Said Councilmember Mary Thun, "I went there.  The woods are in poor condi-tion.  I'm unimpressed with the area.  I'd be open to make Lot #2 15,000 square feet rather than the required 17,500 square feet.  I agree with the developer that his plan accentuates the area.  I was pretty impressed with what could be done."
She asked a nearby property owner, "How would you feel about four houses there?  Maybe there's no plan that you could live with."
Mike Kerber, a nearby property owner, spoke against the project as proposed.  "We've had several 100-year floods in the last few years.  I've lived there 27 years.  Water creeps up onto the road ... This is a forgotten corner.  The smallest lot out here is one acre.  Across the line is Shorewood, and it's 2.5-acre lots.  So why cram five houses on 2.5 acres now?  The rest of the houses are nice big houses.  I've got nothing against smaller houses, but it doesn't conform to anything else in the neighborhood."
Part of the proposed Tall Trees Addi-tion drains into Mr. Kerber's property.
Another nearby resident stated, "When I was growing up, we floated on rafters in there.  We don't live in man-sions out there.  People simply lived out there when nobody else wanted to live there.  People have added onto their houses."
Councilmember Richard Tieden asked the developer, "Could you possibly modify your plan and only put two or three homes on the property?"
Stated Councilmember Terry Bishop, "No matter what decision we make, we'll make somebody unhappy.  Maybe we'll make all of you unhappy."
Stated Mayor Bohn, "You're not the first people to lament the loss of a vacant property."
Councilmember Mary Thun suggest-ed sending the proposal back to the devel-oper to come back with a modified plan.  The issue was tabled.

WHAT ABOUT ASTER TRAIL?
MORE STUDY OF THE AREA NEEDED
On August 28th councilmembers voted 4-0 (Terry Bishop absent) directing staff to continue studying improvement alternatives to Aster Trail in the northeast corner of Victoria, and take into consideration all of the input and comments from Aster Trail residents at the public hearing that evening. 
The area consists mainly of parcels that are each five-acres in size and have their own septic system.  Five-acre parcels are allowed to have a septic system on the property rather than hook up to the regional sewer system.
Most of the homeowners seemed to be in favor of improving the street in some manner, but were concerned about how to divvy up the projected  $440,000 cost.
Again, city council and staff were responding to a petition from at least 35% of the Aster Trail homeowners.  The peti-tion for road improvements was received in 2001, the feasibility study was ordered in 2002, and the city adopted its 50/50 assessment policy in May, 2003.  If the project were approved, the city would pick up the other $440,000.
Stated City Engineer Jack Griffin, "The city has been going through an elaborate study of its roads and design standards.  All new developments are being built to the new standards."
But, he said, in older neighborhoods such as Aster Trail, the city tries to mini-mize impact and allows 24-foot rather than 28-foot roads.  Also, because the pro-jected street improvement at Aster Trail doesn't involve messing up the soils with water and sewer utilities, construction can  occur with 12" of sand instead of the otherwise required 24" in new streets.
Jack said he came up 35 assessable units by looking at some of the larger parcels as potential subdivisions into smaller lots.  According to this method, each unit would be assessed $6,300.  Some of the property owners would be charged for four assessable units.
If the neighborhood homeowners were to be charged equally, regardless of potential to subdivide, the assessment would be $11,500 per homeowner.  There are approximately 20 individual owners.
At least eight affected residents spoke to councilmembers at the August 28th hearing, many of them at length.  They started with compliments and ended with admonition to councilmembers and staff.
Stated 6524 Aster Trail, "I'd like to compliment you folks for doing what you do.  I don't know how you do it.  I'm the person who went door to door and collect-ed signatures.  I think most of us signed the petition.  All of us are curious about costs or scared to death, as the case may be.  I like what I've seen so far.  My hat's off to the engineer and your predecessor who accepted the letter.  I want all the amenities and I'd like all the people from the previous [Hartwood] neighborhood to pay for it."
Stated 6384 Aster Trail,  "Cost is a concern for us, and also speed on the road.  How much faster would people travel [on a blacktop road]?  Would you put in speed bumps?"
Replied Mayor Bohn, "Narrower roads slow down traffic.  That's why we've got narrower roads.  There will be no speed bumps.  They are bad for snow-plows."
Stated 6628 Aster Trail, "Thank you for service to this community.  I'm against this project.  I'm concerned about a peti-tion that hands over rights to a process.  The desire to combine [neighborhood street] projects in a city is good to help reduce costs, but it should not lower the standards.  It seems this is putting the cart before the horse, since we don't yet have sewer and water.  And that road turn-around shown on our property goes right over our septic system.  Also, we were restricted by covenants from ever sub-dividing our properties out there."
City Engineer Jack Griffin said that if sewer were to go in, it wouldn't go in the road path, and that if water were to come in, the city could probably acquire an easement.
City Planner Mark Kaltsas said that unsewered properties are not able to be subdivided until connected to sewer.
Stated 6429 Aster Trail, "I've only got 4.79 acres.  In order to get my variance from the city to build my house, I had to promise never to subdivide.  You guys said it eight years ago that it was an undividable lot and I think you should stick with that and spread the assessment costs equally among us.  I'd like to have blacktop ... possibly."
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