20090476 Ver 1_More Info Received_20090515

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MILLER/PLAYER & ASSOCIATES
ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS, LTD.
1010 E. North Street, Suite A, Greenville, SC 29601
Telephone: [phone], Facsimile: [phone]
Website: millerplayer.net
May 12, 2009 ?fjj?
NCDENR Division of Water Quality D D l! 15
1650 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27604 MAY 1 5 2009
WETLANDS AND STORA ?p gRANCH
Attn: Ms. Cyndi Karoli
Re: Cambridge Village Inde endent Living - Elderly Apartments
DWQ Project # 0 6 p?_ O 1?7 V
We recently received a copy of the letter sent to Mr. Kendall Oliver in reference to a
request for more information on the Pre Construction Notification for Cambridge Village
Independent Living Elderly Apartments. The requested information included a request to
move or reconfigure the site layout to avoid the existing 0.30 acres of wetlands that are
proposed for mitigation.
We would like to further elaborate on the Impact Justification and Mitigation section of
the Pre Construction Notification Form so as to demonstrate the many constraints that
exist onsite and how we have attempted to minimize impacts in our design.
Until recently, this 14.54 acre site had a pond approximately 3 acres in size. This pond
was located in the center of the site. It has since been filled by the seller, but due to the
structural properties of the fill and the underlying pond bottom, it does not lend itself to
be a suitable location for buildings. This issue was the primary driving force for the
design of our project. We have been told that this pond was not spring fed; however,
water has been observed flowing at the rear of the pond after it was drained and after a
considerably dry penoii. Thas, -vve;"lave encroached only into the outer limits of the
existing pond area. The pond should be used as a value added component to the
development. Further, this area provides for a 10 foot wide littoral shelf for sediment
binding and nutrient uptake. The pond will serve as an extended detention area that was
designed to have 90% o TNN removal rate.
The circular design required circular access and parking. The road around the buildings
was, while not mandated, "highly recommended" by the city and local fire department as
a life safety concern. This project is for the elderly, average age is 72, and emergency
access'for ambulance and fire is of the up most importance to the residents as well as the
city. This access and associated parking (as well as one building) are the areas of
concern with respect to the wetlands. The building location, with reference to the
NCDENTR Division of Water Quality
Page
May 12, 2.009
existing site topo, is included herein. As you can see, the buildings, in large part, have
been kept at the outer limits of the old pond area for the reasons outlined herein.
The other driving force is the access to the existing sewer system. Initially, it was
thought that the access could be north, across the creek, into the existing line running
along the stream. However, this did not materialize due to the depth of the stream bed and
the invert of the existing line. Therefore, the sewer access will have to be to a manhole
on Apex Peak-way (see Site Plan). To reach this manhole, the sewer will have to be
located at the rear of the site and encroach into the wetlands due to the existing invert.
Since this is a short synopsis of the reason to encroach into the wetlands, we would like
to reciuest a meeting, at your earliest convenience, to discuss more thoroughly.
Please contact Mark Vosberg with Ecotek, Inc at 919-388-3858 to coordinate the
scheduling of this meeting.
BTaddy Player, Are tect
w
.-son Po n s-Brandt, Landscape Architect
Cc: Dennis R--Dimond, Oliver Development. LLC
Lauren Witherspoon, D WQ Raleigh Regional Office
USACE Raleigh Regulatory Field Office
lvlaTk Vosbei°g, Ecoteck, inc.
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