06-10-2019 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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CMP Part 2. Community Management Plan Foundation Perhaps the single most important event that has shaped Orono's development in the last half -century was the City-wide rezoning in 1975. Much of the City had been zoned for residential development with 1 -acre lots by 1967, with most of the Navarre area around Lake Minnetonka being zoned 1/2 -acre, and a few areas in northeast Orono requiring 1-1/2 or 2 -acre lot sizes. The 1975 rezoning took into account two important factors. First, that creating and maintaining a low density of development in the watershed is critical to preserving Lake Minnetonka; and second, that lots must be large enough to accommodate on- site sewage treatment systems on a permanent basis, due to the high cost of sewering and the "urbanization spiral". As a result, the 1975 rezoning established a minimum lot size of 2 acres (or 5 acres in northwest Orono) for 80% of Orono's land area. This had a dramatic effect not only in slowing development, but in effect capping the City's ultimate potential population at around 10,000 rather than the 30-40,000 that had been predicted under typical suburban development scenarios. Purposely Left Blank City of Orono Community Management Plan 2020-2040 Part 2, Page 4