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Staff Report to the Planning Commission Lands of Blackman 13815 Barton Court January 27, 2005 Page 4 of 11 the site development and the quantity and flow rate of onsite surface runoff will not increase. Pursuant to Section 10-2.503, Drainage Facilities Standards, of the Municipal Code, the Engineering Department has reviewed and determined that the proposed drainage design complies with Town requirements. The Engineering Department will review and approve the final drainage plan prior to acceptance of plans for building plan check. Final "as - built" grading and drainage will be inspected by the Engineering Department, and any deficiencies will be required to be corrected prior to final inspection. Grading Total grading quantities include 5,075 cubic yards of cut (basement, rear yard, and swimming pool) and 660 cubic yards of fill (driveway and north of the main residence). The Engineering Department has reviewed the proposed grading and concluded that it is not in conformance with the Town's grading policy. Specifically, the applicant is requesting up to 12.5' of slope cut in the rear yard covering approximately 4,000 square feet in area to create a flat pad in order to accommodate a swimming pool and lawn areas. (Attachment 3) According to the Town's grading policy, the maximum allowable cut for decks and yards is 4'. However, the Planning Commission has the discretion to approve grading levels beyond standard requirements when the individual site dictates the need to. deviate from the criteria. The purpose of the Town's grading policy is to assure construction that retains the existing contours and basic landform of the site to the greatest extent feasible. In reviewing the proposal, staff does not recommend approval of the excessive grading for the following reasons: 1) The Planning Commission has approved exceptions to the grading policy for necessary improvements such as a driveway or a main residence particularly when such exceptions would result in the preservation of trees or the lowering of the house profile on highly visible hillside lots. However, the Planning Commission has determined that the installation of amenities such as pools, decks, and lawns should generally conform to the limitations of the Town Grading Policy and the existing hillside terrain. In the past, the Planning Commission has rejected requests for the wholesale grading and alteration of hillsides in order to accommodate pools and expansive flat lawns. The most recent example was for the Lands of Shimmon, 24301 Elise Court, 202-02-ZP-SD-GD on June 12, 2003. 2) In reviewing similar proposals, staff has consistently directed applicants to redesign their projects to adhere to the Town's grading limits. This property is not unique in that many other sites in the Town are similarly constrained by the hilly terrain.