06-10-2019 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,June 10,2019 7:00 o'clock p.m. support the variance and the use of the property has been achieved via the construction of the home and the 1,152 square foot accessory structure. The applicant has stated they need the addition to allow for trailer storage due to theft and vandalism. The applicant states an addition to the existing building would be better financially, environmentally, and neighborly. The Planning Commission reviewed this application at their May meeting and discussed the proposed variances. The Commissioners discussed the City Code for allowing one oversize accessory building and also allowing up to 2,400 square feet total of accessory building square footage. Concerns were addressed regarding overall massing coverage for the property. The Planning Commission recommended approval of the variance request on a 4-3 vote with the condition that any additional accessory structures on the property be prohibited. The City Attorney has advised that any condition placed on a variance must have a clear connection to the regulation. The applicant has submitted signatures from his neighbors in support of the project as well as his homeowners' association. Staff recommends denial. The City Council should review the submitted application and direct Staff to draft a resolution. If a motion is made to approve the request,the Council should provide Staff with applicable practical difficulties. Crosby asked if there is an existing garage on the existing home. Oakden indicated there is an attached garage and the detached garage was built two years ago. Crosby asked what the practical difficulty is. Johnson stated the practical difficulty is that the code does not make any sense,particularly in this instance. The applicant can put another detached garage right next door to this one that is ten feet from it but the Code says it cannot be attached. Johnson asked what the maximum is. Oakden indicated this lot size,the applicant can have one building that does not exceed 1,200 square feet and then he can have a total accessory structure massing of 2,400 square feet. The applicant could technically have three more buildings as long as they do not exceed 2,400 square feet. Johnson asked how big the existing detached garage is. Oakden indicated it is 11,52 square feet. Johnson stated this comes down to the topography, and that the applicant has received approval from his HOA and supporting letters from the neighbors. If he was to add a detached garage on the side, it would start getting into some topography issues. Oakden stated there are some topography issues to the south as it moves back to the rear but the side setbacks would be okay. Page 15 of 20