Sycamore Knolls Neighborhood Association
Annual Meeting
November 18, 2010
MINUTES
I. Welcome
After a brief welcome from SKNA President Robert Terrill, the floor was given to Tim Hansen of Wininger-Stolberg and John Talbot of CarDon & Associates (developers of Bell Trace), for information about the proposed development of a senior-care facility in the northwest corner of the Renwick development. The notes below a drawn from their comments.
II. Tim Hansen and John Talbot
Building this facility will require a modification of the PUD (Planned Unit Development) that originally was approved for Renwick. Any PUD or planned change to a PUD must show community benefit.
The proposed changes will first be presented to the Bloomington Planning Commission on December 13. This meeting will be to present the plan. The plan will be brought to a vote at the second meeting of the Planning Commission on February 7. If the plan is approved by the Planning Commission, then it comes before the City Council for a series of three meetings; it will be brought to a vote at the last of these three meetings.
The plan involves three types of residences: several detached cottages, up to three “manor homes,” and a larger apartment-type building. The detached cottages will be for residents who require minimal assistance. These will be wired into the medical alert system of the complex, and residents may take their meals in the common dining rooms if they wish. These detached cottages will face Renwick Boulevard (the long street that connects to the roundabout on Moores Pike). The “manor homes” will consist of suites containing 10-12 individual bedrooms grouped around a common kitchen. These will be set further back, behind and to the west of the cottages. The apartment-type building will include a mix of assisted and independent living arrangements, depending on residents’ needs. It will be three stories tall, plus a basement; it will be constructed still further west, behind the “manor homes,” and will be situated in a small ravine there so that from Moores Pike it will appear to be a two-story building.
The exterior appearance of the buildings has not yet been finalized, but we were told that the intention is to create a “look” that integrates well with the architectural styles currently existing in Renwick. Both Tim Hansen and John Talbot emphasized that one of the attractive things about this potential partnership was the opportunity to make this facility appear to be an integral part of the Renwick community.
The plan also involves adding a “right-in, right-out” access to Moores Pike, to be aligned with Valley Forge Road. It is intended that the employees, as well as the delivery trucks, will primarily use this additional Moores Pike access. The facility will employ approximately 25 people, and perhaps has many as 50. The main entrance to the facility will be off Renwick Boulevard, aligned with the east-west street that now connects Renwick Boulevard with Sare Road.
Originally that area of Renwick was planned to contain 46 homes; this development will contain approximately 120 bedrooms. We were told that this means that the density of the development will be similar to that of the original plan.
Questions were asked about the efforts to mitigate rainwater run-off, and we were told that the standards and procedures employed for this facility will be the same as those used throughout Renwick.
There was concern expressed about the fact that the main entrance to the facility, on Renwick Boulevard, will be a source of cross-traffic; vehicles will be entering and leaving the facility at that point, and residents of the facility may be crossing Renwick Boulevard at that point to walk or drive to the Renwick Village Center. We were told that the developers plan to work with the City to be sure that this area is safe.
There also were questions about the possibility of this facility resulting in increased ambulance or other emergency vehicle runs. We were told to expect an additional two or three ambulance runs per month.
Some of the other ideas voiced at the meeting included: painting a center line down Renwick Boulevard, to better delineate traffic lanes as the street curves and narrows as it approaches the bridge; planning for increased greenspace within the facility; and allowing residents in the cottages for have small garden plots.
We thanked Tim Hanson and John Talbot for sharing this information with us, and they, in turn, promised to keep us “in the loop” as the project moves forward.
III. Dave Rollo and Traffic on Rock Creek Drive
The next item on the agenda was the issue of traffic at corner of Rock Creek Drive and Renwick Boulevard. Specifically, cars driving south on Renwick Boulevard seem to pick up speed coming down the hill and then turn onto Rock Creek Drive moving inappropriately fast. Some of our neighbors, who live near that intersection, have been working with our City Council representative, Dave Rollo, to request that a stop sign be installed there (to bring cars moving south on Renwick Boulevard to a stop before they turn right on to Rock Creek Drive).
Dave Rollo was at the meeting, and told us that the City traffic engineers were not convinced that a stop sign was appropriate at that intersection. However, they did propose a “bump out,” bringing the curb further out into the intersection and narrowing the lane leading on to Rock Creek Drive. (As of this writing, this “bump out” has been outlined in white dashed lines at the intersection; Rollo expected construction to be completed some time in early spring, 2011.)
Rollo also addressed the “deer problem.” A show of hands indicated that most of those attending the meeting did feel that there was a “deer problem” in the neighborhood, and Rollo agreed. He described the work of the City’s “deer task force”: Rollo is the chair of the task force, they have met three times, and they expect to have a report within a few months.
And Rollo also noted that the City plans to extend the Jackson Creek Trail along the east side of High Street, north from the roundabout, past Childs School and up to Moores Pike. He predicts that work on this may begin as early as next year.
IV. Treasurer's Report, Elections, and Closing
Robert Terrill thanked Mr. Rollo, and then asked for a report from the treasurer. That report, which was previously distributed to this list, showed that the Sycamore Knolls Neighborhood Association currently has $2,192.59 in the bank. Of the 286 houses in Sycamore Knolls, 90 paid dues for 2010. That's up from 77 who did so in 2009. Sometime early in 2011, a paper newsletter will be distributed, reminding neighbors to pay their dues for 2011. Dues may also be paid using PayPal, following a link on the Neighborhood Blog.
Terrill next reminded the neighbors gathered that the elected officials of the neighborhood (president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary) were finishing their two-year terms. He asked each of the current office-holders if they were willing to stand for re-election, and all agreed. He then asked for nominations from the floor, and there were none. A vote was then conducted, and all of the current officers were re-elected unanimously, as follows:
President - Robert Terrill
Vice President - Hal Turner
Treasurer - Gary Wiggins
Secretary - Shirley Davies
The meeting was brought to a close, and all exited into a fine November night.
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Note: I have uploaded to the Sycamore Knolls Neighborhood Blog several pages extracted from the Jackson Creek Trail Master Plan: a map of “phase four” of the plan, which is the phase that would come through Sycamore Knolls (1 page); and a description of the design standards that would apply to “at-grade crossings,” such as those in Sycamore Knolls (2 pages).
In the past, the Sycamore Knolls Neighborhood Association has strongly opposed this extension of the Jackson Creek Trail. Our first objection was that it was not appropriate to tear up the sidewalks currently in place along the east side of High Street and the north side of Arden Drive and replace them with an 8-foot-wide asphalt path. Our second objection was to the design standards for where the trail crosses a street, which include the use of extensive signage and “overhead flashing yellow signals.” These would be placed at each of the red boxes shown on the “phase four” map. The opposition was especially strong among the neighbors who live on Arden Drive.
We, as a neighborhood, may choose to continue to oppose this plan. Or, we may feel differently about this project now than we once did. And it may be that we will be able to alter the design standards so that they are less objectionable. In any case, however, we will want to remain vigilant and engaged as this process moves forward, to be sure that whatever sort of trail extension the City plans through our neighborhood does not detract from the quality of life we all currently enjoy in Sycamore Knolls.
