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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br /> Monday,July 13, 2020 <br /> 6:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> Johnson asked Staff to explain the request for additional feedback from the Planning Commission. <br /> Curtis stated the Applicant requested the item be brought back before the Planning Commission to get <br /> additional comment. <br /> Walsh clarified the Applicant wants another Planning Commission meeting which, unless the Council <br /> agrees to, Staff cannot allow. He said the City Council can make the decision; or if there are issues,they <br /> can send it back to the Planning Commission for more feedback. <br /> Johnson stated he did not know if he had been in a situation where someone asked to go back to the <br /> Planning Commission so he was not sure about it. <br /> Mr. Jay Nygard, 1386 Rest Point Road, Orono, asked if there were any Council Members who would like <br /> to recuse themselves from the discussion. After there was no response, he asked which members attended <br /> the ethics training from the League of Minnesota Cities when they were first elected. <br /> Walsh indicated he did so. <br /> Mr. Nygard stated that contradicted testimony in a transcript where Walsh said he did not. <br /> Walsh indicated that was not true. <br /> Mr. Nygard said he has the transcript. He asked if any Council Members looked at the property to see the <br /> stakes and what he is talking about. <br /> Crosby stated he did not have the opportunity. <br /> Mr.Nygard said it was a little frustrating that nobody came to look at it. He read in an ordinance that <br /> when something like this happens, lot area and lot width are issues that would be moot. There are two <br /> issues: hardcover and side yard setback. The reason he requested to go back in front of the Planning <br /> Commission was because it was a virtual meeting, and he was raising his hand several times trying to get <br /> attention and did not feel like he had a fair opportunity to interact and get feedback. He was denied that <br /> opportunity and now is in front of the Council. He is not changing the character of the neighborhood; he <br /> is not asking for any structures or any increases. He is asking for help to solve a long-standing problem <br /> for himself and the City. His goal is to solve problems and make the neighborhood better. There is no <br /> financial incentive; if he moves property from one side to the other, it increases or decreases equally. <br /> When he bought the property at 1380,there were several problems and several illegal structures. One of <br /> them the City voted on when they found out about it after the fact and allowed it to exist, which was a <br /> driveway turnaround with a retaining wall and sidewalk. There was also an illegal fence that had been <br /> there for years that the City acknowledged was illegal yet never did anything about. The biggest thing <br /> about getting rid of the fence is that it was truly decrepit--full of mold, falling over-- and it needed to <br /> go. By removing it, he got rid of 270 feet of hardcover on the lot. He heard that hardcover is not a part of <br /> this, but it is. All the projects he is doing on the property go together; they are not individual. He asked if <br /> Staff had the most recent survey he submitted with his adjustments. <br /> Curtis indicated they did, and the survey was displayed on the monitor. <br /> Page 6 of 19 <br />