Jalene Smith Comment 09-09-05 001 RECEfUEp
September 7, 2005 ~ ^ -- ~•~ ~' -
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Hearing Examiner ~
City of Yelm
Yehn, WA
REF: SUB-050058-YL
Green Village Retirement Community
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing in support of the aboved-referenced development project for the following
reasons:
1. It is the kind of development that brings affordable quality ojlife to our
community for future years to come. These 52 individual homes will be within a
retirement community that is state-of--the-art when it comes to sustainable living.
The developer, Mr. George Hom (an experienced community developer in
Olympia, "IUurston County and Lewis County,) has done extensive teseazch
toward making each home the most advanced in environmental technologies.
Each home will be designed for solar technology options and low-energy-use
appliances will be installed during construction. With average energy usage, each
home has the potential to sell energy back to Puget Power. This has the potential
to serve as an asset to the entire community.
2. There will be a homeowners' association with communiTy covenants. The village
is designed for at ]east one of [he buyers of a home to be 55 years or older. The
village does not intend to exclude grandchildren because of current trends of
grandparents raising thew grandchildren.
3. The village plan includes a community center with pool, Jacuzzi and meeting and
kitchen facilities to accommodate cooking classes, stretching/exereise classes,
health and education programs and speakers.
4. There will be a walking trail throughout the village accessible from every home.
5. These new residents will support the economic growth of the Yehn community. It
has been shown that seniors spend their dollars at home and drive less. This
project will bring the kind of economic growth impact to Yelm that will
contribute less of an increase to our current traffic burdens.
6. This project could put Yelm on the map as a leader in affordable, sustainable,
environmentally sound housing development. Just as Mr. Hom~ts traveled
throughout the country to investigate and research these concepts of sustainable
village communities, others will be coming to Yelm to model their communities
after his advancements in this new field. This will be the first community of its
kind in a city of South Puget Sound and possibly the entire area.
Sincerely
Jalerte Smith, LMP
8942 Colony Lane, SE
Tenino, WA 98589
360/ 446-1956