HE-18 John Fenn & Lisa Gilman - Laserfiche WebLink

HE-18 John Fenn & Lisa Gilman.txt Greetings- We are homeowners at 111 Oakleigh Lane since 2007, and have lived in the neighborhood since 2005. While we moved to River Road somewhat randomly, after two years of renting (on E. Hilliard) we jumped at the opportunity to buy. The open and inviting character of the community here is what encouraged us to stay in the area, and it is our concerns about the future of this community that cause us to write now. We've watched from a slight distance as the Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing effort has come together, initially excited by the potential of having more neighbors interested in sustaining what we see as the values, assets, and character of the neighborhood. At the onset of the project, the OMC group discussed a small, low-impact housing development anchored in neighborly relationships and collective stewardship---basically an extension of what we had experienced since buying our home in 2007. Over the past year and a half, the OMC project had shifted considerably in size and, consequently, impact. Informational meetings (hosted at the RROC Annex) and the public posting of the development plans/drawings occurred while we were out of the country, and we have spent the past month getting up to speed with the current efforts on the part of the OMC as well as the neighbors in the area who are not happy with the turn the development has taken. Living on the west end of Oakleigh Lane, our concerns about the impact are somewhat different from neighbors and friends living closer to the east end of the street, but we stand with all those on the street who feel that the current land use plans for the OMC development do not mesh harmoniously with the character or scale of our neighborhood. Two section of the PUD code in particular offer framework for our concerns: “9.8320 (12) The proposed development shall have minimal off-site impacts, including such impacts as traffic, noise, stormwater runoff and environmental quality.” Of specific interest to us here is the potential increase in automobile traffic; we are parents of two children (both under 12) and enjoy the freedom of riding bikes and such on our relatively low-traffic street. The potential doubling (or more) of automobile traffic up and down the street will certainly increase our concern over safety for our children as well as their friends and the kids of our neighbors. Furthermore, the increase in traffic on Oakleigh will likely lead to noticeable congestion at the intersection with River Road. A commercial parking lot at this intersection has an inlet/outlet on Oakleigh, and cars traveling to the two businesses here often turn from River Road (left) and make a quick right into the parking lot; while they are not on Oakleigh for long in this scenario, such traffic does impede exiting Oakleigh to travel south on River Road. This is especially noticeable because there is no traffic light at our intersection, so getting on to River Road in general at peak hours (either traveling south or north) can be challenging. More cars means a potential increase in the back-up of vehicles leaving our street. Additionally, over a year ago a neighbor of ours was involved in a serious car accident while turning left onto River Road from Oakleigh; another driver, turning left from Marion Lane (west side of River Road) did not stop properly at the stop sign before commencing her turn and struck our neighbor head-on (he was in the middle of his turn). This accident highlighted for us residents of Oakleigh the potentially dangerous intersection here (streets offset, with no traffic control device), and an increase in automobile traffic on our street is only going to increase the possibility of future incidents. While the increased number of daily trips that the development will bring to Oakleigh does not apparently trigger a formal traffic evaluation, there is no doubt that more cars going up and down the street will impact those of us who live here. We see these potential safety issues as examples of how the increased density presented by the OMC poses far more than minimal impacts on the neighborhood as it exists. “9.8320 (13) The proposed development shall be reasonably compatible and harmonious with adjacent and nearby land uses.” Our concerns with this section of the code have to do with the ways that Page 1