03-11-2019 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, March 11, 2019 7:00 o'clock p.m. the City has approved the apartment building next to the dentist, the memory care building next to that, and the Eisinger property. Given all those projects, the City has hit its density number, and at this time the City does not really need more density. Walsh stated he was thinking this site would be more similar to Stonebay and that he would be more supportive of that rather than higher density. Seals noted she has had some Stonebay residents reach out to her with concerns about the density. Barnhart stated the applicants are proposing a project that is similar in design and color to the Stonebay project. The only application that is more certain is the senior housing. The apartment building is two- thirds of the way through the review period and the Eisinger property has gone through concept review. While those are in the pipeline, that does not mean they will necessarily happen. This project does meet the City's plan for the area and that a two to two and a half story building will provide a buffer. Seals stated the City is not in any race to increase the density and that there is no appetite by the residents right now to hit it right away. Crosby indicated he is in agreement with that. Walsh commented it would be better if the density was similar to Stonebay. Barnhart asked if this site should be reguided for ten units per acre. Walsh stated that would be more desirable. Crosby stated he would hke to see something more cohesive to the area. Walsh stated he would prefer townhouses rather than a high rise since there are single family residences on the other side of the intersection. Roger Fink, Trident Development, stated he appreciates the Council's comments and input on this, and that in light of the direction the conversation is trending, he would like to provide some insight into their project and how it applies to land use. Fink stated he supports Jeremy Barnhart's comment that this particular commercial corner/traffic intersection would be best served by a higher density development. From a landowner's perspective,they are looking to achieve a higher value for that intersection corner and that they will be quite disappointed that the density they thought could be achieved there through a Comprehensive Plan Amendment process, which would allow them to achieve what they were hoping to get for the property, versus the commercial use that was previously planned for. Fink stated in their view the apartment does serve an important buffer from the intersection and the lower density deflates the value of the property. Crosby stated the Council is not looking to push density. Crosby stated he can appreciate the financial state,but that the City is looking for less density at this time. The area having a feel and a match is important and there is no reason townhomes or something of that nature could not go in there. Page 11 of 16