June 29, 2006
 
 
Dear City of Lafayette Planning Commissioners,
 
I was in attendance at last night's planning meeting, and although I
share many of the concerns that other residents voiced about the proposed
Cabrini Gardens development, I would like to share my personal comments as
well.  I greatly appreciate the time and consideration the commission is
giving to this matter!
 
My husband and I purchased our home at 534 Arbor Drive in 1998.  We have a
4-year-old son, and we really enjoy living in Lafayette.  Our home is
located directly south of the section of the proposed development that has
the highest density of townhomes in the plan.  While we certainly
appreciate the reduction that Mr. Markel has made to his original sketch
plan, we are still concerned about the density of the area directly to our
north.
 
Although the overall sketch plan now meets the current medium-density
requirements of the City's Comprehensive Plan, the developer still has
considerable latitude in the design of certain areas of the plan.  The
proposed townhome site directly to the north of our home is significantly
denser than the area to the east, where the majority of proposed homes are
single-family residences.  This density directly impacts our family's
quality of life.  We are concerned about the noise, views, and increased
traffic congestion directly behind our home.  We would like for the
commission to support the development of single family residences abutting
our property to the north and a more evenly distributed mix of townhomes
within the development.
 
We also are concerned about the design of the water-retention area directly
behind our home.  It is our sincere hope that the city will design this
area to be esthetically pleasing as well as functional, and that it will
not end up looking like the weed-infested detention pond currently behind
the King Soopers in our neighborhood.
 
Finally, as the parents of a young child, we also share many of the
residents' concerns about the increased traffic congestion on Crossing
Drive.  The current commuters using this road are speeding through the area
and increasing the traffic will not help matters. We are concerned for the
safety of pedestrians accessing the library, shopping center, and
neighborhood park.
 
Thank you very much for your consideration of our concerns.
 
Most sincerely,
 
Debra and Clarke Southard
534 Arbor Drive