HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-05-17 Public Comment - S. Bracken & N. Chandler - Black Olive IIFrom:STEVENYLA BRACKENCHANDLER
To:Agenda
Cc:STEVENYLA BRACKENCHANDLER
Subject:Black Olive
Date:Thursday, October 05, 2017 12:39:20 PM
Mayor Carson, Commissioners Mehl, Andrus, Krauss and Pomeroy,
As you yet again reach your decision regarding the current Black Olive proposal, you are wellaware that nothing has fundamentally changed from the previous two iterations. This is still a
design that is completely out of scale with the adjacent neighborhood and as CommissionerKrauss commented about the previous proposal, is overbuilt for the site. How removing a few
walls to reduce the number of units, thus reducing the required parking, makes this moreacceptable is difficult for us to understand. If one parking space per unit, regardless of unit
size, is allowed in B-3 zoning, something is fundamentally wrong with the requirements.
When remodeling our home, a duplex two blocks from the site of the Black Olive, we wererequired to provide two off-street parking spaces per unit. We had to provide four off-street
parking spaces and were not even allowed to count spaces on the street in front of our home. Four. One of our units is one bedroom. It seems that we are in effect subsidizing the Black
Olive’s inadequate parking.
Not requiring the consideration of “block character” in evaluating projects within B-3 zoningalso seems particularly onerous. The appearance of developers writing the rules and knowing
how to manipulate them cannot be denied. The argument that this project will help reducesprawl and provide more affordable housing is also troubling. If anything, the Black Olive
will make our downtown neighborhoods less desirable encouraging sprawl and its high rentswill only lead to increased rental costs elsewhere.
We are not opposed to infill and in fact encourage it. This project, however, goes too far and
has too many red flags to be ignored. It will negatively impact our downtown neighborhoods. You have the authority to deny this project, as you have done twice before, for many reasons.
We urge you to do so. Our community deserves better.
Respectfully, Steve Bracken
Nyla Chandler
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