From:	Michael Behrendt
Sent:	Tuesday, October 13, 2015 2:01 PM
Subject:	Harmony Homes eldercare facility | public hearing - comments from R. 
Mower

To the Planning Board, Design Committee, and applicant, Please see Robin Mower's email below.  Note 
that the Design Committee has discussed site issues in some detail but it has not yet endorsed the site 
design.

Michael Behrendt
Director of Planning and Community Development (“Town Planner”) Town of Durham
8 Newmarket Road
Durham, NH  03824
(603) 868-8064
www.ci.durham.nh.us

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-----Original Message-----
From: RMower [mailto:malpeque@gmail.com] On Behalf Of RMower
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2015 12:19 PM
To: Michael Behrendt
Subject: DBP / Harmony Homes eldercare facility | public hearing

Greetings, Michael --

Please forward this email to the Planning Board for tomorrow's public hearing on the Durham Business 
Park's eldercare facility proposal by Harmony Homes. In addition, please forward it to members of the 
Durham Business Park Guidelines Committee.

Thank you.

*

XI. Public Hearing - Harmony Homes - Eldercare Facility.  Durham Business Park off Route 4.  Site plan 
and conditional use for an eldercare (assisted-living) facility with 3 single-story buildings with parking 
and associated improvements.  The conditional use is for activity within the Wetland and Shoreland 
Overlay Districts and for an elderly single family on site. 

Dear members of the Planning Board,

	First, I have read the Planner's memo to the Planning Board on behalf of the Durham Business 
Park Design Guidelines Committee. I am concerned that the focus at the Committee's meetings may 
have been disproportionately on architectural details, since the memo makes no reference to how the 
proposed structure fits into the site. That is, it addresses specifics of the Guidelines' *Building Design* 
but not specifics of the *Site Design* (I saw that the memo notes that the final landscaping plan has not 
been submitted. 

	If in fact the Committee discussed the siting in detail, I would urge the Planning Board to request 
that the Committee's observations relevant to the siting be presented in writing to the Board. This has 
been a contentious property for years and the eyes of the community are upon both the Board and the 
Committee. It is important to provide details to the public on how the proposed siting meets the 
Guidelines' criteria, particularly since it is not obvious and perhaps could be improved.

	Second, I clearly remember expressing appreciation (during a Design Review public hearing) for 
the plan to *allow* horses on the front portion of the property as a point of interest for the residents of 
the eldercare facility. However, it would appear to me that these plans have since escalated to the point 
that I wonder how they fit with the primary use as opposed to providing an amenity for the property 
owner. 

	In addition, does the Board intend to require a manure management plan to protect the nearby 
creek and river?

	I would appreciate the Board's specifically addressing these issues during the public 
hearing/deliberations, including asking relevant questions of the applicant.

	Regards,

		 — Robin


Robin Mower
Durham, NH 03824

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