From: Kari Svanstrom
To: Mary Gourley
Cc: Kelly Hickler
Subject: FW: Bodega Flats
Date: Tuesday, January 18, 2022 7:54:52 AM
Can you please forward to Council?
Thanks,
Kari Svanstrom
Planning Director
From: Candace Nagle
Sent: Monday, January 17, 2022 8:31 PM
To: Kari Svanstrom <[email protected]>
Subject: Bodega Flats
Dear Kari, Could you please forward the letter below to members of the city council for perusal prior to tonight's meeting? Thank you, Candace
To the Sebastopol City Council:
Most of those groups having an interest in this project have seen significant benefit; certainly the State, with its housing quotas, certainly our city, with its tax revenues, certainly the developers with their profits, and certainly its future residents, with their relief from housing needs. The single and significant group that has yet to see any benefit at all is that of the existing neighbors who currently surround this project’s site and who will be permanently impacted by any o fits negative consequences. In that interest, we would like to propose a few design modifications that would serve to greatly improve our eventual welfare.
The project’s east wing, currently 5 units that alternate between one and two story variations, with 19’ and 22’ roof heights respectively, are proposed to be located only 13’ from our building, presents an oppressive scale that is, alongside its insensitive window-overlookingwindow circumstance, imposes an excessive assault upon our right for fundamental privacy.
Our current outdoor views have, of course, been completely usurped, and the placement of the outdoor patios - located directly beneath our bedroom windows- directly exposes us to five separate possibilities of untenable, late night, party-time BBQ’s. Finally, adding five heating and air-conditioning units on the project’s roof and when running all-year-round will add more noise to an already fully impacted situation.
These conditions are clearly as egregious as they are unnecessary to the reasonable functioning of such a housing development. A simple reconfiguration, for example, of the overall project’s composition, by placing all of the single-story units at the east side wing, and lowering their roof height to a still-generous 12’, would transform the quality of our lifestyle in significant ways. Also, relocating the outdoor patios to the west end of the units, creating a front yard entry court patio could even better serve the occupants by being closer to the kitchen, and would serve as a significant improvement. Finally, here would be a better location for the A/C units, on the ground and tucked into a corner of the area.
We are not in opposition to this project’s general format; all we ask is a modest recognition of, and a respect for, our fundamental needs. These suggested modifications will not significantly alter this project’s purposes and, with an attitude of empathy and cooperation on the designer’s part, they can be fully incorporated into the improved proposal. The result will obviously be a permanent reduction of conflict and a fostering of a peaceable interaction between us and our new neighbors. Surely we, as local citizens, deserve as much.
Thank you for your time, Candace Nagle