it is unclear how <br />this criterion is construed. A typical way to define this term would be the presence of <br />endangered or threatened tree species, which would require the preservation of those trees. <br />However, without this definition or clarity, we are forced to assume the meaning of this criterion. <br />One could posit that since a large contiguous area of existing vegetation is preserved, that the <br />entire area provides habitat for whatever is currently living there - significant species or not. <br />This preservation area is contiguous with the abutting vegetated area that contains the Ribbon <br />Trail, so the 2 properties preserve a large area. <br />Considering this development is within the Urban Growth Boundary and an existing residential <br />neighborhood, the proposed landscaping will include new, healthy, context-appropriate trees <br />that will thrive in this residential environment, as well as provide habitat for birds and other living <br />things. <br />8. Trees adjacent to public parks, open space and streets; <br />There are relatively few trees adjacent to Hendricks Park to the north. Different than a traditional <br />park, Hendricks Park itself is heavily treed. Removing a few trees close to the north property line <br />of the development site will cause little if any change to the experience of being in the park, <br />which is over 80 acres in size. <br />There is no public open space on the development site, as it is all private property. That being <br />said, the proposed preservation area can technically be considered open space when the <br />development is completed. In this manner, many of the existing trees along this open space are <br />being preserved. <br />Trees along the existing Capital Drive will be preserved as is practical. The trees proposed for <br />removal are as a result of the requirement to improve the street. <br />9. Trees located along a water feature; <br />There are no water features on the site. Therefore, none of the existing trees are located on a <br />water feature. <br />Schirmer Satre Group • 375 West 4 m Avenue, Suite 201, Eugene, OR 97401 • (541) 686-4540 <br />