10/21/2013 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY PLANNING COMMISSION Monday,October 21,2013 6:30 o'clock p.m. two acres. Grittman noted the City does not have that data yet but it will be a requirement as part of the plat process. Gaffron stated the applicant has a presentation and it may be appropriate for the applicants to make that presentation at this time. Pat Hiller, Source Land Capital, stated they are asking for guidance on whether the clustering is preferred versus the two-acre lots. Hiller noted a neighborhood meeting was held last Tuesday with approximately 60 people in attendance. At that neighborhood meeting Mike Gehr went through what is being proposed point by point and the objective was to hear some commentary from the neighbors. The majority of the residents' comments centered on the access point onto North Arm Drive. Hiller stated based on those comments,they have changed the layout and are now proposing to focus the traffic onto West Branch. Mike Gehr stated he is currently under contract with five golf courses, including this one,to redevelop the land. This parcel consists of approximately 130 acres of land. It is bounded by North Ann on the northeast,North Shore on the west, and West Branch on the south. Gehr presented a map of the property and noted that the type of information shown on the map informs a developer on how to lay out the project so a plan can be developed that will conform reasonably well with the land itself. Gehr noted the lightest colors on the site map are plateaus or platforms situated throughout the 130 acres. The lake on the property is at about a 920' or 930' elevation. As you work your way down 30 feet to the next plateau,there is a 50-foot elevation change from one plateau to the next plateau. Gehr commented the site is very dynamic and is a wonderful piece of real estate to develop. The blue lines illustrate the drainage on the site. In the northwest corner of the site,the water enters the site from County Road 19 and from a drainage swale that runs along the western edge of the property. The additional blue lines show drainage swales or valleys that feed into the main drainage system. Gehr stated in addition to the interesting series of elevation changes,there also is an interesting pattern of surface drainage through the site. Gehr stated the orange areas depict the slopes that separate the plateaus. Separating the fairways are meadow areas,and within those three fairways are wooded meadows or savannah grasslands or trees, which is the fourth feature of the site that will be attempted to be utilized in the development plan. Gehr stated one of the first steps was to understand how the site flows and operates. The next step was the preparation of the 2-acre subdivision plan. The plan includes 200-foot lot widths, with approximately 6,000 lineal feet of roadway to access the homes. Gehr noted from the north to the south and from the east to the west,with the exception of the wetlands,the property would be consumed by platted lots. Gehr stated in their view the better use of the real estate is to cluster the development into pods and protect or set aside and conserve approximately 32 acres of the site into open space. In addition to clustering the development, also being proposed is the utilization of cul-de-sacs to further micro-cluster units around the cul-de-sacs. Every residential home site on the plan has direct rear yard or side yard access to the open space system. There is approximately 1.5 miles of trail that will link the residential home sites throughout the entire area. The majority of the existing woodland is intended to be left untouched and is included within the green open space. Page 28 of 42