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 1 of 29 ROLL CALL The Orono Planning Commission met on the above-mentioned date with the following members present: Chair Jon Ressler, Commissioners Chris Bollis, Bob Erickson, Matt Gettman, Scott Kirchner, Dennis Libby, and Mark McCutcheon. Representing Staff were Community Development Director Jeremy Barnhart and City Planners Melanie Curtis. Chair Ressler called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Kirchner moved, Libby seconded, to approve the Agenda for the August 17, 2020 Planning Commission meeting. VOTE: Ayes 7, Nays 0. APPROVAL OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES OF JULY 20, 2020 Libby moved, Gettman seconded, to approve the minutes of the Orono Planning Commission meeting of July 20, 2020, as submitted. VOTE: Ayes 7, Nays 0. PUBLIC HEARINGS 1. LA20-000049 SHARRATT DESIGN, 3435 CRYSTAL BAY ROAD, VARIANCES, 6:01 P.M. – 6:33 P.M. Jessica and Kevin aka “KC” Finnegan, Applicants, were present. Staff presented a summary of packet information. Curtis ended the presentation noting as currently proposed planning staff recommends denial of the plan. Should the Applicant make revisions and provide a plan consistent with the allowed 2,000 square foot building footprint, and in turn a reduced hardcover level, staff finds practical difficulties supporting the remaining variances. Ressler invited the Applicant to the podium. Ms. Jessica Finnegan, 3435 Crystal Bay Road, thanked the Planning Commission and noted the architect and builder are also at the meeting. She gave some background on their family, stating she and her husband are relatively new to Minnesota and although her husband is initially from the State, they spent the last 10 years overseas. They are both Army Veterans and want to move back to the United States with their three children, all soon to be teenagers, new drivers and will be attending Orono schools. Ms. Finnegan said they are very excited to be living in the Navarre neighborhood, about a block or two away from Crystal Bay Road and they are very happy with the property and location. She thanked the Commissioners and said she’d leave any questions to the architect. Mr. Mike Sharratt, 464 2nd St, Excelsior, is the architect on the project and said Curtis summed everything up very well. He said the hardest situation to deal with, especially with a family of five, is that there isn’t an ability to put mechanical and storage space in an unseen place, as it becomes building mass whether it’s on the first floor or second floor. He said in the design of the building, they looked at many different ideas including garages to the front, which would reduce the amount of hardcover due to driveway surface. The existing home on the site right now has a driveway alongside and they are putting the