By Cathy Ingalls
Albany Democrat-Herald | Posted: Thursday, November 13, 2008 12:00 am
Disagreement over how stormwater runoff should be handled from the proposed Fabian Estates subdivision in North Albany was one reason the Albany City Council on Wednesday decided to continue until next month a public hearing on issues raised by a state agency.
Another reason was the amount of technical engineering data given to the council during the hearing. There was not a way the council could go over its contents during the meeting and understand it without guidance from city engineers, who were unfamiliar with the material as well.
So after 21/2 hours of testimony, the council agreed to take up the matter again at its Dec. 8 meeting. Meanwhile attorneys and engineers involved on both sides of the subdivision development's water plan will submit written comments to the city on issues raised at the hearing.
On Dec. 12, 2007, the council approved a subdivision tentative plat application and site plan review for tree felling for the subdivision. The property is on the south side of Maier Lane, east of Skyline Drive. The proposal is to divide a 4.52-acre parcel into 11 single-family lots.
Mark Azevedo and Kathy Cook appealed the decision to the state Land Use Board of Appeals.
LUBA asked the council to review three aspects of its decision: what type of access should be provided from the subdivision to the property to the east; a response to whether lot sizes should be increased when slopes in a development exceed 25 percent; and an updated storm drainage plan that includes conditions imposed by the council.
Most of the discussion on Wednesday centered upon whether the storm drainage plan developed by Dan Watson of K&D Engineering for Frank Fabian was sufficient to deal with storm water flow from the subdivision. The water eventually would empty into West Thornton Lake.
Councilor Floyd Collins wondered if the disturbance of the soil and the trees cut to make way for the subdivision could create soil instability, resulting in a slide similar to what happened in the West Hills of Portland.
Norm Hill, an attorney from Salem representing Azevedo and Cook, said calculations regarding the capacity of the proposed storm drainage system submitted by K&D Engineering were wrong in some places.
That is one of the issues to be discussed Dec. 8.
The plan Watson presented requires an easement for water to pass over a property not owned by the developer. The property owner has not given his permission.
If permission does not come, the developer would propose another plan, which would only have to be approved by the city's engineering staff, to which Councilor Dick Olsen objected.
The neighbors, however, could ask for a public hearing on the alternative plan.
IN OTHER BUSINESS
The Albany City Council on Wednesday took the following actions:
n Extended a property tax abatement agreement between the city, a co-sponsor of the South Santiam Enterprise Zone, and Entek Membranes LLC.
n Voted to restrict parking along 50 feet of curb on the west side of Industrial Way near a driveway at Synthetech.
n Voted to restrict parking on the south side of 36th Avenue east of Columbus Street between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. when school is in session.
n Authorized the city manager to sign a lease agreement with District 4 Council of Governments to use the senior center for the senior meals program.
n Approved a liquor license for Mexico Lindo II at 637 Hickory St.