Document History
Sanchez Property Development by D. Branch
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Overview The 19 acre lot previously owned by the Sanchez Family has been sold, and development is being planned by Dennis Branch. The property is zoned R-1, and the preliminary plans are for a 21 unit subdivision with 19 lot sizes similar to those of the adjacent properties, varying between .7 and 1 acre each, and two "affordable housing" units on smaller lots to meet the City's Housing Opportunity Program (HOP) requirements. Pending filing and approval of plans, construction may start in the spring of 2005. Mr. Branch plans to partner with Mitchell Smith (see solarsmith.net) and other Builders to build out the homes. On 11/18/2004 several residents and members of the SeNA Board were asked to attend a small meeting with the development team to review preliminary plat proposals and key elements of the project. Following this meeting Mr. Branch drafted a response to issues raised in this preliminary meeting. The official filing of the Proposed Plat to the City triggered an Early Neighborhood Notification (ENN), which was held 12/27/04 at the Elks Club. Because the meeting was scheduled between Christmas and New Year's, and the accuracy and visibility of the yellow notice boards was "questionable", Mr. Branch agreed to schedule another ENN in Jan.... A second ENN was held 1/24/2005 at the Elk's Lodge with about 50 residents attending. Keys issues brought up once again were density, traffic, drainage, water, lighting, and casitas. The development team presented almost no new material, no further engineering details, and no revisions to the original plat proposals or commitments to include covenant, code, or deed control over issues of concern. We were informed that more details would be included with the official application which is anticipated to be made to the City mid-Feb. The actual Application was made June 13th, and while the basic concept was the same with a through road and 21 lots, the specific street design submitted was significantly different than earlier proposals. The Board drafted and submitted a 'letter of concern' to the city July 5th, and it was decided another ENN was appropriate, and held on August 2nd. The engineering plans submitted were a disappointment to the SeNA Board in that they did not include any of the recommended design elements, had some grevious engineering oversights with respect to drainage, and missing design elements of great importance such as the design of the street termination with Calle de Leon to specify how they proposed to handle the road crossing over the drainage. At the conclusion of the ENN, Branch/Tigges indicated that they intended to ammend their submittal with a completely new layout... disconnecting Calle de Leon and Cristobal Lane. The initial response from people remaining at the meeting was that this would probably be more acceptable than a through road, but we would reserve acceptance until more detail was available so we could evaluate the impact on other concerns such as drainage. The key elements of the proposed development are; maximum allowable zoned density with 21 lots (19 R-1, plus 2 HOP lots), and a "through" street designs connecting Calle de Leon and Cristobal Lane. Developed lots are expected to sell for $250k-350k with the average built home value in the $800k range. Four alternative plans for the layout of the internal streets have been documented, with #1 (shown to right) being the most likely. All of the street design options are for a "through" street design which would allow pass-through traffic; although all the designs also included elements to discourage passthrough with some "backtracking", several stop signs and intersections. During our discussions, several elements have been brought up which Mr. Branch indicates he "is not interested in", which we find most distressing and insensitive to the local resident concerns.
When additional information is available from the official application, we will add a new article with the available details, so stay tuned! (use the ChangeDetection signup) Concerns/Suggestions Concerns include both construction traffic, additional residential traffic, and potential pass-thru traffic since the current designs include extending and connecting Calle de Leon and Cristobal Lane, creating a "cut-thru" for commuter traffic. The volume, noise, dust and weight of construction traffic through existing neighborhoods and several already-dangerous intersections at either end are an issue, and would have an effect on residents along access routes, adjoining lots and especially those near the planned entrances. Intersections that would probably need to be upgraded to handle added volume are: Additionally, neighborhoods with a "cut-thru" have statistically higher crime and lower home values due to the non-resident traffic. Suggestions to minimize impact include considering the following:
Noise during construction is a big concern. A project of this size and scope could easily take several years, during which time local residents are subject to the sound of heavy equipment moving dirt, large delivery trucks, and all the pounding, sawing, and other noises associated with construction. Initiating a large development like this in the middle of an established, mature, and quiet neighborhood, will have a large impact that should be minimized as much as possible. Suggestions to minimize impact include:
Concerns include the fact that there are several arroyos thru the property that carry significant water. Water flow should not be impeded, increased, or course changed such that it affects adjoining lots. There some concern that changing the flow and drainage may negatively affect some local private wells. Suggestions include:
A major concern of ANY additional development includes increased water use. Suggestions include:
Concerns include the fact that there are a number of trails that have been used by local residents for many years to access the larger arroyos to the South and East. The current plat limits access, and provides only one easement that could potentially be preserved for trail access to Arroyo Chamiso. Suggestions include consideration for establishing additional easements and a "no-build buffer" around most of the perimeter and "cross lots" to retain access to arroyos for hikers AND wildlife similar to neighboring subdivisions of Sun Mt. Estates and Zozobra Lane. Access to trails of this nature is proven to raise property values, and would be a very positive feature to add to development. The City Parks and Rec dept. should be involved early to review the plat for suggested location of a trail easement for the Arroyo Chamiso trail to fullfill (or exceed) the development open space requirements. It should be noted that the Arroyo Chamiso trail extension is a planned feature in the City Master Plan for Future Land Use. Concerns include the visual impact of above-ground poles and distribution boxes for power, phone, and TV cable. Of particular concern is the powerline that is currently above ground across the proposed Calle de Leon entrance as it is low, and crosses a significant arroyo that will require a significant bridge. Additionally, there have been questions concerning the peak capacity of electric, gas, and water with the additional demands; residents would like to see capacity estimates and approvals from all utilities prior to final project approval. Suggestions include requiring buried cables throughout the development, and distribution boxes hidden behind walls, trees, rocks, or other geographic features. Concerns include the visual impact possible designs inconsistant with the neighborhood in size, style or color. In addition to design and construction, people are concerned about guest houses and Casitas raising the effective residence density. Suggestions include requiring the formation of a Homeowners Association and appropriate Covenents to control Architectural design, development and land use. Specific language should be included in the Covenants to control the look, feel, and use of the property. Items that should be specified include:
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click image to enlarge Plat Maps, choose one
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Some of the development planning information on this page was provided by the Developers so that residents can review and prepare comments. The "Concerns/Responses" section was prepared by combining a number of concerns and issues brought forward by the public. After public meetings, we will make an effort to obtain official responses from the Developers, or attempt to paraphrase from meeting notes.