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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 /> 3. LA18-000040 MATTHEW AND ANGELA HOPPING,95 SMITH AVENUE, <br /> CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT,6:35 P.M.—6:58 P.M.—Continued <br /> Blackwell stated in front of the house right now and all the way down the property line there is <br /> approximately a seven to eight-foot berm. Blackwell stated if the berm is capped at seven feet and the <br /> house is built on top of that, he has a concern that he will be in a valley since the other house is raised <br /> three feet. <br /> Curtis indicated the applicant is not proposing to grade anything beyond the driveway. <br /> Blackwell asked if the driveway will be cut through the berm. <br /> Curtis indicated it will be and that the grade beyond the driveway is not proposed to be raised. <br /> Thiesse asked if it is a single-story house. <br /> Curtis stated it is. Curtis stated the house itself will be taller on the property but the grade from the house <br /> to the road is not going to be changed. <br /> Thiesse noted the house footprint is at the right elevation,but the house floor will be pretty much at grade <br /> from where the house is currently sitting. <br /> Blackwell stated the road between the two homes is approximately 20 feet wide with no curbs and that he <br /> has a question for how they can go about getting some kind of parking plan in place or a plan for getting <br /> vehicles in and out. Blackwell indicated it is a safety concern given the children in the area. Blackwell <br /> commented he does not know what the precedent is with projects like this and whether a parking plan is <br /> created but that in his view that should be addressed. Blackwell stated there are a lot of issues on Lyman <br /> currently with vehicles that come in and that this winter the city plow ripped up all the sod near the corner <br /> and that he had to replace it this year. Blackwell stated he would rather have a good conversation about it <br /> and that he would like to understand the rules for moving vehicles in and out. <br /> Thiesse stated right now it would be nothing more than city enforcement and that construction traffic <br /> would only occur during the permitted construction hours. <br /> Blackwell asked whether there would be any limitations on whether parking would be allowed on both <br /> sides of the street. <br /> Thiesse noted if vehicles are parked on both sides, emergency vehicles might not be able to make it <br /> through. <br /> Barnhart stated typically in a variance application request parking is not addressed and that perhaps the <br /> neighbors could submit a petition to the City requesting parking be limited to one side of the street. <br /> Thiesse asked whether the conditional use permit will still happen if the City Council is not going to grant <br /> the second driveway access. <br /> Curtis stated the second access is very important to the applicant but that it is unclear whether there is <br /> another way to resolve that. Staff encouraged the applicant to explore another option and the applicant's <br /> Page 4 of 17 <br />