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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING <br /> Monday,May 19,2014 <br /> 6:30 o'clock p.m. <br /> Staff has the following concerns related to the site: <br /> 1. The location of facilities and operations on both sides of heavily traveled Shoreline Drive cause <br /> vehicle access difficulties and forces pedestrians to cross either at an unmarked location or at a <br /> crossing point that serves the adjacent marina well but is not as convenient for users of the <br /> applicants' facilities. <br /> 2. The geography of the site,being relatively narrow strips of land between CR15 and the lakeshore, <br /> yielding limited site operational functionality and difficulty addressing the City's environmental <br /> standards, with little visual or actual separation between the flow of traffic and the marina <br /> operations. <br /> 3. The history of commercial use of the site going back many decades, and the various approvals in <br /> the 1970s and 1980s that attempted to provide a rational set of site and operational conditions that <br /> would balance the concerns of safety; demand for use of the site to serve not only slip customers <br /> but also boat repair and boat sales operations at various times; environmental protection; and a <br /> respect for the residential neighbors. <br /> 4. The limits imposed by the current zoning on LMCD defined dock use areas, resulting in docks on <br /> Tanager Lake that are nonconforming with LMCD codes. <br /> 5. Past zoning approvals that perhaps unreasonably inhibit the single-family residential use of the <br /> 1440 and 1442 properties by establishing their use for customer parking for the marina do not <br /> allow for improvements that could be made to allow for more efficient site functionality and <br /> management. <br /> City Staff requested that the applicant provide a conceptual site plan for discussion as part of the rezoning <br /> request. The basis for the rezoning is closely related to the dysfunctional aspects of the current residential <br /> zoning, which has been mutated by the provisions allowing commercial parking but no other commercial <br /> uses. Without strong site management practices,the current situation has the potential to be abused and <br /> to require additional attention by City Staff. It is possible that many of the ongoing concerns regarding <br /> activity and condition of this site can be alleviated by a complete redevelopment of the 1440 and 1442 <br /> parcels. <br /> Staff believes the following aspects should be included in the redevelopment of the Tanager Lake portion <br /> of the site: <br /> 1. Consolidation of vehicle access points to 1440-1442-1444 into one curb cut. <br /> 2. Combining the parking into one lot with adequate circulation to minimize backing movements, <br /> especially with regard to vehicles with trailers. <br /> 3. Provision of substantial buffering to the adjacent resident property, which should include <br /> separation by distance as well as by vegetative and/or other screening. <br /> 4. Provision of a green space landscape area between the lake and any hard surface areas. In the <br /> past the City has strived for at least a 10-20 foot green buffer at the shoreline, with City Code <br /> requiring a minimum of 10 feet for the B-2 zone. <br /> Page 11 of 31 <br />