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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING <br /> Monday,May 21,2018 <br /> 6:30 o'clock p.m. <br /> 5. LA18-000041 CITY OF ORONO,TEXT AMENDMENT—GATES,7:07 P.M.—7:33 P.M. <br /> —Continued <br /> Lemke asked what prompted this ordinance change. <br /> Barnhart indicated it was due to the request of the gentleman in the audience as well as the Mayor, who <br /> has asked Staff to take a look at it. <br /> Thiesse stated his recommendation to the Council would be that there still be some opaqueness but that he <br /> is not sure of the number. <br /> Landgraver suggested the Planning Commission recommend approving the draft ordinance but <br /> maintaining some level of transparency. Landgraver suggested the City Council come up with a number <br /> they feel is appropriate. <br /> Landgraver moved,Ressler seconded,to recommend approval of Application No. LA18-000041, <br /> City of Orono Text Amendment, Gate Opacity,with language being incorporated allowing an <br /> opacity level no greater than 75 percent. VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 1, Seals Opposed. <br /> 6. LA18-000042 CITY OF ORONO, TEXT AMENDMENT—PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE <br /> DISTANCE AND SUBDIVISION REQUIREMENTS, 7:34 P.M.—7:45 P.M. <br /> Oakden stated Staff was requested to look at changing the notice requirements for a public hearing. <br /> Currently notices are sent to property owners 350 feet from the subject property. The Mayor proposes <br /> 500 feet. State Statute requires notification of property owners within 350 feet for zoning ordinance <br /> amendments. Within the zoning and subdivision chapters, the City also requires a public hearing for all <br /> conditional use permits, variances,rezoning requests, comprehensive plan amendments,wetland and <br /> subdivision requests. <br /> The intent of the notification radii is to inform those property owners that are more likely to be directly <br /> impacted by a proposal. All interested parties can learn about the project through the City's official paper <br /> or through the City's listserve. Having a larger notification area would increase the change for more <br /> public input. <br /> The Planning Commission should consider and evaluate the typical amount of public input they receive <br /> for public hearing applications and how the residents hear about the projects. Other items to consider <br /> include the increased cost for postage and mailings and the impact an application might have on an <br /> abutting neighbor versus a neighbor located 500 feet away. <br /> Oakden noted she did include some examples in the packet depicting the current notification area and the <br /> expanded notification area. <br /> Landgraver asked how this change would impact Staff. Landgraver asked how likely it would be that <br /> Staff will be receiving more calls. <br /> Oakden stated it is likely Staff will get more calls and that the Planning Commission will receive <br /> additional input but that she is not sure of a specific percentage. <br /> Page 11 of 17 <br />