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2004-05-03 Meeting Report (Deep South Corporate Headquarters)SPIN Citywide Forum Topic: Proposed Deep South Corporate Headquarters Monday, May 3, 2004 7:00 p.m. Senior Activity Center 307 Parkwood Drive Summary of Questions and Comments Just a question in relation to access, would there be access to Shady Oaks to this facility? Have you studied to what happens to traffic on Shady Oaks and Dove during the morning traffic period? It is quite bad and that is why I am concerned. I don't see why you need access on Shady Oaks, in the morning the traffic is quite heavy and you have school buses and school related traffic. I think that the traffic should be routed to the 114 access roads that are designed to handle this traffic If only the bottom floor offices could get to the access on Shady Oaks, what would keep the first floor of that traffic deck from going on the Shady Oaks access? Ideally, these folks would want to use the Shady Oaks access, because it is easier than having to go up to White Chapel on the 114 access. So, based on the assumption that you have already made, what do you feel the level of the traffic impact on Shady Oaks would be. Some assumption had to be made, because you wouldn't have put that access on to Shady Oaks. Obviously you put that access there because you have some basis for understanding that your employees would like to have access to Shady Oaks. Is the Iower Ievel of parking going to be gated? Is this lower level accessible to the access on Shady Oaks? Let's be clear about the access on Shady Oaks. It is convenient for your employees. It is not convenient for the surrounding neighbors who have to deal with that high level of traffic in the area. There is an emergency vehicle access that is required from my perspective. We need to have access to the back side of this property, in my mind that is a problem to not have emergency access. Can you set up the access on Shady Oaks only for emergency access? One of the thing that you have mentioned is that you are getting 40 new employees in the next few years, but I don't imagine that that assumption for these additional employees are included in the traffic impact study that you are doing today. I think that that is pertinent information relevant to this type of study. When will the traffic impact study be available for review? You are right about this property being zoned agricultural. There is agricultural property around this with horses, this is a narrow access road on that street, it goes around and it is a blind curve and we have had seven or eight near fatal accidents on this road. The children from school, Durham, the physical education classes jog on this road, there is no trail access and these kids are running on the road, I assume that your employees will predominantly drive cars, and there is no shoulder on the other side of that road. There is no where to go in case of an emergency in this area. We try to keep our livestock locked up, but they do get loose and there is nothing that you can do about it. There are always children on the street, they have no where to walk except part of the lane. These kids are not going to walk on your jogging path. This is also about the people that live there currently and the quality of our life and our freedoms. In the morning between 7:30 and 8 :30 and 2:30 and 4:30, 1 cannot get around this area because of the school buses. It is not ,just about the traffic, it is about the quality of life and the safety for the people that live in this area. Is the traffic analysis going to look at impact of the traffic on the kids and the livestock at all? SPIN Citywide Forum Topic: Proposed Deep South Corporate Headquarters Monday, May 3, 2004 7:00 p.m. Senior Activity Center 307 Parkwood Drive Summary of Questions and Comments Would you have the ability to look at changing the parking garage to provide access only to 114? You can put a knox box on the gate that would ensure that this access onto Shady Oaks is available only for emergency access. Are there other options to get emergency access onto the site from the back side by using the parking garage? How are you going to handle the drainage on 114? How is your building going to impact the drainage from 114 on this area? Your ponds will not hold the runoff. The drainage doesn't go across your property it goes across my property on the other side of the street. Aren't you putting an awful lot of building on a six acre site? The surrounding area is residential, the current zoning is agricultural. Do you need to put 90,000 square feet of office space on six acres? Will the traffic engineer get out there to work prior to school getting out? You have done a lot of effort to buffer the back of the property, but I have a home on the back side of the parking garage. What kind of buffer is on the back side of the garage towards the residential property going towards Fox Glen? So far what say you have been getting some feedback since this has been announced, what has been the feedback that you have received? What kind of feedback have you received from the surrounding neighborhoods? Tarn sure that the Mayor and City Council like this proposal, but this is the first opportunity that the neighbors have had to comment on this proposal. I think that this development is a good proposal I would rather have this kind of development than a gas station or a Wal -Mart. My concern is access onto Shady Oaks. I would hate to set a precedent that provides the opportunity for future development to access Shady Oaks Drive. I also live across the street and would like to reiterate what Ed has said, I think that this is an intense use for this property. To me, you didn't either buy enough land or you need to be across the road from State Highway 114 where you have land to put this building, This size of building is an eyesore being next to residential neighborhoods; what we expected to go in there was one story offices or something like it„ This building belongs on the other side of the road. The neighbors are doing some work in regards to light pollution and noise pollution, and are working with the state and Representative Truitt on these issues in the area. Because the road is so high there it has amplified the noise levels into the surrounding neighborhoods. I am concerned that when you come in and knock out a bunch of trees, that it will increase the noise levels coming from the roadway. Are you going to keep the building lit for 24 hours like Sabre does? What I was talking about clear lights flooding the area. So what are your options again for not having access onto Shady Oaks? So you are not sure what your options will be at this point? After the traffic study comes back, what happens next? Will the traffic study be completed and available by the Planning and Zoning meeting on the 20'h? SPIN Citywide Forum Topic: Proposed Deep South Corporate Headquarters Monday, May 3, 2004 7:00 p.m. Senior Activity Center 307 Parkwood Drive Summary of Questions and Comments So let's say that the traffic study comes back and it impacts the surrounding area negatively, what are our options to discuss at Planning and Zoning? What will another SPIN meeting on this accomplish? Can we make any changes at this meeting? What I am trying to figure out is this, that if your traffic study comes back and has a negatively impacts the surrounding neighborhoods, what recourse do we have? How long is construction on this project? So would the construction vehicles be using Shady Oaks? I just like to encourage you to approach this as technically as possible and avoid the emotional approaches to dealing with this issue. I would Iike to encourage you to do what is best for the community as a whole. In the discussions you mention maintaining a buffer, there was a swath of trees taken out due to sewer installation recently, and are there plans to replace that vegetation? Trust me, I live right there, that swath is on your property. That is probably a utility easement. Real question on that, is that we currently have a sixty foot clearing area, is the buffer area replacing any of that clearing area? Are you willing to replace any of that area even though it is not on your property? One of the things that in having these of meetings, is that you have the opportunity to take this input and make it work prior to taking anything before the City. The timing on this proposal doesn't seem to fit in with that opportunity. Have you perfected your application in order for you to go before Planning and Zoning? I don't think that there is any way that you could have at this point, but we have not received our required notice to allow you to go before P &Z, Have you requested an exception with the building height and the driveway? I believe that articulation is part of the corridor overlay, which has nothing to do with the back side of the building. How high are those trees on the site? Again, in regards to trees that would be in the 100' buffer zone, are existing trees. So how much beyond that buffer, is the height of the trees that you will plant? If I am in my front yard and looking at your buildings, how much of that building am I going to see? In the winter time, when the leaves fall, I will probably see a Iot of that building. Trying to get away from the driveway for a minute, can you share with us the arguments that you have given P &Z and Council people as to why you are ,justified in getting a building height that exceeds the "O1" height standard. I am interested to hear what is your basis for requesting an adjustment these standards and the arguments that you are making to the P &Z and City Council? Have you looked at alternatives to the three stories being underground at all? I would like to know how we get access to that traffic study with ample time to review; I would like to get this information so that we had enough time to use this. I would Iike to get this information when you get it so that we have time to review this information. SPIN Citywide Forum Topic: Proposed Deep South Corporate Headquarters Monday, May 3, 2004 7:00 p.m. Senior Activity Center 307 Parkwood Drive Summary of Questions and Comments In the Master Plan this area is designated "01" (it was determined that the Land Use Designation is "Office Commercial so, based on the Land Use Plan, what is the zoning that you plan to ask for regarding this site? Do you plan to comply with regulations regarding reflectivity? The only thing that is different from this project than Sabre and Verizon is that they are on the other side of State Highway 114. Thank you for taking the time to come out and talk to us. I know that there has been a lot of negativity expressed tonight, but this is a nice effort. I hope that we can come to some kind of conclusion to this issue.