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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING <br /> Monday,July 15,2013 <br /> 6:30 o'clock p.m. <br /> Gaffron stated the law does not does guarantee a person the hardcover needed to accomplish that or the <br /> setbacks. <br /> Larson stated they will add some amenities to the house to make it more attractive but that it will not be <br /> of the caliber of the house next door. As it relates to the house up on the hill,that whole house faces the <br /> other direction. The setback that is being requested for the rear abuts her driveway. That house and dock <br /> are oriented the other way. Larson stated in his view it will fit into the neighborhood just fine. <br /> Chair Leskinen opened the public hearing at 7:45 p.m. <br /> Lisa Wysocky, 1555 Orchard Beach Place, stated her mother inherited the house from her grandparents <br /> and that she personally has lived there since 1958 off and on. <br /> Wysocky stated she would like to address the flooding issue. Since 1948 the property has been observed <br /> to flood several times each year. The runoff comes from the gullies and sometimes from the lake but it <br /> also comes up from possibly a spring on the property and is wet all the time. Wysocky indicated she has <br /> a photograph that was taken this past Saturday which shows a clear path of flooding that is regularly <br /> observed on this lot. <br /> Wysocky stated she is very opposed to this small lot size being built upon in this part of Orono. The one <br /> acre lot size is to prevent high density and over population of the lake. The 0.22 acres is far below the <br /> required lot size. <br /> Wysocky stated the dampness of the lot is very,very typical of what they see several times throughout the <br /> year. Wysocky commented she understands the applicant has talked about filling and grading,but when <br /> the water also comes up from underneath, it will likely be an ongoing problem even if fill is placed in <br /> there. The 0.22 lot size is far less than anything else in the neighborhood and will change the character <br /> of the neighborhood. Wysocky noted lots in this area also have to have 144 feet of lakeshore frontage and <br /> the 83 or 86 feet is far below that. The required lot width is to prevent overpopulation of the area and also <br /> to be environmentally sound for the lake. <br /> Wysocky stated in her view this house will impact their view from the south and southwest side of their <br /> house since there are windows that face the lake on those sides. Wysocky stated if this house has a 29- <br /> foot elevation,that will impact their view. The summer house that was there in the 1930s was just that- <br /> a summer house. Wysocky indicated a lot of the small, summer houses around the lake consisted of 600 <br /> to 800 square foot homes and were not intended to be lived in year-round. Wysocki stated the original <br /> house on the property was a summer home and was never homesteaded. <br /> Wysocky stated the average lakeshore setback is also a concern. As Mr. Gaffron suggested,the average <br /> lakeshore setback for this neighborhood is 112 feet for this neighborhood. Many of the homes are set <br /> back further than that and the 75-foot setback for this house will be far ahead of the other homes on the <br /> lake and will change the character of the lake. <br /> Wysocky indicated she has always been told by city officials that Orchard Beach Place is a fire lane and <br /> that they cannot park on the street. Wysocky commented she probably sees city workers working on that <br /> lift station approximately once a week and that they currently are putting in a new generator. Because it <br /> is a fire lane, Wysocky stated they have a concern that a house on this property would block emergency <br /> Page 16 of 23 <br />