10-28-2019 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, October 14, 2019 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 8 of 16 Walsh commented he attended the Planning Commission meeting and the goal was to accommodate the neighbor’s desire to view over the boathouse, which has been accomplished. Gustafson stated what is not clear on the plan is the impact of the trees on the neighbor’s view. Through a lot of pruning, the view has been opened up without removing the structure. Walsh asked if anyone from the public would like to comment on this application. Stacy Marks, 3127 Casco Circle, stated she has been listening to the City Council and Planning Commission meetings and that they spend a lot of time talking about the average lakeshore setback because it is very important. It helps to maintain the quality of the lake and keep neighbors happy. Marks stated she is here tonight to ask the City Council to honor the setbacks since they serve a purpose and the people of Casco Circle have held pretty true to that in this area. Marks commented she thinks of this 49-foot setback as the elephant in the room and that typically the City will look at setbacks anywhere from 3 to 8 feet. The proposed structure and majority of the house is ahead of both lines. One of the things mentioned and noted in Staff’s report is that the lot will not accommodate the structure. The house can be moved inside that pocket, which is 120 feet, and that more than anything this is a design issue. Most people have their homes more complying with the setback, and as the City Council can see, the home fits in there just fine. The big question is how that can be considered a reason to come for a variance. Marks stated she also thinks it was a little disingenuous when the rest of the structure is not included in the packet. In order to see the whole roof, you have to go to Page 7 of 7. The rest of the proposed roof is even taller and only the left-hand portion of the house was shown. Those side-by-side images do not show a true picture of the house. Curtis stated the applicants were providing the view from the side of the new house to her house. Marks stated if you are comparing the two, you should also show the other side of the house as well because it shows a different picture. Marks requested the City Council to strongly consider the variance before making a decision. Seals asked where the current structure is. Curtis indicated the red lines depict the current structure and the boathouse is down by the lake. Seals stated in her view this Council tries to respect the 75-foot setback but that there is a continency within the code that allows someone to replace a structure in like and kind as long as they rebuild within a year. The applicants are pushing the structure further back, which is a good thing, but that she can understand why she would like to see the house moved. Walsh stated they are farther ahead of the average lakeshore setback right now, but they are pushing the house back from what was originally proposed and from what exists. Seals stated they are improving the situation.