Laserfiche WebLink
MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />Monday, April 8, 2019 <br />7:00 o’clock p.m. <br />__________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />Page 7 of 12 <br /> <br />The neighbors can back out into that given the easement. The property owners are hoping to have two <br />cars and storage in the garage. <br /> <br />Walsh noted the current garage is 20 feet width, which should be wide enough. <br /> <br />Rehkamp stated a typical garage is 24’ x 24’ and that they are asking for 30 feet to allow for storage on <br />the side. <br /> <br />Walsh asked what the square footage is of the existing garage. <br /> <br />Rehkamp indicated the footprint is 20.2 feet by 21.8 feet. <br /> <br />Walsh stated he would not have a problem with allowing them to the 90 feet as long as they maintain the <br />setback. <br /> <br />Johnson stated if the property owner wants to take advantage of the structure, then they should be able to <br />preserve what they have there, but when they start making a structure bigger and changing the massing, it <br />should conform to the City’s standards, especially because those have been increased in the past few <br />years. Johnson stated he does not see a practical difficulty for the side yard setback. The size and general <br />location is fine, but it should be 7.5 feet off the property line. <br /> <br />Seals commented these lots were designed for cabins and not meant for large homes. Whenever people <br />move closer to the property line, there can be issues with the adjoining property owner. <br /> <br />Rehkamp noted the neighbor’s garage is closer than 7.5 feet from the lot line. <br /> <br />Johnson stated if the neighbors at some point in the future wants to make their garage bigger, they would <br />also have to conform to the 7.5-foot setback. <br /> <br />Crosby stated if they relocate it by three feet, he would not have a problem with the structure. <br /> <br />Rehkamp asked whether they could have the 90 square feet as suggested by Mayor Walsh. <br /> <br />Johnson indicated he is not in favor of that. <br /> <br />Crosby stated he would prefer they maintain the setback. <br /> <br />Walsh noted the City has already reduced the setback in this area to 7.5 feet and that he does not want to <br />make the situation worse. <br /> <br />Rehkamp stated they would appreciate the extra square footage for the garage to allow the storage. <br /> <br />Johnson pointed out applicants are not allowed to create their own practical difficulty and that the City <br />Council is not in the business of creating designs. The second part of the application relates to the <br />conditional use permit for the bathroom and shower in the garage. <br /> <br />Walsh noted the City has granted conditional use permits for that a number of times in the past as long as <br />there is a signed covenant.