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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLog010 . . NARRATIVE . / n.. ____ -"'-'C"-'~-l;W_' - &:J .f "J' """''"'''~- . -... .. _.' ~ . _..-...... . . . \ Discovery Bay Planned Rural Residential Development (PRRD) And Golf Course Preservation Plan land Division Supplemental Application Jefferson County, Washington Narrative Statement The proposed project is for a Planned Rural Residential Development (PRRD) as a central component to a historic golf course preservation plan. The golf course was re- named the Discovery Bay Golf Club following a recent purchase from its long-time owners, the Bailey family. The original nine holes of the former Chevy Chase Golf Course opened for play in 1925 and are considered the oldest continuously operated public golf facility in the State of Washington. In order to financially justify continued operations and ongoing maintenance for the golf course, the current owners are proposing minimalist development of a clustered residential community to be tucked into the wooded areas surrounding the course itself. Project Background and Justification The new ownership is called WeFore, LLC and consists of Sr. Nicolas Hurtado, of Santiago, Chile and Mr. Michael Asmundson, a former Washington native who currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mr. Asmundson, in addition to being the managing partner of WeFore, LLC is also a golf course designer. To his credit is the new nine- hole expansion at Chevy Chase Golf Course which opened in 1997. The Owners desire to accomplish several specific goals, all of which are integral to the PRRD as they attempt to save this historic public golf course from extinction. These are as follows: . Create a distinctive residential community that has a variety of residential products (types and sizes), each one well adapted to the site's topography, native vegetation, existing golf course and view corridors. . Create an architectural product that possesses historic and rural character utilizing natural materials in both traditional and innovative applications. . Group or cluster the residential units at densities that produce functional neighborhoods while reserving larger and more contiguousl.t~ pT~sturbed land and/or managed open space. #__ Ie Page 2..- of ( S" . . . \ I r:L~ Y - 9 2005 . Minimize the builder's footprint on the land during and after construction through effective site planning and architectural guidelines (CC& R's). . Create a distinctive residential community that today is unparalleled, but one day becomes the standard. ECONOMIC SETTING The Owners had an economic analysis performed for the property, focusing on the marketability and value of the proposed residential project and the golf course. An experienced consultant, who has performed this type of service on several projects throughout the NW including Dungeness and Gold Mountain (two very successful golf courses), conducted the study and reported the results this past January. The analysis was quite sobering. The Owners' investment was likely protected as a result of the value of the real property in today's heated real estate market, and maximum development could return profits. Unfortunately, the golf course would likely be a burden that would quickly consume any initial profits from real estate development. Golf in the Puget Sound region is overbuilt and more courses are coming on line the next couple years. It continually costs more to travel from the east side of Puget Sound to the Olympic Peninsula and the amount of time it takes is even more impacted, especially during the summer. Not as many people are taking up the game and those that do play are playing less. The consultant's recommendation was to develop the property for residential use, and eliminate the golf course entirely. The conclusions are backed-up by recent experience. Discovery Bay Golf Club has been in a steady decline for the past several years losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in operational costs and capital improvements. This is attributable to a variety of factors, principally a downturn in the local economy, lack of adequate funds for maintenance resulting in poor conditioning and presentation, inconsistent management, and lack of quality service. While the drop in revenues appears to have bottomed, the course would need several million dollars invested in it to have any hope of attracting the limited market share of customers. It became apparent that the golf course's only chance for survival was to pursue a residential project. The current Owners were seriously disappointed. They were aware that Port Townsend is not necessarily a golf community, but there are not going to be any new golf courses built in the area in a long time, if ever. The County's current Comprehensive Land Use Plan has restricted development densities to the point where it is not possible to have sufficient return to offset the costs required to create a new golf facility. Having a passion for the game of golf, the last legacy we want is to be the ones that finally turn the lights out on Discovery Bay; Jefferson County's only and last affordable public golf course. So the problem becomes "how can we save the Discovery Bay Golf Club?" How do we put golf on people's radar when making a visit to the Olympic Peninsula? And, is it possible to create a product that is equal to if not better than all the other courses in the area? During this past January and February we explored other recommended business concepts affecting Discovery Bay that included: ,LOG ITEM #_ (0 Page.5 of '"S ~,~< \ I . ., "'- ...."./ ,j 40 Lot Subdivision with No Golf Course This concept would immediately close the golf course and begin planning for a forty lot subdivision. The golf course would be decommissioned and the process of natural landscape restoration begun. The project could achieve premium value with a complete amenity package of meadows, ponds, private trails and extended views. The economic return would be significant with the minimum of risk. However, the project would most definitely be unpopular to local golfers. This is an intriguing concept but the new Owners are not ready to be tarred and feathered quite yet. Nine Hole Semi-Private Golf Club with PRRD This option would return to a nine-hole, semi-private golf club with some form of PRRD that would include a mix of residential parcels ranging from one acre to 5 acres in size. The golf course would be converted to nine holes cobbling together holes from each nine. The clubhouse would be relocated with access off Discovery Road. The course would be open for public play between May until the end of September. The clubhouse would be closed for the winter with access only to members. A couple of maintenance personnel would remain year around and function more like caretakers. While revenues would decrease slightly, operations and maintenance would be significantly reduced. . Revised PRRD Project with 18 Hole Golf Course Contrary to the opinion of our economic consultant, the Owners decided to do everything ifl-they could to save the golf course as an 18 hole facility. To that end, the Owners took a hard look at whether they might be able to reduce the golf course's redevelopment costs. At the same time, tIley--could the development costs for the residential project be reduced while adding value for the proposed lots and homes? The Discovery Bay PRRD being submitted hopefully accomplishes these goals.. Instead of 22 lots on the upper ridge, the proposal is for 14 lots with 18 cabins in two clustered areas separated by the required 600 feet. The length of paved roadway has been reduced. Improvements to the golf course are limited to providing new drainage and irrigation on the original nine holes while improving two inferior golf holes on that nine and the creation of one completely new golf hole on the back nine that will provide separation and add value 0 the residential project. It is essential to accomplish the following goals: . To create a year-round maintainable and playable 18 hole golf course that provides a fun, memorable and challenging experience for players of all skill levels. . To provide much needed drainage and automated irrigation systems which are essentially non-existent on the original nine. . . To improve the level of service for all operations by buildingl"e.lationshJps with new residents, neighbors and the community in general. ()G ITEM #- Ie P""""1"\:,,?'" U f a8~;; 7 0-15 - . . . . To reorganize and improve the entire arrival experience in and around the clubhouse including relocating the maintenance facility, providing new cart storage and staging areas, expanding practice facilities, providing new access with landscaped parking areas, and performing a facelift for the clubhouse. With the adoption of the County's 1998 Comprehensive Land Use Plan, basic principles were put in place to accommodate new population growth, including those such as the proposed PRRD. We are confident that the plan being submitted is in full compliance with guiding principles of the Comprehensive Plan and the development standards of the Unified Development Code. For example, the proposal is in harmony with the following guiding principles: . Maintain and preserve the natural beauty, rural character, and variety of lifestyles that make up the intrinsic character of this community. . Protect and conserve the local natural resource base, balancing both habitat and economic values. . Reinforce and enhance the historic sense of "place" or "community" around traditional population centers. LOG ITEr\r1 #_--~{" p""""'".l~"", &:. of ./ tj\;~t<:;,: .Jv-_ -1.'.:>_~_~ . . . '-' - ::3 Discovery Bay Planned Rural Residential Development (PRRD) Response to Uniform Development Code Section 3.6.13 The Discovery Bay Planned Rural Residential Development offers a residential development that is superior to and more innovative than conventional development. In addition, by offering a mechanism for protecting the future of the historic golf course, it offers a benefit to the public beyond that available through conventional development. 1. Planned Rural Residential Development Goals The Discovery Bay Subdivision and PRRD are proposed to create housing that will perfectly fit each cluster neighborhood with the surrounding natural vegetation. It will also meet all of the County requirements of the UDC for a Planned Rural Residential Development. The proposal is a creative site layout and design offering flexibility in the type and design of rural residential housing that could be available to the public. It satisfies the purposes of a PRRD set forth in Section 3.6.13.1 in the following ways: a. Provide for residential development in rural areas in a way that maintains or enhances the county's rural character. Discovery Bay Subdivision and PRRD is a 200 + acre parcel located in the RR 1:5 zone. The land could be subdivided into 40-five acre lots as a Long Plat eliminating the golf course. However, the golf course's presence has established pre-existing patterns of development in the area that can be maintained with the proposal. By employing the cluster concept and complying with the bonus density criteria, an additional eight (8) homes can be vested and still retain significant reserve tracts and preserve the property's pre-existing landscape. Clustering the dwelling units in smaller, more compact neighborhoods amongst native vegetation will preserve a greater amount of open space thus enhancing the property's rural character. b. Allow development of land with physical constraints while preserving the natural characteristics of the site, including topography, native vegetation, wildlife habitat, environmentally sensitive areas, and other natural amenities of value to the community. The proposal works with the topographic limitations of the site, preserves and enhances existing habitat, and is intended to maximize the site's natural amenities. The PRRD will protect the steeper slopes of the site by managing surface water runoff and through augmentation of the forest understory as part of the landscape restoration and naturalization of the site. Various project alternatives were considered until one was designed that could avoid wetlands, streams, ponds and their buffers, and other potentially sensitive areas. The maximum amount of open space is being provided with development only occurring on 23% of the property. Landscape preservation and restoration will create broader and more effective wildlife corriqors and increase the value for new residents as well as our neighbors. LOG ITEfV1 #_ {D Pags' G _o~" . . . \ Existing Post Description Condition Development , Total Site Area 200 PRRD Development Roads 6 Residences 5 Private Outdoor Spaces 8 Sub-Total 19 Total Proposed Clearing 19 Undisturbed Area 27 Total Area 46 Golf Course Irrigated Turf 89 82 Lakes/Ponds 0.8 2.5 Cart Paths 4 4.5 Support Facilities 2 2.5 Converted Transitional Landscape n/a 3.5 Wooded Transition @ Discovery and Cape George Roads 9 9 Undisturbed Areas Wetlands 3.2 4 Wildlife Corridor including regulated wetland buffers 32 32 Interior Forested Woodlands 14 14 Open Space Reserve 154 154 c. Retain large undivided parcels of land that provide opportunities for compatible agriculture and other rural land uses. Large areas of the property will be kept in reserve; however agriculture is probably not viable on the site. The golf course itself is the primary land use feature, and this proposal is intended to retain it. d. Facilitate the creation of open space corridors for recreation and aesthetic enjoyment. Four separate, clustered neighborhoods will feature ample distance between each and add to the amount of open space corridors, which will provide recreational and aesthetic value. Not only are large tracts of contiguous land being preserved in a relative undisturbed state, the Owner intends over the next few years to continue with an active landscape restoration program. This will increase the value of wildlife habitat surrounding the turf areas of the golf course while improving the aesthetics of the course in general. Almost two miles of trails are being proposed which will tCOO"itblu.1\ , our project but also connect the Larry Scott Trail with Cape George Road. . I t:JV1 1{. (0 p:!:,\n(;:'i, ()- f ~AtP '~----L- 0' .-!'5' . . . - 9 2005 e. Permit developers to use innovative methods and approaches not available under conventional zoning methods to facilitate the construction of a variety of housing types and densities serving the diverse housing needs of Jefferson County residents. The proposal is for 48 lots of various sizes and configurations, and envisions a variety of housing products. The amount of proposed open space reserve area at 77% exceeds the minimum requirement of 65% per the PRRD ordinance. Creative layout of residential pads, minimal grading and cutting for road construction and utilizing existing natural swales for runoff collection and storm water management are all consistent with the intended site planning standards that the PRRD ordinance encourages. The size of the individual homes will vary to attract a wider market of future residents from early retirees to families who desire a more rural setting. f. Provide for the economical provision of infrastructure to new development by allowing choices in the layout of roads, provision of community water and wastewater disposal systems and other improvements through superior site design and the use of clustering. Constructing 8,000 lineal feet of new roadway and associated utility infrastructure is a significant burden for only 48 homes to absorb. The PRRD process encourages innovation in the design and engineering of these systems which will help conserve costs, produce a product that is more sensitive to the environment, has more rural character, and which is ultimately safer. Access roads into and within the PRRD will be private. The applicant proposes that the combined width of the shoulder and paved section be in accordance with County requirements. However, new studies are showing that smaller paved sections slow down vehicles without compromising safety. This is also better for the environment with less runoff and less asphalt surface. The golf course is facilitating the conveyance and detention areas for storm drainage for all of the residential areas as well as providing space for the community drain fields and reserve fields for disposal of on site sewage effluent. The source of potable water for the PRRD will be from Jefferson County Public Utility District #1. The non-turf, non-play areas of the golf course area will be enhanced through a process of natural restoration by adding native plant materials that are typically associated with the ecological units found on the site. Clustering the residential development consolidates habitation into smaller residential neighborhoods with adequate separation to maintain a sense of community, but which also preserves the site's rural character. 2. Planned Rural Residential Standards Section 3.6.13.3: land Area and Dwelling Unit Cap The Discovery Bay PRRD site is 200 acres which is is within the range of the 10 to 223 acres allowed for the RR 1:5 zone. The maximum number of dwelli~Q.....units bei!)9 LUG ITEM #- -l~ Page ~ of l( -. . . . MAY -9 2005 proposed is 48 including the bonus density. Both the site and the proposed number of units are below the threshold for each category under r Section 3.6.13.10. Section 3.6.13.4: Reserve Tract Requirements AcreaQe. The golf course will be retained as reserve area/open space. Additional properties within the PRRD will also be included as reserve area/open space. Approximately 77% (154 acres) of the entire site will be held in reserve. Ownership. Upon completion of the PRRD, WeFore, LLC will continue to own the reserve areas (golf course and open space) until such time that it might be sold to another entity. All transfers of ownership will ensure the open space is preserved in perpetuity through deed restrictions. Community Systems. A community drain field for septic and the storm water detention facilities will be located within the reserve area. Pipelines for septic, storm and potable water will pass through the reserve area as may electric and telephone in designated easement corridors. Golf Course. The existing golf course and its accessory uses are proposed as part of the reserve tract requirements. The golf course has been on the site since 1925, and the "back nine" was added in 1997. The proposal does not envision any significant changes to the golf course, other than modifications and improvements of the kind that are normally undertaken as part of golf course upkeep and ongoing maintenance. Permits for site development are necessary but "use" permits are not sought given the fact that the golf course has been on the property continuously as a pre-existing use. Because the proposal is not for a new golf course as part of the PRRD, the application requirement of Section 3.6.13.4(d) is not applicable, nor is a separate conditional use permit application necessary. Section 3.6.13.10: Density Bonus Criteria The PRRD process and its criteria for determining eligibility for the bonus density clearly distinguish superior site design over conventional development. The PRRD ordinance states that "Such bonus densities may be granted to a deserving application if the PRRD plan submitted is judged by the Hearing Examiner to have achieved one (1) or more of the bonus density criteria in below." The Discovery Bay proposal satisfies five of the six criteria in the following ways: . Preservation of Natural, Historical and Cultural Features The proposed residential project and golf course renovation is well adapted to the land and minimizes any land form alteration while preserving existing natural drainage patterns. It entails minimum disturbance and preservation of the natural features of the property, and avoids important wildlife habitat areas. In addition, the project exceeds the minimum area required to be set aside as open space reserve. Saving the golf course also preserves a unique rural scenic and recreational resource ~~irr~ and cultural value. # (0 Page_ q Oft,S:- \ - 9 2005 . . Public Service and Facility Availability The PRRD includes the construction of 1.8 miles of trails for pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian use for its future residents as well as the community in general. These trails will link the Larry Scott Trail with Cape George Road to the south and have an internal loop. The trails are more than a narrow adjunct to the road right-of-way as additional land is being dedicated for their purpose. Overlook rest areas or small pocket parks are proposed to be located strategically along the paths and the paths will be eight (8') in width of graveled surface meandering through the site. A public off-leash dog park is also being proposed where people can come and relax while they and their pets socialize. . Energy Efficiency Discovery Bay intends to establish a new standard in sustainable green architecture that includes southern orientation of residential units, added window glazing and insulation levels, reduced paved roadway sections, the use of all native plant materials reducing water and power consumption along with minimal maintenance requirements once established. These items will be administered through CC&R's, and it is also the Owner's intention to demonstrate their incorporation in the built product. . . Public Recreation Discovery Bay Golf Club is the only 18 hole, affordable, public golf facility in Jefferson County. We are dedicated to its preservation and believe that if we are creative, work hard, and develop a solid business plan that once again Discovery Bay GC will be known as a family-oriented rural golf course. The improvements to the golf course will make it more challenging and also create year-round playing conditions. Not only do we aspire to be competitive, we want to lead the way and eventually have our competition trying to catch up with us. In so doing, we will not change the course's rural atmosphere which is both charming and memorable, and it will always be affordable for the residents of Jefferson County. . Environmental Design . The PRRD preserves and utilizes existing natural drainage courses for the conveyance of storm water through the open space to several detention basins within the golf course. A public trail system (1.8 miles) is being provided along with the dog park and public golf course. The CC&R's will assure that the landscape restoration is based upon an understanding of how ecosystems work. That methodology includes the consideration of species requirements, maintenance of natural areas and biological diversity, island biogeography, landscape ecology, and ecosystems. The combined analysis of these disciplines has led to recognition of specific principles that can be applied to managed parcels of land to maintain and restore natural diversity. LOG ITEM # ~ (0 Pag~3; _ it of (r . . . .- ,;) .,j.' Discovery Bay Long Subdivision Response to Uniform Development Code Section 7.4.5 The Discovery Bay PRRD submittal is a concurrent process of review which allows for variance in density to qualified applications in addition to encouraging innovation in design and engineering as applied to various elements within a project. The Long Subdivision Preliminary Application (Section UDC 7.4.5) requires some additional information and design development for various aspects and/or elements of a particular project over and above that requested in the PRRD ordinance. This narrative will attempt to address those differences. There are several requests for information between the two ordinances with regard to the submittal requirements which are the same. If a particular item is not discussed herein and appears missing then one may assume that it has been covered in earlier narrative discussions for the PRRD. If for some reason we have left something out, it is inadvertent. The differences between the Long Subdivision and the PRRD are as follows: Item 7.4.4.a.5 Some of the proposed clearing will occur within the golf course and is related to those improvements, while the remaining clearing is for the proposed residential development. In many instances the trees being removed inside the golf course are in turf rather than a forested condition. Access will be through the golf course on previous construction and maintenance access roads. Item 7.4.4.c.3 The Discovery Bay Golf Club site is composed of eighteen individual tax parcels which will be vacated upon completion of the final long subdivision plat. Information is provided as an attachment to the Master Land Use Application and in the drawing submittals. These will depend upon favorable acceptance of the total requested density being converted to forty-eight (48) new residential lots and one (1) open space reserve tract that includes the golf course. Item 7.4.4.c.5 A condition of sale when the Discovery Bay Golf Club was recently purchased included the granting of an easement for a community drain field for septic for the Chevy Chase Beach Cabins which was recently recorded. An eighty foot (80') easement has been initially established which will be replaced by a twenty (20') easement upon completion of the installation and the as-built record. Installation of this system is ongoing at this time. LOG JTEt\t1 # co -=--- Pag(;: (/ _of~ . Additional easements involve the granting of three separate small tracts of land immediately to the north of the Beach Cabin drain field for installation of individual drain fields for the three (3) Bailey short plat lots adjacent to the Beach Cabins. These are to be combined with the community drain field being constructed and are to be vacated upon completion of the current installation. Item 7.4.4.c.12 There is a small septic drain field for the golf course clubhouse which is located immediately to the north of the building. This drain field will be abandoned and the effluent from a new septic tank will be pumped to one of the new community drain fields proposed for the residential development. Item 7.4.4.d.1 Long Subdivision applications require proof of the lot boundaries and areas for consistency with the designated density classification as represented in the Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan. The Discovery Bay site is designated RR1:5 or one unit per five (5) acres. The PRRD ordinance is a planning instrument which allows clustering of units onto smaller than the designated parcels provided that a percentage of the land being subdivided is placed into a open space reserve tract. The PRRD ordinance also permits bonus densities based upon satisfactory compliance with innovative site planning and engineering solutions and for providing public benefits otherwise non-existing. . In the case of the thirty (30) custom lots being proposed in this submittal all of the requested meets and bounds and areas have been provided. However, in the case of the Ridge Cabins only the parcel boundaries have been identified with a proposed unit density for a particular parcel which will when divided yield the average area per unit. The actual siting and architectural design for each cabin will be on a site specific basis taking into consideration the orientation, topography, vegetation, drainage, aspect, etc. This methodology will yield the best adapted product with the least amount of disturbance. The PRRD ordinance allows for this flexibility at this stage of the review process and encourages this type of approach in order to provide more sensitivity to a site's natural features. Not knowing the final density could cause significant modifications to both the concept and actual site plan. Item 7.4.4.d.4 Discovery Bay PRRD is proposing 1.8 miles of trails which will connect the Larry Scott Trail to Cape George Road and will loop through the project. The trail corridor is in addition to the proposed road right of ways and in some instances shares cart and maintenance paths with the golf course. These trails will be for our future residents and neighbors use. Conditions for use will allow pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian use but will not allow any form of motorized conveyance with exception to those trails that share cart and maintenance paths. Maintenance responsibilities will also need to be defined. . \, LOG \TEM # '0- '---;-- f \( D'::i;f'h':'Ji (?.JI' 0 - 'I {,.A-~'T:-,,'!_ - - - - - ~ MAY -9 2005 ",_~_.,.~f....'~ MAY - 9 2005 . Item 7.4.4.d.9 The PUD has issued a Certificate of Availability to provide potable water to the Discovery Bay PRRD which is attached to the Master Land Use Plan. The system will be connected to an existing PUD mainline above the booster pump near the very northwest corner of the Discovery Bay site along Cape George Road. This connection will allow Discovery Bay to maintain more constant pressure and could eliminate the need for an additional booster pump should it be necessary to make the connection below the existing pump. Potable mainlines will for the most part follow proposed road alignments and will eventually bring PUD water to Discovery Road near Snagstead Way at the northern end of the project. This is an area within the PUD's domain which until now did not have a system in place. Once the loop is eventually closed, water availability for the entire community not just Discovery Bay will be more reliable on a year around basis. . . Item 7.4.4.d.10 Included in the submittal for the Discovery Bay PRRD is a report on the feasibility for providing on site community drain fields for disposal of the sewage effluent. Sufficient suitable soils exist within the golf course to accommodate the community system. Actual engineering design has not been provided to determine which lots and or cabins might have individual septic tanks versus grouped septic systems, the location of any pressure pumps, gravity lines, etc. Again not know the final density could cause considerable redesign of this system and is premature at this stage in the approval process. The PRRD ordinance only requests that one provide proof of the project site's ability to accommodate which we have been able to demonstrate. Discovery Bay PRRD would like to reserve the ability should additional suitable soils be located on site in closer proximity to the residential neighborhoods that the final location of grouped community fields and/or individual septic systems might be evaluated and incorporate in the final system design and engineering. Item 7.4.4.d.11 Stormwater management on the site has been designed for compliance to the Western Washington Stormwater Management Manual using the continuous simulation model. Six separate drainage sub-basins exist at the site and each was modeled in both the pre-development and post development conditions. Soils at the site are generally classed in hydrologic group "C" with a moderate infiltration capability. In this analysis, the golf course was modeled as an existing condition. The areas of the PRRD where impervious surfaces have been added were modeled using the pre-development condition as "forested" in accordance with the State guidelines. Modeling further assumed that the roof runoff from the residences will be fully infiltrated at each lot. The final stormwater plan improves the drainage conditions on the golf course and accommodates the added impervious surfaces due to construction of the residential units and the associated roads and utilities. The major features of the stormwater management plan include: LOG ITE~.J1 # (c. Pag:a 13> -_of l f . - 9 2005 (a) Upgrading an existing pond at the golf course to provide a surge capacity for stormwater (b) Constructing two new ponds on the golf course that will have surge capacity to accommodate stormwater runoff (c) Constructing one new detention pond to accommodate the residences and roadway drainage on the east side of the PRRD (d) Constructing two infiltration/dispersion trenches to control releases to the wetland near the south end of the PRRD Item 7.4.4.d.12 For road cross sections and pedestrian trails, we are proposing that the actual width of pavement be reduced to 20-22' for grades over 10% and 18-20' for roads under 10%. Pedestrian trails and walks will be constructed separate from the road within their own corridor and there will not be any street parking permitted within n the project. The width of the shoulders will be increased to match the current county standards in terms of overall road width. Reducing the amount of asphalt paving will decrease runoff and improve water quality and is better for the environment. The PRRD ordinance encourages innovation in this regard. Recent studies have shown that reducing the scale of ones roads has tendency to decrease travel speeds and are not only more consistent with rural character but are ultimately safer. . Item 7.4.4.d.14 Please refer to Section 7 in this submittal which discusses landscape concept for both the residential and golf course portions of the Discovery Bay PRRD. . Item 7.4.4.d.16 Please refer to Section 6 in this submittal which provides outline table of contents for the Design Guidelines which will make up the Codes, Covenants, and Regulations for this project. Item 7.4.5.a.1 The Proposed Discovery Bay subdivision conforms to the requirements of the PRRD and long subdivision codes as well as the Jefferson County Comprehensive plan. The development of this project is critical to preserving not only public recreation but equally important is the need for quality employment opportunities within the County that will allow younger people the opportunity to remain within the communities on which they grew up rather than being forced to leave due to the lack of meaningful employment. Item 7.4.5.a.2 The contents of this submittal package address each of the essential public services that would be associated and or required for a project of this dimension. There is a synergy the Discovery Bay PRRD provides that allows for the creation ~S'''rE'M~md # 10 Papl8 \ 1 of \ ~ ~...;~ --- . preservation of these services that, without this project, would not only not exist and that some of the systems presently in place could easily degrade. These are more effective storm drainage controls, reliable potable water, public recreation, jobs, and rural character. Thus it is important that this project be approved in its entirety; which translates to the improved health, safety, and general welfare of the public. . . LCJG ITEM # --,.__..___L~ PagE)__~_of {~