I reside in the Island Crest Apartments, just below and in front of the proposed (Coval) development and was only recently apprised of the situation via flyers posted on-site.

Obviously, the first thing I object to is the idea of cutting off the top of the hill. I’m not a geologist or hydrologist, but I doubt if I could be comforted by any study that determined this operation to be safe for those living directly to the west. I wouldn’t want to find out the hard way later on that it wasn’t. This seems to be a means of shoehorning more residences into an already sensitive (steep sloped, erosive, landslide prone) area. From my perspective, those four westernmost houses shouldn’t be built, and the crest be maintained as a buffer zone, if application is approved.

That brings me to my next issue. 18 houses on five acres? What are the setbacks in between, 15 feet? And only 2.3 people in 10,000 square feet of house? Seems like a pretty big, dense footprint in an area where it really doesn’t fit.

And I’m not the one to ask if the ravine is actually a watercourse, or which traffic analyses are accurate, but there is certainly disagreement, as developer claims appear to be in dispute. Wondering if self-serving deception isn’t part of the hidden agenda from people that won’t have to live with the effects they have profited from.

Another questionable aspect is the seemingly subjective code enforcement by the City: Hardlining the little guy, but looking the other way for the entity? eg: Is infill even being considered on this under-utilized lot?

There’s also the aesthetically unfortunate aspect of tearing down the Coval house itself, especially the pool room. It would be nice to relocate it, but logistically impossible because of the high-end design materials used.

Overall, it’s just too bad that this neat, natural open space in a quiet neighborhood will eventually be replaced by overdeveloped gentrification. I would ask the Council to consider how your decision affects the entire spectrum of your constituency, not just a few.

Cameron Ackley