9_4_24 Planning Board Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Approved 12.4.24 822 Statler Gilfillen: You could put a tree almost, a 4-foot tree almost right on the foundation, and that is structurally 823 not good for the foundation. I have a shed with an ash tree that is cracking a foundation right now. 824 825 Beth Bronson: But these are non-residential development standards, correct? 826 827 Perdita Holtz: They are. This is an existing standard. The red is the new stuff. 828 829 Charity Kirk: I mean, I do think when I was talking to Patrick about this a long time ago, he was trying to clarify 830 this for a certain amount of non-landscapers out there, well, some portion of it. So, for the non-831 landscapers that don't understand having a little bit more clarity about a minimum distance away 832 from the building foundation might be, I think, I would agree that that would probably be helpful. 833 834 Perdita Holtz: People have to submit the plan of how they're going to plant, and during staff review, I think that 835 things like that could be caught if they're saying that they're going to plant their holly bush a foot 836 from the foundation. 837 838 Charity Kirk: Yeah, it could, but it might not be caught, too, and it would be easier for people to have something 839 in writing. 840 841 Statler Gilfillen: When a plant is very small, it's very common just to put it right up against the foundation. 842 843 Perdita Holtz: I believe you should work it into your motion if you want to make this change. 844 845 Charity Kirk: So, Statler, what is the minimum distance from the foundation that you would suggest? 846 847 Statler Gilfillen: Typically, it's enough so you can walk behind, between the plant and the foundation, which is 848 about 2 feet. 849 850 Charity Kirk: So, a minimum of 2 feet. 851 852 Statler Gilfillen: Minimum of 2 feet, and then 5 or 6 feet of planting beyond that should be acceptable to control it. 853 854 Beth Bronson: Yeah, and again, I think that we're taking this as a very literal thing, and to add it to the motion is 855 going to maybe clarify, but it may actually make it more confusing, too. In that sense, it's about 856 non-commercial buildings. It's that you can't see the dirty foot from where the dirt is after they're 857 done building, and then you don't see the corners of the building going into the ground. That's my 858 understanding of what the intention here is, is that you don't just have a bar building going around. 859 Now, that said, to previously points, that could be 10, 15 feet away from the foundation because, 860 typically, some non-commercial buildings are not going to be right up on the sidewalk or within 5 861 feet of the right of way. And in something like a more dense urban area, like a municipality, I 862 could see that development standard being different or there being exceptions to that, such as 863 Part 2. 864 865 Marilyn Carter: Is there going to be a motion made? Because I have a different question I'd like to pose, 866 completely different subject. 867 868 Adam Beeman: No, we're not in motion section yet. We got a ways to go. 869 870 Charity Kirk: So, would tacking on a sentence, so vegetation of varying heights and textures shall be placed 871 along walls and fences to soften the planes. Landscaping should be planted a minimum of 2 feet 872 from the foundation. Like just tag that on at the end? 873 874 Perdita Holtz: I would suggest doing a Sub A and just saying something like landscaping should be planted at 875 least 2 feet from the foundation. 876