From: Michael Behrendt Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 3:25 PM To: Karen Edwards Subject: FW: Lodges Landscaping and ED Plan - email from E. Karelitz Karen, Please post to the web for both Lodges and the ED plan. Thanks. Michael Behrendt Director of Planning and Community Development Town of Durham 8 Newmarket Road Durham, New Hampshire 03824-2898 (603) 868-8064 (phone) mbehrendt@ci.durham.nh.us www.ci.durham.nh.us From: Michael Behrendt Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 3:24 PM Subject: Lodges Landscaping and ED Plan - email from E. Karelitz To the Planning Board (and Peak, EDC, MPAC, and SRPC), Comments from Ellen Karelitz about these two items, below. Michael Behrendt Director of Planning and Community Development Town of Durham 8 Newmarket Road Durham, New Hampshire 03824-2898 (603) 868-8064 (phone) mbehrendt@ci.durham.nh.us www.ci.durham.nh.us From: Ellen Karelitz [] Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 2:58 PM To: Michael Behrendt Subject: Landscaping at Peak and the Economic Development Chapter Dear Michael and Members of the Planning Board, I am very much in favor of a landscaping plan to improve the "curb appeal" of The Lodges. I especially would like to see trees planted to hide the side of the development from view as you approach Durham from Lee. Not in the proposed plan but on my "wish list" would be a way to attractively hide the heating/air conditioning units currently tethered to the fronts of the "cottages". I'm sure those do not appear in the "concept" drawings. They are ugly. You will be taking comment on the Economic Development Chapter. I would like to make two points: First, the data being used from 2011 does not reflect the current situation and the feelings of the community now that we have the benefit of hindsight knowing how the town looks and feels with so much student housing. The timing of this chapter is unfortunate since I don't believe it is possible to build a plan for the future without doing up to date data gathering to determine residents' attitudes about the development already underway. Secondly, while the chapter supports the idea of preserving our" rural character," there is not one economic initiative presented that uses those "rural assets". Land is still being viewed as a place to put things rather than a possible source of revenue in and of itself. Interest has grown in the past few years in developing agriculture and hosting a Food Hub within the Durham community. . Yet the EDC plan still targets agricultural land along our gateways as being prime space for commercial development. I appreciate the time and work that has gone into developing the Economic Development Chapter but I feel major elements are regressive rather than progressive. Sincerely, Ellen Karelitz 113 Madbury Rd.