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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, June 26, 2017 7:00 o'clock p.m. 17. #17-3940 JASON AND ANELISE PETERSON, 4105 HIGHWOOD ROAD, VARIANCES — RESOLUTION NO. 6775 — Continued Peterson indicated it is. Crosby asked if he could reduce the size of the third floor deck. Peterson stated it is possible and that he is currently exploring that with his builder. Peterson stated he likes how the builder reduced it down to three beams, and if there is still a way to design the top deck to be smaller, they would be open to that. Crosby encouraged the applicant to consider doing that to help alleviate some of the neighbors' concerns. Peterson stated the challenge with the height is tying the new house into the existing garage and allowing for enough head room to walk into the garage. Peterson stated they also looked at tearing down the existing garage but that it is still a quality garage. Peterson noted they have also reduced the pitch of the roof and kept the ceiling height on the second floor at eight feet. Walsh noted the applicants are not requesting more than the 30 feet that is allowed. Peterson pointed out the corner of the deck and noted that the revised plans allows for 45 feet of open space. Peterson stated they have attempted to accommodate the neighbors' concerns with their design. Walsh noted there is no need for a fifth bedroom and that it could be used for something else. Walsh stated there does not appear to be a practical difficulty for having the egress well. Walsh stated there also does not appear to be a practical difficulty for the fireplace bump -out either. Peterson stated the well is based on code due to the size of the window and that they could look at installing a smaller window. Peterson noted there are bushes on that side of the house and that the well would not be readily visible. Peterson stated it would be nice to have a fifth bedroom but that they could look at that as well. Walsh stated he understands the encroachment for the house since the structure has to be livable, but when the house is close to the property line, the encroachments should be limited as much as possible. Walsh stated he is struggling with the practical difficulty for the egress well and the fireplace bump -out. Seals commented she feels the same way. Dankey commented a fifth bedroom does not make sense when there is not enough room from the property line. Peterson stated they can make it a non -egress room and that the fireplace has been depicted on their plan for a number of months. Germnudsen stated in his view the applicant should look at reducing the size of the house as well as getting rid of the egress well. Germnudsen commented it is a tough lot but that the house is getting to be too big. Germnudsen pointed out the line of sight from his property and noted that his sightline is blocked due to the decks. Page 10 of 12