August 14, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

27 (Pages 102 to 105)27 (Pages 102 to 105) Page 102 1 that been taking into any consideration? Echoing of 2 sound traditionally goes into valleys and can be 3 heard from the top. For instance, when people are 4 playing loud music up there and doing other things 5 that they're not supposed to do, we can hear the 6 music coming down the slope. 7 MR. APPEL: So we have -- we have not 8 done that type of analysis yet. 9 MR. WEISLEDER: That is a big concern, 10 especially since Building D is the only one with the 11 roof balcony and that type of amenity. 12 MR. PLOCKER: I'll just represent for 13 the applicant -- 14 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Mr. Plocker. 15 MR. PLOCKER: -- we'll comply with all 16 township ordinances, nuisance ordinances, noise 17 ordinances. 18 MR. WEISLEDER: So Building D is the 19 only one that has that amenity balcony for use? 20 MR. APPEL: Are you talking about 21 balcony or -- 22 MR. WEISLEDER: I'm sorry, rooftop. 23 Rooftop. 24 MR. APPEL: Okay. Rooftop, you're 25 correct. Balconies are consistent on all the Page 104 1 are down, the people from Howell can look right up 2 and see back side of things like that and you're 3 proposing green and things like that. We live in a 4 seasonal-climate area. I drive around, I don't see 5 green all around, so I don't know what we're going 6 to be planting and maintaining through winter, fall, 7 spring. It's beautiful pictures, don't 8 misunderstand me, but there's a reality to this, and 9 I don't see that being a reality. But maybe you can 10 expand on that. 11 MR. APPEL: I'm not sure what the 12 question was. 13 MR. WEISLEDER: You showed on the 14 garages green to make it look pretty and said "It 15 will stay green, we're going to use real things to 16 keep it green." 17 MR. APPEL: Right. 18 MR. WEISLEDER: I'm not sure what 19 we're proposing here. 20 MR. APPEL: We are proposing that 21 these would be green, so... 22 MR. WEISLEDER: Okay. Maybe I'm in 23 the wrong climate. 24 And I also said that the closest house, 25 which I was told was mine, is 270 feet from that Page 103 1 buildings. 2 MR. WEISLEDER: On all the buildings. 3 Okay. 4 So the one question that I have is the 5 -- you were asked in regard to, I guess, how much is 6 going into the ground and the 50 percent and all 7 those things. In regard to the, you know, blasting, 8 in making that decision to ask for the variance, 9 wouldn't you agree that that's

how much is 6 going into the ground and the 50 percent and all 7 those things. In regard to the, you know, blasting, 8 in making that decision to ask for the variance, 9 wouldn't you agree that that's more of a cost 10 savings for the builder rather than looking nice? 11 Because you referred that we would have to then 12 build this or build extra walls and all of these 13 other things; it sounds like it's more of a cost 14 savings. It's nice to ask for a variance but then 15 it sounds like a more cost-savings feature for the 16 building. 17 MR. APPEL: My opinion is that, 18 aesthetically, this is far superior than having 19 walls and disruptions in grade and additional 20 disturbance and I think that was -- there was also 21 discussion by Mr. Anderson similar to that. 22 MR. WEISLEDER: Okay. In addition, I 23 would like to ask about, you showed a lot of green 24 and you made a statement that, really, no one's 25 going to see the back side, but when all the leaves Page 105 1 corner, from Building D facing north, correct? 2 MR. APPEL: To the corner that -- call 3 it the northeasterly corner of the building to the 4 actual house, not the property line but the house, 5 is that I scaled off 264 feet 8 inches, you know, 6 and that's off of a site plan so I would say that's 7 an approximate -- 8 MR. WEISLEDER: Okay. 9 MR. APPEL: -- dimension. 10 MR. WEISLEDER: And also, the setbacks 11 that you've created -- and I appreciate that, thank 12 you -- to ease the view for us on Howell, what kind 13 of sight studies were done, sight-line studies were 14 done looking down from Howell and from what points 15 were those done? 16 MR. APPEL: Well, that -- that was 17 exactly the purpose that -- why we were doing those 18 cross-sections, so that we had a better 19 understanding of the relationship of grade and trees 20 and everything else, so that -- that -- that was why 21 we took the time to do those cross-sections. 22 MR. WEISLEDER: Um-hum. 23 MR. APPEL: These were done not for 24 this meeting but done, you know, quite a bit -- 25 quite a bit of time ago.