August 14, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

22 (Pages 82 to 85)22 (Pages 82 to 85) Page 82 1 MR. APPEL: I don't have all the 2 steps, but there -- there were numerous design 3 iterations. This was deemed to be the best and we 4 had provided sections showing the relationship of 5 the building directly to the closest house on 6 Howell. 7 MR. SHARRET: Right. But Building D 8 is the largest of the four buildings, correct? 9 MR. APPEL: I believe it is the 10 largest, correct. 11 MR. SHARRET: Right, and it has the 12 most residential units as well, correct? 13 MR. APPEL: I want to double-check. 14 (Pause) 15 MR. APPEL: Yes. 16 MR. SHARRET: So I guess the question 17 I have is: Why was the decision made to put the 18 largest building with the most number of residential 19 units and have that be closest to the ridgeline and 20 closest to existing homes? 21 MR. APPEL: This -- this was 22 consideration of a lot of different issues and it is 23 a site engineering issue, but there were a number of 24 -- 25 MR. SHARRET: What were some of the Page 84 1 MR. APPEL: I don't recall all the 2 prior iterations because it's been in this 3 configuration for quite some time. 4 MR. SHARRET: And again, going back to 5 decision-making for Building D, Building D is the 6 only building that currently is contemplated to have 7 a roof deck, correct? 8 MR. APPEL: That's correct. 9 MR. SHARRET: So again, a decision was 10 made to put a roof deck on the building that's going 11 to be closest to existing homes and not to put a 12 roof deck anywhere else. 13 MR. APPEL: But the location of the 14 roof deck is -- was pushed, not to the edge of the 15 building closest to Howell but is more central to 16 the building. 17 MR. SHARRET: Right, but that wasn't 18 my question. The only building that has a roof, 19 that is Building D and Building D is the unit that 20 is closest to existing homes, correct? 21 MR. APPEL: That is the -- the edge of 22 -- the edge of that building is. It's a long 23 building, so only that one edge is very close to the 24 building. 25 MR. SHARRET: Right, but a roof deck Page 83 1 considerations that were taken into account when 2 making the decision to put that largest building 3 right up against the ridgeline and right up against 4 the existing homes? 5 MR. PLOCKER: For the record, I'm just 6 going to interject. Our site plan is the site plan. 7 It fully conforms with all setbacks and it conforms 8 with the

nd right up against 4 the existing homes? 5 MR. PLOCKER: For the record, I'm just 6 going to interject. Our site plan is the site plan. 7 It fully conforms with all setbacks and it conforms 8 with the requirement that the building we placed 9 west of the ridgeline. And that's the application 10 that's before this Board, not any internal thinking 11 or processes that may have led to the site plan that 12 is before the Board, so I would just instruct the 13 Board and everybody in the room that that's the 14 situation. 15 MR. SHARRET: Are you asserting 16 privilege? I'm trying to understand what that 17 instruction was. 18 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: He's making a 19 comment. Keep going. 20 MR. SHARRET: Okay. I think that 21 these are relevant questions and I hope that the 22 Planning Board at least will consider them. 23 So was there ever a consideration to 24 make Building D smaller and to increase the sizes 25 instead of Buildings A, B or C? Page 85 1 could have been put on Buildings D, B or C, which 2 would have been much further away from existing 3 homes, no? 4 MR. APPEL: This was what was put in 5 the application and this is what's being proposed. 6 MR. SHARRET: Do you have any idea as 7 to why that decision was made? 8 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Sorry, that decision 9 -- he's not here for decision-making. I want to 10 stop you right there. You've asked him about nine 11 questions about decision-making. You can ask him 12 about decision about architecture, but the process 13 is here. So they've made their decisions, he's not 14 the person to ask how they came to that decision. 15 The application stands before us, sir. So you can 16 ask him about the architecture, but not the 17 decision-making process. Thank you. 18 MR. SHARRET: Understood. So just to 19 clarify that point, then, I guess, were you 20 instructed by the applicant to put the roof deck on 21 Building D and therefore, that's how you designed 22 it? 23 MR. PLOCKER: Again, that goes to the 24 same point. That is all part of the decision-making 25 process. The application and the site plan before