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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING <br /> Monday,August 18,2014 <br /> 6:30 o'clock p.m. <br /> proposed near the current driveway that serves the existing home. For fire department purposes,Jensen <br /> stated they are considering the possibility of using the driveway for the old construction landfill portion as <br /> access for emergency vehicles, which would leave the opportunity for water quality to be in the far west, <br /> south, and southeast portions of the site. <br /> Jensen noted some construction may be allowed on the old landfill site as long as the proper permits are <br /> obtained through the PCA and that they have just started to do some land exploration. <br /> Rick Harrison, Harrison Site Design, stated they are utilizing software that allows a person to view the <br /> development from a 3D perspective to see exactly how the buildings are designed in relation to the <br /> topography. The units are staggered and coordinated to enable everyone to have a panoramic view of the <br /> area. Harrison indicated some of the units will be walkouts and quite a few of the units will have three- <br /> car garages. Harrison stated until the final survey is completed,they are not committed to the number of <br /> units,but that in his view this is probably pretty close to what is realistic for the site. <br /> Leskinen asked if the property parallels Wayzata Boulevard. <br /> Jensen indicated it does. Jensen stated he hopes the access for this property will have some bearing on the <br /> property located on the north side of the highway. There are a number of trees along the edge of the <br /> right-of-way and the idea is to have a walking path along Highway 12 that would connect this <br /> neighborhood to the high school. Jensen stated they see the target market as being people who are either <br /> empty-nesters or people with children in high school but do not have the time to perform yard <br /> maintenance. There will be a homeowners association, irrigation around the perimeter, and various <br /> recreational amenities. <br /> Jensen stated they would like to get the Planning Commission's input on what they feel about a detached <br /> townhome neighborhood. Jensen stated as it relates to the view of the development, if someone is <br /> traveling east on Highway 12, they would probably only be able to see it for two or three seconds and <br /> maybe one to two seconds from the west. There will be a wetland buffer, appropriate setbacks and the <br /> trees, which will also help to decrease the view from Highway 12. <br /> Jensen stated they are looking for input from the Planning Commission on whether density of this type <br /> would be acceptable. Jensen indicated they are looking somewhere in the vicinity of six to eight units an <br /> acre,which is very close to the goals stated in the Comprehensive Plan. Jensen stated this would be a <br /> medium density category in most communities, which would be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan <br /> but would not be at ten units per acre. Jensen stated they also would like to know whether the garages <br /> would be counted in the square footage calculation since it was not specified in the Comprehensive Plan, <br /> noting that they did count the square footage of the garages for their calculation. Jensen stated in the <br /> Orono market, he would expect that most people would want at least a two-car garage with some storage <br /> space. <br /> Harrison displayed a view of the development from Highway 12. Harrison noted they have 41,063 square <br /> feet of building, including the garages. <br /> McGrann asked if the trees could be added to the software depiction. <br /> Harrison indicated those trees would be added later and that the trees currently being shown are only a <br /> small portion of the trees that would be saved down Wayzata. <br /> Page 29 of 33 <br />