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OPENED PUBLIC HEARING Patty Trayer, Vinedo Lane, opposed the project. She voiced her concerns regarding the aesthetics of the subdivision's proposed homes and multiple driveways. Trayer suggested that the proposed homes were not appropriate for the Town's rural nature and would dramatically change the neighborhood. Steven Wang, Vinedo Lane, opposed the project. His main concerns included: the close proximity of the home to the road; the multiple driveways and their effect on traffic congestion on Vinedo Lane; the applicant's removal of cypress trees that had screened the project; and, the installation of a purple pipe adjacent to his property. Wang questioned if the Town would be assuming the liability for the private road. Eugene Mandel, Vinedo Lane, read into the record a letter signed by eighteen neighbors that opposed the project and supported the alternative recommendations that had been proposed by staff at the Planning Commission's hearing. He did not believe the home's design was compatible with the neighborhood and urged the City Council to mitigate the obtrusiveness of the proposed structure by increasing the setback and eliminating one of the driveways to permit additional landscape screening. John Trayer, Vinedo Lane, offered that the road was in the wrong location and this was the main factor that the home was sited so close to the road. Councilmember Kerr, in summarizing his appeal, offered that he understood that the proposed home was within the Town's guidelines for a flat lot but he believed it was iappropriate for the Council to use their discretion in siting the home on the lot and requiring an additional setback, at a minimum, 10 feet. He did not have a recommendation regarding the driveways. Applicant Comments: Desmond Tuck, attorney representing the applicant, addressed Council. Tuck noted that the project had been in progress since 2007 and was compliant with the Town's rules and regulations. The application did not include any requests for exceptions and had been approved unanimously by the Planning Commission. He shared several photos of neighboring properties to illustrate their close proximity to the road and photos of the road before it had been improved by the applicant. Tuck suggested that once the landscaping plan was implemented, the new home would be more in character with the neighborhood. Scott Stotler, project designer, commented that he had never had a project appealed that had been in compliance with all of the rules and guidelines and received a unanimous approval by the Planning Commission. Stotler reviewed the limitations placed on the project by the constraints of the lot and the required easement dedications. Stotler felt that the curved design of the driveways provided more planting opportunities for screening the house, garage doors, and parked cars from the street. Issac Agam, owner, addressed the Council. Again explained that it had not been their (developers) choice to widen the road in the current configuration; it had been a 12 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 23,2009