01/21/2014 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Tuesday,January 21,2014 6:30 o'clock p.m. Gaffron stated at the November 18 Planning Commission meeting,this item was discussed briefly and a public hearing was held. There were no public comments and the item was tabled to the January 8 work session. At the January 8 work session,the Planning Commission reviewed the reasons for the need to have a minimum dwelling size standard in the code. Those reasons include the potential that someone would propose to construct a very small house on a lakeshore lot in order to have a principal residence structure to qualify for a dock. This has not been addressed previously in the zoning code except for the RS District and the RPUD District. In order to address this issue, Staff has reviewed the State Building Code as well as ordinances in effect in other cities. For cities where minimum dwelling size standards exist, a wide range of standards was found. Some cities regulate just the length and width of the building, some regulate the minimum combined floor area of all floors, other cities regulate the footprint without addressing the number of floors, and some have adopted a combination of two or more of those standards. At the January work session, the Planning Commissioners indicated a preference for the Brainerd model, which combines a 1,000 square foot minimum habitable floor area requirement with a minimum width/depth of 20 feet for 60 percent of the structure. The Planning Commission, however, suggested a 75 percent standard would be more acceptable. The draft ordinance language reads as follows: "All single-family detached dwellings constructed after the effective date of this ordinance in the R-lA, R-1B, LR-1A, LR-1B, LR-1C, LR-1C-1, RR-1A, RR-1B, RR-1B-1, and RPD Districts shall meet the following design criteria: 1. At least seventy-five(75)percent of the building length shall be at least twenty(20)feet in width. At least seventy-five(75)percent of the building width shall be at least twenty feet in length. Measurements of length and width shall not take into account overhangs or other projections. Such length and width requirement shall be in addition to the minimum area per dwelling requirements established within this Ordinance. 2. All buildings shall be built in conformance with the State Building Code as adopted in the State of Minnesota. 3. Dwellings shall have a minimum finished habitable floor area of one thousand(1,000) square feet, not including the floor area of carports, garages, utility rooms, or storage rooms." Gaffron stated the draft language would have the following building design impacts: a. The smallest building dimensions allowed would be 20 feet long by 20 feet wide. This would result in a footprint of 400 square feet. To get to the 1,000 square foot minimum finished floor area, it would require at least two stories plus a partially finished basement or half story above. b. Under the example of a 40-foot wide lakeshore lot, in order to meet the 10-foot side setbacks,the house would be limited to 20 feet wide. Assuming a total house plus garage length of 100 feet, at least 75 feet of that length must be 20 feet wide, leaving a 25 foot end that could be narrower for, say, a porch addition that is less than 15 feet wide. Page 24 of 26