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SVON- <br /> To: Chair Ressler and Planning Commission Members <br /> Dustin Rief, City Administrator <br /> From: Jeremy Barnhart,AICP 11104>, <br /> ss c` <br /> Community Development Director k�SH�4' <br /> Date: February 18, 2020 <br /> Subject: #LA19-000091, City of Orono Text Amendment Related to Grading and Land <br /> Alterations <br /> Public Hearing <br /> Application Summary: The Amendment revises and restates the triggers, standards, and <br /> procedure for the review of grading and land alteration activities in the city. <br /> Staff Recommendation: Planning Department Staff recommends the Commission approve the <br /> draft,subject to any changes identified during the workshop or public hearing. <br /> Background <br /> This item was introduced to the Planning Commission in January, 2020. A workshop is <br /> scheduled for Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.to review and discuss. <br /> The City Council identified the need to review the Grading and Land Alterations (GLA)at their <br /> workshop on September 23, 2019. At that meeting, a constituent noted the time it took to get <br /> the appropriate permits for grading in the lake yard (slope stabilization). Virtually all slope <br /> stabilization activity in the lake yard requires an Interim Use Permit,which triggers a public <br /> hearing process, and typically takes 6-8 weeks, making preventative work virtually impossible. <br /> In reviewing this process,staff noted that the DNR(in managing public waters impacts) requires <br /> a local permit for the activity, and does not require a public hearing(IUP or CUP). Conditional <br /> Use (or Interim Use) permits require a 6-8 week public review process. <br /> Further, staff has long received complaints about the lack of clarity in our current ordinance, <br /> specifically which activity requires a permit. <br /> Lastly, regulations for grading and land alteration activity can be found in several different <br /> sections of the code: Grading and Land Alterations,Shoreland Management, Interim Use <br /> Permits, and Construction Site Run-Off Control. This diversity in location lends to confusion and <br /> missed regulations. <br /> With these issues identified, staff has developed an amendment that clarifies what actions <br /> require permits,who reviews which permits,what is required for certain applications, and <br /> organizes those regulations in a logical way. <br /> Analysis <br /> Perhaps the most prominent changes to the process and procedures are summarized below and <br />