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Board Member Hiatt inquired whether the elevation gets any higher. He noted it goes up as it gets closer to the private road. The drainage and flooding concern is almost eliminated by building the structure closer to the private road. The grade change is gradual toward the bottom of the plat. Board Member Valentine asked what utilities are planned for that area. He noted if septic is going in, it will complicate issues if there is a flooding problem. City Planner Anderson answered only electricity is planned to his knowledge. It cannot be on a septic system, based on zoning. He added there are provisions in place that would prevent this from being an accessory dwelling structure. Board Member Lewis pointed out an area on the map that appears to be open and devoid of trees closer to the house. He suggested it could be a place to consider adding this structure, though it looks like it could block off the view from the house. Board Member Valentine noted there seems to be other open areas down the road. City Planner Anderson suggested the homeowner could be trying to be courteous to the neighbors by keeping the structure fairly screened. He said when Staff gets on -site, they may find things that make certain areas more feasible. Along the area of the proposed structure, there are 100-year-old trees. Any construction this close to the trees will likely cause trauma to the trees. Some of the possible ways it could affect the trees are in the severing of roots, possible disease, etc. This could negate the idea of trying to save the trees. The trees may not die with the construction, but the damage may not show up for three to five years. Board Member Lewis pointed out if there is some kind of machine shop or workshop, there could be chemicals in there which will affect the water. Motion by Board Member Lewis, and seconded by Board Member Hiatt, to recommend that Staff continue to work with the applicant to find an alternative location further from the OHW mark and with a greater elevation difference from the OHW elevation; if that fails, the recommendation would be to deny the requested variance for the proposed location. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson Stodola, Board Member Lewis, Hiatt, Bernard, Covart, Trossen, and Valentine. Voting No: None. Absent: None. 5.02: Mayors for Monarchs Program City Planner Anderson presented the staff report. He noted he has not had a chance to put together how this program might look. He wanted to inform the EPB that the Council directed Staff to explore with program with the EPB and the Parks and Recreation Commission. He noted the different types of initiatives the City is involved in. One is the trail connection in the Brookfield neighborhood. This is being coupled with a sustainable landscape, including milkweed. Another is the City is working with Ramsey Elementary presently on a potential peace garden planting with the Ramsey Rangers. He explained there is a citizen science aspect as well that can help engage residents too. The thought was not just the City leading by example, but rather to engage the public to take action on private property also. Some of the regulatory barriers have been removed, to help make it easier for residents to follow suit. The need and ability to add prairie and natural plants to Environmental Policy Board / May 16, 2016 Page 3 of 5