09-14-2009 Council Work Session Packet

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number of dwelling units always is slightly greater than the number of households). In one fell swoop, this would be the equivalent of 6 buildings the size of the Orono Woods Senior Housing (62 units) or the Stonebay Condominiums (57 units). One way to accomplish this would be to re-guide the Dumas/James properties to accommodate a total of 490 dwelling units rather than the 120 already projected by Orono. This would be a net density for those 50 acres of just under 10 units per acre. And it would end up being eight 62- unit buildings all in one complex. Another way to accomplish this would be to scatter those large buildings on sites around Highway 12 or Navarre. Each site would have to be approximately 3-5 acres in area, with a resulting density ranging from 12-20 units per acre. A third way to accomplish an additional 370 units would be to re-guide significant portions of the 2-acre zone near Highway 12 to allow for higher densities, say 3-6 units per acre (for example, the Stonebay Townhomes are at 4 units per dry acre). At 6 units per acre, we would have to re-guide 60-6� dry-buildable acres (note that wherever those acres might be today, they probably contain around 20 existing homes which would be removed; so we really need to accommodate 390 units). At 4 units per acre we would have to re-guide nearly 100 acres; at 3 units per acre, around 135 acres. We do not realistically have the option of re-guiding land in the 5-acre zone since the densities needed would require sewer. Could we re-guide enough land in the 1/2-acre and 1-acre zones, i.e. in Navarre, to accomplish the MC goal? Both zones are primarily developed lakeshore areas, with few undeveloped properties of a size that would accommodate the scale of multi-family buildings required to meet the goal. The scattered available sites (see Map 3B-4) would result in large multi-family buildings inserted into single-family neighborhoods, not necessarily a good fit. Another option would be to completely redevelop the heart of Navarre (CR15/CR19). There may not be a comfortable way to add the population needed to accommodate the Met Council's forecasted population and household numbers. Land Use Categories and Acreages. I will revise the maps, tables and text for consistency in category terminology as noted in the MC letter, and will supply them the acreages of the various land uses over time as requested. This will make it more clear to them that our current plan does not meet their goals. Density Ranges, Minimum Allowable Density. The request for detail on minimum and maximum allowable density ranges for all property guided residential, is somewhat difficult in Orono's context. We have always had a maximum allowed density for each zoning district, calculated as the inverse of the minimum dry buildable lot size - i.e. the 2-acre zone has a maximum density of 0.5 units per buildable acre, the 5-acre zone has a maximum density of 0.2 units per acre, the 1/2-acre zone has a maximum density of 2.0 units per acre, etc. However, neither the CMP nor the Zoning Code establish a minimum density (i.e. a maximum lot size) for most property in Orono. A range in allowed densities is described only for the more recently guided high-density sites, such as the Dumas/James properties (2-4 units per acre), Stonebay (3-6 units per acre) and the East Hackberry area (2-3 units per acre). Because Met Council calculates a community's capacit_y to accommodate residential rg owth "by multiplying the loN�est allowed density in the planned land use density range by the net residential acreage", they expect to see a minimum allowed density for each zoning district or planning area, that is something other than "zero" for sewered development. Review of Met Council Comp Plan Initial Response Page 10 of 17 August 28, 2009