11-25-2019 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, November 12, 2019 6:00 o'clock p.m. there. He feels what Curt came up with the townhome development was spot-on, and he obviously has flexibility to do something in the back. A big complex will change the look of the whole area. From a long-term perspective, he thinks it will be a much more viable project. From an aesthetics point of view, that is what it's already guided for and what Curt has brought to the table. The Council actually brought that to the table to say that was a possibility, because it was not guided because it was back in the trees and you wouldn't see it and it seemed like a pretty good place to be able to put it. Printup is okay with how the Council has guided the density. Johnson commented that is what he was going to say before, that the Council has their equation regarding the City's density and he would not be in support of increasing it beyond what is slated. Crosby stated he is also not in favor of increasing density because he would be concerned it would be taxing on the schools and he is comfortable with the original guiding. Walsh said they did a great project. He suggested parceling it off into two different parcels so there's a separate investment parcel. Mr. Fretham stated, for clarity, he heard some different things but he thought he heard that the Council would prefer not to change the density that they've already approved. Walsh confirmed he was right. Mr. Fretham asked if the Council had any objection if the guidance was kept on the overall parcel but changed the layout so there might be low density or medium density on the other side of the parcel, whether there was any insight or flexibility on that. Walsh indicated there was thoughtful discussions of what they wanted to see along the corridor, which is why that guidance is in place along Old Highway 12 and the old dump site. There have been thoughtful and long-term discussions with Staff to get to that point, so they would not be looking to change those for any particular reason. He did not believe he saw any appetite from anyone else on the Council to change anything, either. Crosby said he liked the proposal the Council originally looked at. Johnson stated he was nodding his head in agreement also. Walsh asked the applicant what other guidance could be given to him. Mr. Fretham indicated he was stumped because he does not have a viable plan for how to develop it. The infrastructure for getting the 27 villas is too demanding to break it down into one. Bringing that mainline out is a big deal, which is why he thought to switch to the high density. The cleanup, without some kind of assistance, is a hurdle they have not been able to figure out how to do. He's got approvals on guide plan changes and a plan that looks great, but from an economic standpoint he cannot figure out how to make it work, which is why he's trying to come up with an alternative. After visiting on the topic of TIF, he understands that is not appealing from the City's perspective. Page 14 of 17