09-28-2020 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, September 14, 2020 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 17 of 26 Ms. Burwell said exactly, and she is very much just trying to protect what she has and has had for close to 41 years. She loves the lake, she has no plan to move or tear anything down, except for the central park area which she tore down and mentioned the critters earlier. She said she thinks the Council gets the drift of where she’s coming from. Walsh thanked her for her thoughts. Ms. Burwell said she’d be back. Mr. Whitten asked to bring up the point that Mayor Walsh noted, that even with Line A there would still be a house in that location that is adjacent to the Burwell property and the neighbors to the West did not have any objection to the site plan as shown. He said he thinks that speaks well and he hopes the Council seriously considers Line C. Walsh said he’d really like to take away from this evening in terms of the feedback, looking at all the lines and making sure everyone understands what those lines mean, is to make sure that the developer has heard the neighbors and if this does continue forward, they have some of those thoughts out there as well. He said those conversations go two ways. Mr. Whitten asked if there was a situation before on properties that would have hardships like this one, where the houses on either side are set way back. Walsh answered they see them on a pretty consistent basis because there is a lot of lakeshore in Orono. Johnson noted they can’t make their own hardship, either, and this is a new development so one of the components they must meet is unique to the property that the developer didn’t create. He said the developer is creating the hardship from the existing average lakeshore setback here. Walsh said if it was one lot it wouldn’t be an issue, so what Johnson is saying is by creating a development, they are creating a hardship because of the lines. Crosby said to that point, with the property on the West being up on the hill and he knows that area, it does get a little exaggerated. He’d like to talk with the neighbors and meet in the middle, perhaps there aren’t three lots there, but instead two which are pushed slightly back but not as far back as Line A. Walsh said it would be interesting because Kurt is the one to the West, and he’d be curious to hear from Kurt on a sensible level and talk with him about the trees and foliage issues on his side because he will potentially be looking down onto those properties and to get his feedback and they may solve part of those problems by bringing the line down to Line C. He’d like to have that conversation in the next couple of weeks and perhaps bring it back to the Council again. He noted for Ms. Burwell it won’t change much between Line A and Line C, but for Kurt it might a little bit, maybe not huge but if they can solve the foliage issues and come to a reasonable solution then everyone is okay with it and understanding that in the past, including with Judd Dayton’s property and on numerous occasions, the Council has put lines where it made sense. He noted in the end everyone was okay with it, also. Mr. Whitten said understanding that, they should ask that the project be tabled at this point. He thanked the Council.