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The need to manage growth on hillsides without hampering overall growth was hammered at again Monday night by builders, developers and the Roseburg city staff as work continued on a proposed Hillside Development Ordinance.
“The goal here is to have something put in place so developers have something specific to look for,” said Planning Vice Chairman Chris Clark, who led Monday’s Planning Commission meeting.
The city’s Land Use Development Ordinance currently has only one page governing hillsides and with hillside development being so different from flatland development, the commission has had to tackle a number of problems in the past year.
Certain low-lying areas saw mud running off the hillsides last winter.
The main street through the Rocky Ridge Subdivision, a planned-unit development, was built only 20 feet wide, narrower than the city’s standards for local streets.
The planning commission has had to grant several variances to homeowners allowing driveways with a nearly 25 percent slope.
The commission finished taking public comment, but decided to wait until its next meeting, Dec. 18, to determine what to recommend to the City Council, which will then take up the ordinance in January.
Several developers voiced criticisms of the ordinance, saying it was too restrictive to development, especially a “building envelope” requirement to set a place on the lot that could actually be buildable to city standards.
“You don’t know what people want,” said developer Ben Tatone. “You don’t know what people are going to have. Building envelopes make sense for builders, not developers.”
Tatone and others stressed that a home builder decides where to sit the house and what style they want, so it would be speculative to develop a lot not knowing where a future building would sit.
The plan allows for development only from April 15 to Oct. 15 and that slopes and vegetation be kept intact as best as possible. But a ruling by a geotechnical engineer would make each development site-specific.
“The whole ordinance is based on the geotechnical report,” Clark said. “We’ve had to be reactive to the problems that have occurred.”
The problem with steep driveways is that it becomes difficult for firetrucks and other emergency vehicles to have access to the properties.
However, Michael Barnes, developer of Ramp Canyon in southeast Roseburg, argued if streets could have a 20 percent grade, why not driveways, which a firetruck would probably not park in.
“ I can build a subdivision street at 20 percent grade for 300 feet, but I can’t build a driveway above 15 percent for 30 feet,” Barnes said.
Slope is factored by dividing rise (vertical distance) over run (horizontal distance). If a hill went up 100 feet over a horizontal distance of 500 feet, it would have a 20 percent slope.
• You can reach reporter Chris Gray at 957-4218 or by e-mail at cgray@newsreview.info.
“The goal here is to have something put in place so developers have something specific to look for,” said Planning Vice Chairman Chris Clark, who led Monday’s Planning Commission meeting.
The city’s Land Use Development Ordinance currently has only one page governing hillsides and with hillside development being so different from flatland development, the commission has had to tackle a number of problems in the past year.
Certain low-lying areas saw mud running off the hillsides last winter.
The main street through the Rocky Ridge Subdivision, a planned-unit development, was built only 20 feet wide, narrower than the city’s standards for local streets.
The planning commission has had to grant several variances to homeowners allowing driveways with a nearly 25 percent slope.
The commission finished taking public comment, but decided to wait until its next meeting, Dec. 18, to determine what to recommend to the City Council, which will then take up the ordinance in January.
Several developers voiced criticisms of the ordinance, saying it was too restrictive to development, especially a “building envelope” requirement to set a place on the lot that could actually be buildable to city standards.
“You don’t know what people want,” said developer Ben Tatone. “You don’t know what people are going to have. Building envelopes make sense for builders, not developers.”
Tatone and others stressed that a home builder decides where to sit the house and what style they want, so it would be speculative to develop a lot not knowing where a future building would sit.
The plan allows for development only from April 15 to Oct. 15 and that slopes and vegetation be kept intact as best as possible. But a ruling by a geotechnical engineer would make each development site-specific.
“The whole ordinance is based on the geotechnical report,” Clark said. “We’ve had to be reactive to the problems that have occurred.”
The problem with steep driveways is that it becomes difficult for firetrucks and other emergency vehicles to have access to the properties.
However, Michael Barnes, developer of Ramp Canyon in southeast Roseburg, argued if streets could have a 20 percent grade, why not driveways, which a firetruck would probably not park in.
“ I can build a subdivision street at 20 percent grade for 300 feet, but I can’t build a driveway above 15 percent for 30 feet,” Barnes said.
Slope is factored by dividing rise (vertical distance) over run (horizontal distance). If a hill went up 100 feet over a horizontal distance of 500 feet, it would have a 20 percent slope.
• You can reach reporter Chris Gray at 957-4218 or by e-mail at cgray@newsreview.info.
