From: Tom Boag
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2026 1:04 PM
To: City Council <[email protected]>
Cc: Eli Arreola <[email protected]>; Victoria Henkel <[email protected]>
Subject: Public comment, October 20 Council meeting: 8100 Valentine Avenue public hearing
Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council,
Please include this letter as written public comment for the October 20 meeting, 8100 Valentine Avenue item.
I live near the project. Thank you to Vice Mayor Maurer for working with Grupe, and to Grupe for the one-story ADUs and deeper setbacks at the north end.
My requests are limited to the City’s own conditions and codes.
Fire access. Condition 28 states that the 12-foot route “shall not be represented or relied upon as a compliant fire apparatus access road.” That leaves one access road for 39 homes, ending in a hammerhead. Condition 26 defers the Fire Apparatus Access Plan to final improvement plans, after Council approval. At the September 22 hearing, staƯ said Fire had "signed oƯ." On October 13, today, City staƯ confirmed to me in writing that there is no formal document from the Fire District other than the conditions of approval. Those conditions are unsigned, name no fire oƯicial, and do not address SMC 16.40.040 (driveways over 500 feet).
I ask the Council to require that the Fire Apparatus Access Plan be completed and made public before the Final Map, with a signed statement from the Fire Code OƯicial explaining how the project meets SMC 16.40.040 and the Fire Code’s dual-access provisions, including any exception relied on.
Trees. Because the Tree Removal Permit was waived as a concession, Condition 3 is the only remaining protection for the redwood grove. The City Arborist’s July 21 review states:
“Before the City can condition this project eƯectively, and before I can complete a protection review, the applicant should prepare and submit a tree protection plan.” Grupe has told me its revised layout will probably remove more trees, and has suggested limiting root-zone encroachment to 20 percent. I ask the Council to amend Condition 3 as follows:
“Condition 3, amended: Before any grading permit, the applicant shall submit a Tree Protection and Replacement Plan for the approved site plan, reviewed by the City Arborist and presented at a noticed Tree Board meeting. The City Arborist shall establish a Tree Protection Zone for each retained tree. Encroachment shall not exceed 20 percent of any Tree Protection Zone. Within a Tree Protection Zone, foundations shall use root-protective methods approved by the City Arborist, such as pier and grade beam, with no trenching or root cutting except under arborist supervision. A certified arborist shall monitor work near retained trees. Any change to the site plan that removes additional trees or increases encroachment shall not be considered substantial conformance and shall return to the Tree Board.”
Please also require a five-year, developer-funded care plan for the retained redwoods, carried afterward by the HOA’s recorded CC&Rs, and protection for neighboring trees whose roots extend onto the site, as the City Arborist recommended.
Demolition. Please require an asbestos and lead survey, at least ten days’ written notice to nearby residents, a dust control plan, set construction hours, and a 24-hour complaint contact before demolition of the 1977 church building.
None of these requests changes the number of homes. They apply the City’s own standards to the plan actually being approved.
Sincerely,
Tom Boag