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condition of approval, we could accommodate that. We would still want to hide the air-conditioning units behind the parapet. O’Brien asked about the visual effect of the air-conditioning units from the apartments. Longworth said the units would be screened on two sides. Longworth said the units might be seen from one area, but it should be semi-screened. O’Brien asked if the plantings would still be possible if the grade cannot be maintained and a trench has to be created. Longworth replied the difference in grade is minimal and there is only one area where the grade may be a problem for getting a planting spade in there. The swale would be as close to Brightondale’s property line as possible to create the level plateau. The other grading option would be to fill the corner. Schiferl said he had heard that Alzheimer’s patients sometimes scream at full volume for extended periods, even four hours. Schiferl asked Longworth to address that issue. Longworth said that was a difficult question to answer. An acoustic engineer would have to answer that question. The walls would be fully insulated. The only penetrations would be the windows. The one inch glass, the 40 foot setback and the screening should be effective. Longworth said the staff would have to reply to Schiferl’s concern, but he could not imagine staff allowing someone to scream for hours on end. Gould said Longworth was correct that only an acoustics engineer can address the question fully. However, Gould stated he had been in a number of Alzheimer’s facilities. The possibility exists that a patient could scream for hours. Gould said he had spoken many care providers and they said screaming was not an issue. The issue could affect the residents at Brightondale. The issue would become a behavioral problem and there would be a point where such a patient would not be appropriate for Brightondale. That may occur in the last stages of the disease. Gould said he was certain the noise would not be an issue. If it did become an issue, we could solve the problem then. Dementia affects 25 percent of the current Brightondale residents. Gould said these residents needed a facility that can better deal with their needs. Within the population, the disruptions are not from screaming, but from other factors. Zisla said he hoped Gould’s comments would settle the issue of screaming. Zisla said that the Planning Commission did not decide issues on the noise prospective residents might make. For example, prospective residents with teenagers might cause noise. Taking design steps is appropriate, but we cannot say that one group of residents will be noisier than others. If any resident in any home or apartment is making too much noise, it becomes a problem between neighbors and has to be dealt with then. The Planning Commission cannot make decisions about multi-family housing based on the fact someone living there may be too loud. Gould stated it is unfortunate our residents do not have the mobility and, sometimes, the ability to represent themselves here. These people are residents of New Brighton. Gould read a letter from a New Brighton resident whose mother has been at Brightondale for some time. The letter said Brightondale enabled the family to avoid putting the elderly lady in a nursing home, which would take away her privacy and her possessions. The writer said her mother had been able to maintain her pride and independence and a measure of the quality of life she has known for ninety-seven years. The proposed edition would allow her to maintain the dignity she deserves. The writer urged the City to approve the proposed Alzheimer’s wing. Schiferl said the existing Brightondale facility had already changed functions from an independent living residence to an assisted living facility. Who is to say what function it would have in the future? If the market changes again, could it go back to independent living again? In which case, more parking would be needed. Schiferl stated he was concerned about basing the parking on the assumption that the present use at Brightondale will continue. Schiferl said he was thinking in the long term. How would the Planning Commission address that issue in the future? Mattila responded he did not have a clear answer on to how to keep the facility an assisted living facility versus going back to a conventional apartment facility like it was in 1985 when it was built. Since 1985, New I:\COMMISSIONS\PLANNING\MINUTES\1998\01-20-98.WPD 6