03/16/2015 Planning Commission Minutes

Home Browse Search

MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday,March 16,2015 6:30 o'clock p.m. Gaffron noted the public comments received regarding this application have been included in Exhibit F. In addition,the City has received three more letters that have been placed in front of the Planning Commission tonight for their consideration. There is also a letter of request from the applicants, which was received late today. The Planning Commission had no questions for Staff. Tom Wasmoen, Firm Ground Architects &Engineers, stated they had a very well attended meeting with the neighbors and that in the end their comments about the five twinhome project were taken into consideration,which led to the reduction in the number of twinhomes. Wasmoen indicated at that meeting John Bessesen was emotionally driven to say that they would construct four individual single- family residential homes. Wasmoen stated the site, however, does not lend itself well to four homes, and the property owner would prefer to see this site developed to its highest and best use,which means that the existing tree canopy will be protected as much as possible and as much of the conservation zone as possible will be preserved. Wasmoen stated the diagram that is on the overhead is the current proposal showing four units with a single drive lane and a single access onto Kelly Avenue. Wasmoen stated they are basically looking to stay out of the conservation zone as much as possible and developing the buildable part of the site, which is located on the high side of the hill. Wasmoen stated what is interesting about the site is that in the fall, given the trees,the homes across Kelly Avenue are not visible from this site. Wasmoen stated one can only assume that if proper care is taken to preserve that vegetation,the twinhomes will not be particularly visible to the existing neighbors as well. Wasmoen stated the other thing that is important to note is that there will be a homeowner's association involved,which will maintain the landscaping, protect the undeveloped portions of the site and take care of gardening, plowing, and oversee the development in a professional manner. Wasmoen indicated he also sent Staff a couple of color renderings earlier today depicting the twinhomes. Wasmoen stated in their view the twinhomes will blend well with the more expensive homes in the neighborhood. The twinhomes will vary from a lookout to a walkout depending on how the house sits with the existing grades. The top elevation would be the entry level and the garage entries will be turned to make them less impactful. From the back, the twinhomes may have a two-story appearance from Kelly Avenue. Wasmoen stated with the color renderings,they are suggesting some architectural details and palettes that will blend well with the other homes in the neighborhood. Wasmoen stated they wanted to make sure people were comfortable with the architectural style and have them understand that they are attempting to do a low-impact development. Wasmoen stated this type of development is something that is very popular with empty-nesters and that they are looking for people who want to stay in the Navarre community but do not want to care for a larger property. Wasmoen stated it is their hope that the local residents will learn that they have listened and taken their comments into consideration in designing this development. Wasmoen indicated their intention is to be respectful to the property owner and also be good stewards of the existing environmental conditions of the site. Wasmoen noted the conservation zone would be avoided and that they would only disrupt the area where the buildings and driveway will be constructed. Wasmoen indicated they do have some flexibility in the layout and that the driveway could be moved slightly one way or the other. Page 5 of 30