Attachment C <br />Attachment B <br />November 21, 2017 <br />Michael Kuhn, Ph.D. <br />mkuhn@uoregon.edu <br />Dear Mr. Gioello <br />I'm sure you've been hearing a lot from people in my neighborhood about the Capital <br />Hill PUD; I'm writing to offer my testimony on this issue. I live on Cresta de Ruta <br />Street, just below Capital Drive. <br />First of all, I want to say that there is definitely a responsible way that the land at the top <br />of the hill should be developed. More development would hopefully bring more <br />attention to road access issues in the neighborhood as a whole. Most importantly, the <br />owner of the property has a right to profit from it. However, these owner's rights do not <br />extend to the creation of a substantial negative externality upon adjoining rights-holders. <br />To keep my statement brief, I want to mention the two foremost externalities that the <br />proposed development imposes on the neighborhood. <br />1. Drainage. The hill collects a tremendous amount of water. There are places where <br />after heavy rain or heavy watering of the property in question, springs drain directly out <br />of the hillside. Many large trees help soak up a lot of that water, preventing slides and <br />erosion. Removing a lot of trees and the resulting canopy, as the proposal calls for, <br />brings more water to the ground with less capacity for absorption. The steep slope and <br />very wet soil are already very problematic for landslide risk. New units on steep slopes, <br />diverting more water straight into the hillside is genuinely frightening as a homeowner in <br />the neighborhood. <br />The developer has repeatedly refused to offer sufficient detail on drainage issues that will <br />be caused by construction of homes on the many lots they propose. The developer argues <br />that concerns related to structures themselves are to be addressed at a later point when <br />they are constructed. This is unacceptable. The creation of even the empty lots <br />represents a major change to the neighborhood and ecosystem. Specific details related to <br />the safety of the constructed development should be worked out between the developer <br />and the city before the landscape is irreparably changed. I imagine these details will be <br />specific guidelines for construction in the lots that the developer will need to disclose to <br />potential buyers of the lots. That is why this work has to be done now, not later. <br />2. Road access issues. Living on capital hill, I'm always aware of fire and landslide <br />risk. Many of the homes on Cresta de Ruta Street and Capital Drive are connected to <br />their foundations by wooden stilts, built before the community was aware of the potential <br />for earthquakes. The ice storm in December 2016 closed off access to Cresta de Ruta and <br />Capital Drive for a number of days. In a lot of ways, this is a risky place to live. Getting <br />off the hill quickly, or getting emergency vehicles up the hill quickly is a very important <br />issue. The city cannot approve this project with its fingers crossed, hoping an emergency <br />Page 349 <br />