Letter summarizing proj to-dateApril 5, 2005
JACKSON.SHAW
I [ COMPANY
Via: e-mail transmission
Ms, Marcie Diamond
Assistant Director
City of Coppell Planning Dept.
255 Parkway Boulevard
Coppell, TX 75019
RE: Vista Point I1
Dear Marcie,
As you know, a few residents of the Vistas of Coppell subdivisRbn have expressed renewed
interest in our project as construction continues towards completion, il wou d like to briefly recap
the issues that have been commuaicated to us, and let you know Iwhat actions Jackson-Shaw
Company has taken in response to them.
In June / July of 2004, prior to approval of our PD Ordinance, members of' the
Coppell Planning and Zoning commission made a recom~nendation to m-evaluate the
proposed location of the visual scmenwall adjacent to the Vistas of Coppell
subdivision. Subsequently, I met with representatives!of TXU Electric Delivery
(formerly Oncor) to discuss this issue, and sent an 9pen letter to twenty-e ght
residents, including all homeowners along the alleyway l~etween our project and the
subdivision, seeking input on opinions or preferences fog location of the wall. We
received no response from any of the residents. TXU's project managers and right-
of-way agents informed us that proximity to high-voltage underground power lines
along the southern boundary of the TXU easement prohibited locating any structure
directly along our south property line. In addition, TXU required that the screenwall
be located outside the northern limits of their easement in all areas except where it
was impractical to do so.
In September / October of 2004, I met with Mr. and MrS. Bobby Halton, owners of
the house located at 668 Forest Hills, to discuss construction of the screenwall, and
the feasibility of preserving some of the native trees in thel stand behind their lot. Mr.
and Mrs. Halton were interested in whether any options e>kisted for elimination of the
narrow strip of landscaping that would be confined between our screenwall and their
backyard wood privacy fence. We discussed several scenarios, among which were
a.) elimination of that portion of our screenwall occurring behind their lot and
replacement with a living screen of additional evergreen trees and shrubs; b.)
installation of a section of wrought iron fence and locking gates between our
screenwall and their wood fence at the east and west ends of their lot; and finally, c.)
removing their privacy fence and replacing it by relocaiiog our screenwall to the
· 4890 Alpha Road. Suite 100 Dallas, TX 7524~ Fhone: (972) 62&74~0 Fax: (972) 628.7444
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common property line. I informed the Haltons that unfqrtunately, TXU had already
told us the underground power lines along the southerh portion of their easement
precluded locating any foundation supports, and thus col~struction of the screenwall,
directly along the common property line.
Also, after consultation with our landscape architect a*d a registered arborist, we
determined it was possible to preserve only a few of the native trees behind tile
Halton's lot. This was due primarily to proposed final grades in the area being 6 to
12 inches higher than existing grades. Our arborist advised us that the fill required to
achieve final grades would ultimately smother the root' networks of existing trees,
leading to the loss of those trees. Therefore, we elected to remove all but two
existing trees. However, our approved landscape plans do require planting 14 new
overstory trees and 20 new ornamental trees in the area directly behind the Halton's
backyard.
Prior to TxDOT's approval of the SH 121 temporary Construction entrance, some
construction vehicles were using the alleyway behind the project to access the site
instead of the approved Forest Hills construction entry. The General Contractor has
since informed all of their subs and suppliers to use the 121 entry as the primary
access point, unless it is obstructed by ongoing site wo~'k, in which case the Forest
Hills entry should be used. Prior to opening the 121 entry, vehicles did occasionally
clip and rut the corners of some yards at the entries to the alley. The General
Contractor has been backfilling and repairing ruts as they occurred, and has contacted
the affected homeowners to let them know that any renlaining ruts would be filled~
leveled, and oversodded at the completion of the project.
Recently, during construction of our building slabs, we received a few noise
complaints from nearby homeowners due to work on three occasions that lasted
beyond the ordinary 5:00 pm quitting time. These were isolated occurreoces due to
the need to saw-cut stress relief joints in the concret~ before it cured out. The
window of opportunity to make the cuts is very narrow, 6n the order of 8 to 12 hours
after the concrete is poured. This pushed some of the work later into the evening
then normal. Our GC had their sawcut crew install mufflers on their equipment to
mitigate the noise as much as possible. And, since that task was completed, all work
has been limited to within normal business hours of 7:00 Om to 5:00 pm.
Last week I received a call from Mr. Nelson Pleau, ViCe President of the Vistas of
Coppell Home Owners Association, requesting a meetingto review recent comments
from some residents in the subdivision. We are scheduled to meet tomorrow
morning to discuss some of the same topics I've m~ntioned above, as well as
revisiting the topic of screenwall height and tree quantities and locations. To that
end, our intention is to invite the participation of homeowners adjacent to our site, to
help select final location of the overstory and ornamental grees in the landscape buffer
zone south of the screenwall, thus giving them a voi~:e itl determining optimum
placement for visual screening effect. A "Tree Placement Party" if you will.
We know the construction phase is certainly one of the most stressful periods for all parties
concerned, but we also hope our actions have demonstrated our sinOere desire to establish good
community relations with the City of Coppell and all its' residents. I will give you an update
a~er Mr. Pleau and I meet tomorrow. In the mean time, if 1 can be o~' further assistance, please
don't hesitate to contact me.
Respectfully, -~
Christopher~3ardner
Development Project Manager
Mr. & Mrs. Bobby Halton - via US Mail
Mr. Nelson Pleau - via e-mail
Mr. Demian Salmon