Laserfiche WebLink
at all. That has never been the majority of the neighbors that I’ve been speaking to, they’ve <br />never been in opposition to that. What the opposition is, is to the changing of the zone that <br />would increase the density in our backyards, in our neighborhood. If Mr. Tai would pursue an <br />affordable housing development at its current density, I don’t think that anyone would object. So <br />we need to be very clear that this is not about an affordable housing development. This is about <br />increasing the density and the issues that come up as a result of that. Mr. Tai cites in his <br />different letters, he’s making references that the studies that he’s showing and the research that <br />he’s stating that show no impact on property values when a development is well designed and <br />managed similar to neighboring houses. Well, this change of zoning, he’s not comparing apples <br />to apples. If it was, these studies are all of affordable housing developments where they’re <br />residential and the neighborhood is residential, what he’s proposing is an affordable housing <br />development that’s apartment buildings. So you can’t use that research and apply it to this <br />situation. He needs to be taking research that shows how property values are affected when you <br />are in a residential single family situation and then you become surrounded by apartment <br />buildings. That’s the research that he needs to be providing and that he hasn’t. I will say that as <br />an appraiser, when I am appraising a property, I am required to report if the property that I am <br />appraising as a residential appraiser, if there’s a parking lot adjacent to it, whether it’s an <br />apartment building or a commercial complex, it’s something that has to be disclosed, and you <br />have to use comparable residential properties that have that similar attribute. If you can’t find <br />them, then you have to disclose that information and you have to make negative adjustments in <br />your determination of market value for that property, so I don’t see how Mr. Tai can say that <br />these are not going to, that having an apartment building that is visible, is going to be something <br />that is not going to negatively affect our property values. I think if you talk to any residential <br />appraiser, they will tell you we are required to disclose that and we are required to write <br />comparables that have that similar attribute. And it’s not common. It’s not something that’s <br />common. If any of you have recently had your houses appraised, I think you would find that the <br />comparables that are used in your homes, and you don’t have parking lots of comparables that <br />were used in your reports. <br /> <br />One of the things that I provided to you was this picture that actually shows, the top two photos <br />are from our backyard staring into Mr. Tai’s development. The middle photo is from the front of <br />our yard, and then the two bottom photos are just samples of houses in the area. (See Exhibit 1 to <br />this transcript.) What we have requested from Mr. Tai in the community meeting that was held <br />here and was—this whole room was full—every seat was taken, it was a very well-attended <br />community meeting. What I’m, one of the things that I’ve asked for is a buffer yard setback, not <br />because its required, but because it’s a way to minimize the visual effect of having a two-story <br />apartment style development, that we would be looking at. If it would be the way to minimize <br />that effect on our property values. The current landscaping that he is saying is adequate is <br />overgrown weeds. It’s invasive trees. It’s things that aren’t currently being maintained. So, he’s <br />saying there’s no need for a buffer yard setback because of what’s in place right now is <br />sufficient. Well, any planned development, that’s something that you can’t maintain this. This <br />is not something that is adequate. I think that it’s within reason to ask that the land, that there be <br />a buffer yard setback that will minimize what we’re actually visually looking at. What we, I <br />think as neighbors, I think our bottom line is we oppose the development at an increased density. <br />We would encourage the development at its current density. We are not in support of a rezoning <br />to increase the density. There’s just too many unknowns. Whenever there’s been specific <br />8 <br />EXHIBIT E <br /> <br /> <br />