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2. Housin�. While the Met Council has not yet stated our Housing Plan is inconsistent <br /> with regional policies, they are asking for additional detailed information which, when <br /> provided, will likely lead them to conclude we are not intending to make provisions for <br /> the levels of affordable housing that they desire Orono to develop. I expect their <br /> conclusion will be based on Orono's lack of planning to accommodate 311 units of high <br /> density housing. High density is one of the few ways we would have available to make <br /> affordable housing feasible. <br /> 3. Land Use. Met Council has indicated that Orono's sewered area density policies appear <br /> to be inconsistent with regional policy and may be considered a "system departure" <br /> unless the City can ensure that new residential development served by regional sanitary <br /> sewer will achieve an overall minimum net density of 3.0 units per acre. We already <br /> know that this is not likely under our current plan. They also indicate the City needs to <br /> use a number other than "zero" as a lowest allowed density for sanitary sewered <br /> development; the implications of doing this are discussed elsewhere in this memo. <br /> Additionally, Met Council has indicated that Orono's unsewered area density policies <br /> appear to be inconsistent with their recently adopted (August 2008) Flexible Residential <br /> Development Guidelines. Met Council's 2030 Water Resources Management Policy Plan <br /> designates all of Orono's non-MUSA area as a "Long-Term Service Area for the <br /> Regional Wastewater System", in which they expect development to be limited �o no <br /> more than 1 unit per 10 acres. The Guidelines suggest that all new non-MUSA <br /> development should be planned and developed on an interim basis as "staging areas for <br /> future urbanization". This is diametrically opposite Orono's philosophy of permanent <br /> low-density development in our Rural area. Met Council does note that much of this area <br /> has already been subdivided at densities greater than 1-per-10 and is therefore <br /> inconsistent with the Flexible Residential Development Guidelines. They want to talk to <br /> us about how this might be addressed <br /> ANALYSIS OF MET COUNCIL COMMENTS <br /> This memo will address each of the issues in the order they appear in the August 12 letter, with <br /> the text of the MC letter in italics followed by my analysis of the issues described. <br /> 1. FORECASTS <br /> "The Update is incomplete with respect to forecasts. It is inconsistent with System <br /> Statement,forecasts and regional policy. <br /> The Update indicates that Orono's future development is planned to be ve�y low-densiry and <br /> with sanitary sewer service in some areas, due to wetlands and other environmental <br /> sensitivities. The Update proposes residential parcels of a size that fail to meeC the <br /> Council's densiry requirements (3 units/net acre, average)for sanitary sewer service a��eas. <br /> The lower densities produce households and population outcomes that fall short of the <br /> Council's forecasts. City pi•eferred foi°ecasts are shown below compared with the Council's <br /> System Statement forecasts. <br /> Review of Met Council Comp Plan Initial Response Page 2 of 17 <br /> August 28, 2009 <br />