Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Environmentally disadvantaged sites [FWD]

[Fred H Olson WB0YQM (fholson]

Eric Fronberg   eric [at] steggie.mtview.ca.us 
is the author of this message but due
to a listserv problem it was posted by the COHOUSING-L sysop (Fred).
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(On 1/25 Tom Ponessa said:)

>
> I would run, not walk, from that site unless you plan on carting
> your own oxygen supply. I've lived on a major arterial road and
> I can tell you I NEVER got used to the noise and I did not enjoy
> waking up in summer (windows open) with the taste of carbon
> monoxide in my throat. I strongly urge this group to reconsider.
> Put your health first.
> It sounds like environmental hell to me.
>

It saddens me to see this response without knowing the details of the
site.  I'm one of the members of Peninsula Housing Partners (php) and
I know of the issues that rita is talking about.  I'm glad she's
looking at the issues that concerns her with this site.

Our group looked for a very long time for an appropriate site for
cohousing on the San Francisco Peninsula, specifically around Palo
Alto.

The site that we are focusing on today is backed up to a creek, which
is next to a freeway and does have Power lines running over the creek
area.  We've looked at the issues that deal with EMI and noise.

EMI readings at the site are very very low.  Sorry I don't have the
numbers at hand.

Noise is an issue.  We know that we need to address this for all our
comfort.  Interestingly, some people don't have a high sensitivity to
noise while others find it intolerable.  A sound engineer has been
consulted and the best way to deal with the issue is a Sound Barrier
(the closer to the noise source the better).  I expect that a sound
wall will be used along the end of the property.  The county has a
Measure that is held up in the courts right now that has funds for
erecting sound walls all along the freeway -- providing additional
sound protection.  Part of the design we have for this site, provides
for a sound shadow by way of a set of units that parallel the back of
the property, thereby providing additional sound buffering.

Some of our members live close to heavily traveled where the traffic
is stop/start.  They report the noise level to be higher (perhaps this
is only a matter of perception) because of the use of brakes and
engines to start up.  These members say that the sound has more of a
'white noise' quality to it than where they live.

These issues are personal and what is exceptable for one is
intolerable for another.  We have members of the group who want to
live closer to the creek as it's pretty nice to look at and for whom
sound is not an issue and others who'd like to live at the other end
of the site.


-- eric


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| Eric Fronberg    |  email: eric [at] steggie.mtview.ca.us |
| Mountain View CA |              ...!sgi!steggie!eric |
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