10-14-2019 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,October 14,2019 7:00 o'clock p.m. involved with the newly proposed Lake Improvement District on Crystal Bay and have taken every effort to eliminate runoff from their proposed plan. Andrea Swan stated she would echo what was said by Mr. Quinlivan,and that she politely disagrees that the plan is for convenience but that it rather is for safety. As an architect, she follows codes relating to the health, safety, and welfare of the neighborhood and City. This lot would require a variance no matter what is done and the question is what is reasonable. This lot is uncharacteristic with the neighborhood and most of the homes vary greatly. To the east,the lots are bigger,with the garages in the back. To the west they get smaller for a while and then get bigger. The easy thing to do would be to put the garage on the front,but the right thing is not to do that for aesthetic and safety purposes. One of the neighbors pointed out that it is unsafe for cars to back out onto the road. In addition,the driveway has been made skinnier and pervious pavers will be used. Swan noted the City has received no objection letters from the neighborhood regarding their proposal and that they are the ones who know the characteristics of the neighborhood and what they would like to see. Quinlivan noted they have improved the lake side setback,the side yard setbacks,the rear yard setback from existing,and that there is a lot to be said for that. In addition,the lakeside of the lot has a number of retaining walls. They did meet out on site with Adam Edwards and he brought up some concerns from a plow perspective. Although it is not in the plan,those retaining walls can be removed and the homeowner is fine with that. Mayor Walsh asked if anyone from the public would like to comment on this application. Todd Olson,3325 Crystal Bay Road, stated he supports the plan and that it fits in with the neighborhood. The houses are all different sizes and shapes. All the neighbors support it and it will be positive for the area. John East, 3445 Crystal Bay Road, stated he would echo those comments and that the new home would beautify the neighborhood. Crosby asked how many square feet the home is. Curtis indicated it is 3,454. Richard Anderson, 3205 Crystal Bay Road, stated he has .33 acres of land next to his marina and this is .25. The house he has designed for that lot is 20 percent structure and 24.9 percent hardcover. Something can be designed for this lot that fits in the footprint. The house is supposed to be 20 percent structural coverage and it is proposed at 31 percent. The area where they are talking about removing the retaining walls is at the widest part of the road and people park there. Anderson stated he is not sure if the 21 feet is accurate or if that is proposed. Curtis stated they are showing the width of the road narrowed. Anderson stated he has an issue with them removing part of the road. An argument could be made that the City does not own the road,but the fact of the matter is the pavement has been there for a long time Page 11 of 16