Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels June 18, 2004 Big dig By Steve Zimmerman Ashland Daily Tidings A new home being built at 99 Granite St. by Sid DeBoer has raised some eyebrows in the neighborhood and led to the red-tagging of the site, stopping work for a short time. A neighbor of the new home, Jeff Zundel and his wife, Michelle, said they have been watching the development of the site carefully. A large, empty hole on Granite Street marks the site of a future home being built for sale by Sid and Nancy DeBoer. Satsuki Doi | Ashland Daily Tidings "I have seen 600 dump trucks of dirt removed from the site," he said. "It is a big hole now. They brought in back hoes about a month ago." The removal of all the fill to build the 7,300-square-foot house has caused problems for Zundel that are being rectified by the builder. "The house is going to sit six feet from the property line," he said. "I became concerned when our property began to break off and fall into the hole. They cut it dangerously without any support." Since the problem occurred, backfill has been added and a retaining wall is being constructed to stabilize the property. Mark Knox, Ashland city planner, said the red tag on the property had to do with the way the site was being prepared for building. "The site was clearly being altered in a way that wasn't as identified on the site plan they received their approval for," he said. "It was pretty clear that the plans showed one thing as far as the retaining walls and how they were going to be designed and type versus what was being done in the field. There were some slopes and some short retaining walls and what was going on in the field was a large vertical cut." Knox said that after the red tag was placed on the site, the violation was corrected by Ken Ogden, the DeBoers' architect on the home, and everything going on at the site today is within city regulations. "Everything is legal," Knox said. "Keep mind that all the work they have done is legal. Some people do it differently than others. I don't think this is a typical way to develop that lot but it is legal. The DeBoers have their name on this as the applicants, but it is the contractor and architects that we are dealing with. That is where the fingers need to be pointed." The plans were submitted before the maximum size ordinance was passed, and the house will exceed the maximum house ordinance, Knox said. The house will be two stories and a basement. The total area is 7,300 square feet: a 1,500-square-foot basement with a garage, a 3,300-square-foot first level and a 2,400-square-foot second level. "And, there will be a 12-foot retaining wall," he said. "In front of that will be another retaining wall. So worst case, you will probably have two five-foot retaining walls. In between that will be landscaping. You will have landscaping cascading over both walls." Sid DeBoer said he is leaving the project in the hands of his architect and developer. "We are in partnership to build the house, which is being built as a spec house," he said. "We had to lower it a lot to keep the shadow away from the neighbor and still have a two-story house. "We are certainly not trying to hurt anybody in the neighborhood. We think it will be a nice addition to the neighborhood. We are taking care of all the issues as they come up." George Kramer, a local historian, said he is concerned whether the 42 inches of fill removed from the site would have to be replaced. Knox said that was not a requirement. Kramer said an elderly couple owned the home and wanted to build a new home. The house sitting on the site was sold and moved. The couple abandoned their plans and sold the project with building plans, which were then redesigned for a larger home. "The plans they submitted showed a 42-inch retaining wall for the cut," he said. "And they excavated it to 12 feet. That is why the city red tagged the site." Kramer questions whether the home being built is the home that was approved by city planners. "There is a hanging question about whether he is building what he got approval to build or whether he is asking forgiveness after the fact. They created a situation where the neighbors' house was basically in danger and something had to happen. The city let him correct the problem. "I think it begs the question about whether they are meeting the permit they got before max house (ordinance) or is this really a different project." Kramer sees a parallel between this house and DeBoer's other project up on the hill. "Both of these houses are slid through against the community's wishes but followed the letter of the law at the time they were applied for," he said. "The way he got them was by following the letter of the law and not asking for anything unusual. Now that he is building it, he did not follow the letter of the law. And you wonder what did the community get out of all this." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams