04-10-2017 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday, March 20,2017 6:30 o'clock p.m. Besseson stated the way the property sits now makes it difficult to build anything facing Wildhurst and County Road 19. Besseson commented they would rather see a $2 million house built there rather than a $200,000 house. Besseson indicated he did talk to Staff about resolving this and that the plan does currently meet the required criteria except the house happens to be sitting within the 1 0 -foot setback. Besseson stated they can tear the house down but that they would rather not do that and that they are attempting to come up with an alternative to make it work. Besseson stated they cannot go forward until they get some direction on this. Neil Weber, Architect, stated when they started out with this project, they felt they had enough lineal feet of shoreland. Weber stated they interpreted it as the actual footage instead of a straight line but that they would still have enough lineal footage. Weber stated the only reasonable place to construct a house to meet the criteria would be in this upper area, which is not the best use of the lot. Weber stated they were basically attempting to place the house in a more ideal location so there would be a view of the lake. Weber stated they then went to Mark Gronberg and he indicated they need 140 feet at the shore and at the setback line. Weber stated they had an option of the 140 feet in both areas with the need for a side setback variance or an option where it met the 10 -foot side setback but does not have the required width. Weber stated as far as they are concerned, either option works. Weber noted this area is not a bluff and that Staff agrees with their interpretation. Weber stated without changing the topography, the house will need to be located significantly behind the setback due to the grade, and no matter how the line is configured, the house will need to be further back. Weber stated to his understanding somebody from the City came and verified that the proposed access onto the road was acceptable. Weber noted they probably would not be able to have access onto County Road 19. Weber stated the bottom line is, no matter how the lines end up being configured, they will end up with the same site plan. Weber stated they felt the 140 feet at the building line was the logical interpretation, which is what their plan is based on. Weber stated no matter how it ends up, the proposed location for the house is the logical site. Weber stated they are not creating a new lot but that they are trying to rearrange the lines so they can get the best use of the site and take advantage of the view. Chair Thiesse closed the public hearing at 8:25 p.m.