09-14-2020 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, August 17, 2020 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 3 of 6 Barnhart said that is fair, there is some discussion to be had about the easement that cuts through one of the lots, and they may not get to five properties. He pointed out how the Met Council uses that Table, noting they take a strict, if you have 13 acres, and use the guidance, there should be 6.5 units on that property. Barnhart said he chose 7 units to not alarm the Commission or others in terms of how many projects are being proposed here but to give a real impact and number to the application. Ressler invited the Applicant to the podium. Mr. John Quinlivan of Gordon James Inc., 5159 Main Street, Maple Plain, stated he was here a couple of months ago and would like to clarify how they ended up going from five to four and back to five (single family lots), he noted it was a combination of steep slopes, wetlands, and the easement that ran through the property and they thought it was just the best fit. He noted the steep slopes and some of the challenges are the reason they ended up coming back to the City and Mr. Quinlivan had a conversation with Mr. Barnhart, who ran the report. Mr. Quinlivan then decided to approach the Council as there are a lot of sensitive wetlands out there. He said with the pipe in the street, he contacted Met Council and it’s a gravity line so it’s not high pressure, and it looks like it really fits well for Gordon James Inc. to do so, which brought him here today. Chair Ressler opened the public hearing at 7:50 p.m. Mr. Jamie Lowe, 105 Orono Orchard Rd, said about three years ago this issue came before the City Council and the Commission, regarding the expansion of the MUSA property lines and three years ago it was resoundingly rejected. He stated now it has shifted and there is an open appetite for it, so he is curious why three years ago it was a no and today it is a yes. He is trying to understand how the thinking evolves in changes, noting he has an interest as he lives in a house that is directly impacted. Ressler said he’s not sure he’s best qualified to answer but he does know that there are a lot of factors that are influencing each city with their Comprehensive Plan and it does get complicated. He noted he would let Mr. Barnhart comment on the explanation so he does not butcher it. Barnhart said he thinks the main change between this project and request at this time versus three to four years ago is that at that time, it was as much higher densely populated development of 15 units, which required the MUSA expansion. He noted that on this application, the density is the same as if it was septic, so that is why was much more palatable. Barnhart stated that the Council hasn’t acted on anything yet but they seemed supportive earlier in part because of the perception in terms of a density issue. He said how the sewer is treated is less of an issue versus how many units are on the property. Mr. Lowe asked for clarification, noting there is an existing home on the site today and asked if it is that existing home plus four new sites or the existing home plus three sites. Barnhart said there will be five lots total, and noted each parcel on a map onscreen. Ressler said based on the proposal it’s not clear whether that property would stay or go, but Mr. Quinlivan may be able to comment on it. Mr. Lowe said for him, it’s a fairness thing and he apologized, but about 15 years ago, he noted they put a lot of money into their house, well over a million dollars. At the time, they applied to the City of Orono, because there is a pumping station right across the street, and they asked if they could plug into that and