Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br /> <br />To: Chair Ressler and Planning Commission Members <br /> Dustin Rief, City Administrator <br /> <br />From: Jeremy Barnhart, Community Development Director <br /> <br />Date: September 16, 2019 <br /> <br />Subject: #LA19-000062, City of Orono, Text Amendment related to Oversized Accessory <br />Building size <br />Public Hearing <br /> <br /> <br />Background <br />Included in the City Code regulations related to oversized accessory buildings (OAB, defined as <br />any accessory building larger than 1,000 sq ft), is a table that prescribes a maximum amount of <br />accessory building footprint and the maximum amount of footprint for a single building, based <br />on the size of the lot. This table is found at Section 78-1434. The City Council directed staff to <br />prepare an ordinance to remove the maximum individual OAB footprint area on August 12th. <br /> <br />This change was initiated based on the review of a recent variance for an addition to an <br />accessory building that would have allowed the building to exceed the maximum allowed for a <br />single building, but would have fallen within the guidelines for total square footage on the lot. <br />The variance was denied because the applicant was unable to satisfy practical difficulty <br />standards. <br /> <br />The City Council observed that two large buildings would have more of an impact to massing <br />that a single large building. <br /> <br />Analysis <br />Staff has prepared a draft ordinance that amends the table, removing the column establishing a <br />maximum for a single building. While only one oversized accessory buildings are permitted on a <br />lot; by default, this single accessory building could be built equal to the maximum allowed for <br />that lot, based on the table in Section 78-1434. <br /> <br />During the development of this ordinance, Staff noted that the maximum allowable square <br />footage for accessory buildings in any lot larger than 13 acres is 8,000 sq ft. The Planning <br />Commission could comment on whether lots larger than 13 acres could have accessory building <br />footprints as a function of a percentage of the lot size, rather than a hard cap. Staff’s draft <br />includes a percentage based on the current regulation, shown in the last line of the table. <br /> <br />Application Summary: The draft ordinance would increase the maximum size for a single <br />oversized accessory building to correlate to the maximum amount of oversized accessory <br />building for a given parcel size. <br />Staff Recommendation: Planning Department Staff recommends approval of the ordinance as <br />drafted.