July 31, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

46 (Pages 178 to 181) Page 178 1 of woods, this development, and we have -- I've 2 personally experienced it, I'm sure others have, 3 birds flying into windows. Is there any technology 4 on any of these large windows to help prevent or 5 mitigate that risk? 6 MR. APPEL: Usually when you have 7 window shades and stuff like that is that -- my 8 understanding is those are helpful with that, but I 9 don't have -- 10 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: So there's no 11 anti-strike technology or... 12 MR. APPEL: I have not looked at that. 13 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Okay. All 14 right, let's go back to the rooftop deck. I think 15 that's on Building D. 16 Yesterday, Mr. Anderson gave some 17 testimony with regard to attempted balloon tests for 18 sight lines, and I think you today gave some 19 testimony stating that -- well, is there a view of 20 New York City from this property? 21 MR. APPEL: So I -- my -- my 22 understanding is toward -- toward New York; I don't 23 know that you will see -- my understanding from what 24 we've seen with the tree line is that upper floor 25 will have some kind of peek-through places, so not Page 179 1 every place is going to give you a straight line, 2 but you will have some pockets where there are 3 thinner and exposure, so that's my understanding and 4 that's what we were designing to accommodate and, 5 um, and take advantage of. 6 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: So -- so there 7 is a portion of the building that will be visible 8 above the tree line? 9 MR. APPEL: From where? 10 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Well -- 11 MR. APPEL: Not from those surrounding 12 locations because that exhibit was showing that -- 13 let me go to -- when you look at the actual view, 14 taking advantage of the topography, you see that, 15 even if this was above, you're not going to be able 16 to see -- you can zoom back out, please. There. 17 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Is that 18 Building D? 19 MR. APPEL: That's Building D right 20 there. 21 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Right. 22 MR. APPEL: So you can see that that 23 sight line is through so many hundreds of feet of 24 trees. Now, is there a remote top, like up by the 25 manor, where you may see a little piece of the Page 180 1 building poking up? Possibly, yes. 2 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: So that is 3 facing east, is what you're saying. 4 MR. APPEL: This is -- 5 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: To the right 6 is east. 7 MR. APPEL: Right is facing

oking up? Possibly, yes. 2 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: So that is 3 facing east, is what you're saying. 4 MR. APPEL: This is -- 5 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: To the right 6 is east. 7 MR. APPEL: Right is facing east, 8 correct. 9 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: So, you know, 10 we are on -- that's on second mountain, am I right, 11 or is that first mountain? I know there's two 12 mountains, this is on one, that's at the top of one, 13 right? 14 MR. APPEL: So the other one is going 15 to be South Mountain Reservation is the second 16 mountain, if I'm understanding what you're saying. 17 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Right and it 18 may not be called that but whatever it's called, 19 that's what it is, right? 20 MR. APPEL: Right. 21 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Are you going 22 to be able to see this building? Will it extend 23 above the tree line? Those trees are not -- those 24 are just for -- 25 MR. APPEL: I couldn't tell you from Page 181 1 where exactly you can get that viewpoint, I can just 2 say that the exercise doing these sight studies was 3 to show that the adjoining residents are not at a 4 vantage point to be -- have this -- you know, 5 there's a tremendous amount of distance and 6 topography that, um, that creates privacy and 7 buffering between those homes and the, uh, and the 8 proposed structures. 9 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: So my concern 10 with that is not just that you could see it, I don't 11 know that that would be a bad thing, I imagine the 12 building's going to look nice, but it's about light 13 pollution and you talked about the downward-facing 14 lights in the decks, but on Building D, what is the 15 lighting on the deck? 16 MR. APPEL: The testimony I gave 17 earlier is that we were proposing that to be 18 predominantly bollard type lighting. 19 COUNCILMAN RUTHERFORD: Can you -- 20 what is bollard? 21 MR. APPEL: Bollard type lighting is 22 where you have low-level lighting so that instead of 23 a light fixture up high shining down, it's a low 24 light that broadcasts to the side, so we're looking 25 at low lights in walls, planters and bollards rather