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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, July 15, 2019 6:30 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 1 of 2 8. LA19-000062 CITY OF ORONO, TEXT AMENDMENT, ACCESSORY BUILDING SIZE REGULATIONS, 8:56 P.M. – 9:08 P.M. Barnhart noted earlier this summer the Planning Commission reviewed a variance request for an accessory building where the applicant wanted to add on to an existing oversized accessory structure. With the addition, the accessory building would have exceeded the maximum square footage for a single building allowed under the ordinance, but the total square footage fell within the maximum allowable for the property. The Planning Commission ultimately recommended denial of that variance because they did not determine there to be a practical difficulty. Some of the comments from the Planning Commission were that the ordinance did not make sense and those comments were forwarded to the City Council and they agreed. The City Council directed Staff to make an amendment to the City Code by adjusting the regulatory table by removing the maximum for an individual building. Staff has drafted an ordinance that adjusts the existing table and removes the current maximum for a single building and the current maximum cumulative total based on the size. It should be pointed out for the Commission’s understanding that the column on the right is now the maximum for a single building simply because a property owner could elect to construct a large single building. Staff also noted during its review that the current ordinance allows for a maximum cumulative total for 13.01 acres or more of 8,000 square feet, which is also the same for 14.01 acres or more. Staff is proposing removing the hard cap of 8,000 square feet for lots 14 acres or above and making that 1.30 percentage. Staff used that percentage because that is the pattern established by current code. Staff is proposing adoption of the ordinance as drafted. Gettman stated he believes the table is off by one decimal point in the fourth column. Barnhart indicated he will re-examine the table and verify the numbers. Gettman stated he understands the maximum, but he does not know why there is a minimum. Barnhart stated the minimum acres is 3.01 and the maximum acres is 3.5. If you are allowed a 2,800 square foot oversized accessory building and have the minimum amount, that person would have 2.14 percent of the lot covered by the oversized accessory building. Gettman stated other than the misplaced decimal point, the table is very clear. McCutcheon commented this table makes more sense. Chair Ressler opened the public hearing at 9:03 p.m. There were no public comments regarding this application. Chair Ressler closed the public hearing at 9:03 p.m.