On Jan. 30 the builder and engineer of a proposed subdivision of 7555 MacArthur Blvd. met with the parcel’s neighbors to present a preliminary plan.
The schematic showed the .6-acre lot divided into two properties – the existing home keeping 82-feet of MacArthur Blvd. frontage and a second lot behind it with a 25-foot “pipestem” from MacArthur Blvd. to the parcel. A driveway would run from MacArthur to the back lot, where a new house would be surrounded by homes on Tomlinson Ave., 77th Street, and MacArthur Blvd.
Neighbors are concerned that existing water drainage issues due to slope and clay soil would be exacerbated by adding a new home and long driveway. Dean Packard, an engineer on the project, said the plan likely would include water drainage to MacArthur Blvd.
Neighbors were also concerned about the loss of trees. The drawings show the driveway running extremely close, if not over, a 29-inch Cedar. A 24 to 34-inch Silver Maple appears to sit within five feet of the proposed home.
Rembrandt Builders, the CJ company looking to subdivide the lot, indicated that soil composition and drainage issues might prompt them to reconsider moving forward. On Feb. 12, Rembrandt President Jim Graham-Yooll said in an email that they are “investigating the soils now and will make a decision after we know what their composition is.”
At a fall CJCA meeting, the association reaffirmed its opposition to pipestem or lot subdivisions that would increase
housing density, harm mature trees, or worsen water drainage.
BY SUSAN SHIPP
CJCA President