08-24-2020 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Thursday, August 13, 2020 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 2 of 8 PUBLIC COMMENTS None PLANNING DEPARTMENT REPORT 14. LA19-000065 – CITY OF ORONO TEXT AMENDMENT RELATED TO SUBDIVISIONS Barnhart gave a review of draft changes to the Subdivision Code, noting it is a lot of information to review so he is not asking for approval tonight, instead he would like to hear any comments or questions the Council may have and he can come back with any changes or updates for a motion for approval at an upcoming meeting. Barnhart stated Staff was authorized over a year ago and has been working with the City Attorney over the last 3-4 months with the goal to revise and clarify the ordinances that relate to Subdivision. He noted that Councilmembers could see on their screens the comments that he, Attorney Mattick and the Planning Commission made through their review, noting the Council felt that was helpful with a recent subdivision to see how they worked through issues. Barnhart noted they tried to make the Subdivision process consistent with State statute, as in some areas it is not consistent, and also to make sure it matches City of Orono practices and policies. He said they removed some things that are not needed in the Subdivision Code. He said the main change addressed definitions, noting they wanted them to match the Zoning Code and there were 5-10 areas that did not match between the Zoning Code and Subdivision Code and that is problematic for many reasons so this was a good opportunity to make them match. In the current Subdivision Code there are three types of Subdivisions, Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3. Barnhart is proposing to strike those and use just one classification, as the process is basically the same (Planning Commission, Council, Public Hearings). The different classifications caused some confusion for applicants and occasionally Staff, so they did away with the three classifications to make it easier to understand the process. Another change made is proposing that every subdivision, which is the creation of a new lot, rather than a boundary line adjustment, would be platted instead of described by metes and bounds. While this may have a little more up front expense, Barnhart thinks it will pay off in dividends down the line when the property owner has to create an easement or adjust a boundary line, as they have a much easier legal description to create and go back through metes and bounds history. Finally, Barnhart noted they wanted to take a critical review of their subdivision process to make sure it met with State statute. There are a number of changes in the draft, accompanied by notes explaining the reasons why the changes were made to make things clearer for the Council. He said the Planning Commission reviewed the process over the last two months, noting they tabled action as they had questions and requested additional information. He pointed out that the Council has the June 15, 2020 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes, noting the July Planning Commission Meeting Minutes came late and he will get them to the Council. Ultimately, the Planning Commission recommended approval on a 5-to-1 vote with Commissioner Chris Bollis voting against the changes as he had some questions or concerns with several sections. Barnhart reiterated he is not looking for approval tonight but would like some feedback and direction from the Council.