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 13 of 16 Seals stated it is a beautiful drawing, but it is too much for the lot. The lots are smaller in the Crystal Bay neighborhood. The proposed hardcover is also an issue and that in her view they are pushing the limits too much. Quinlivan pointed out they have 30-plus setbacks on each side and that it will look like there are two empty lots. The challenge is how to make it fit without looking out of place. Johnson stated the discussion at the Planning Commission was pretty interesting and that he is in favor of allowing them to use the 14,000 square foot number as the basis. Walsh stated that would make the road a practical difficulty. Johnson stated he believes the Planning Commission felt that as well. There is some advantage to being on a lot less than 10,000 square feet because they tend to get a lot of variances. Johnson indicated he would not be open to any restricting of that roadside and that he would like to see the walls removed. By using that 14,000 number, they can revise their plan to get closer to the numbers, but they will have to make some hard choices. Johnson stated he also heard the argument about backing out on to the street, and that he would like to keep the cars off the street as much as possible. If you have to back out, you have to be more careful. Johnson stated he would not be in favor of narrowing the road and that they should comply with the 20 percent structural coverage but that he is not sure about the hardcover number. Crosby commented he would like to see the hardcover number be reduced. Seals stated the problem with narrow roads is emergency vehicle access. Quinlivan asked if they can table the application. Walsh indicated they can do that. Curtis noted the deadline has been extended to January 1, 2010. Swan asked even if they put the garage facing the street, they would still be over on hardcover, and her question would be whether that would be better. Walsh commented it is not the purview of the City Council to design the house and that they just provide guidance. The City Council has provided the boundaries they should work within and gave them some flexibility with the road Quinlivan concurred there is some value to getting cars off the street and leaving it wider. If they leave the road the way it is today, there is also some desire to get cars off the street as well. Walsh stated those would be mitigating factors and that the City Council cannot give them an exact answer at this time. Curtis stated 1,400 square feet of driveway would be 10 percent.