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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION <br /> Monday,September 21,2020 <br /> 6:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> suggests trying to think out of the box as far as literally mixing and matching different things to come <br /> before the City Council with. <br /> Mr. Saddiqui said with all due respect,they are not trying to shove anything anywhere;they are proposing <br /> what they think works best given the parameters they have in Orono. On a parcel of this size,they cannot <br /> mix the product...it would have to be substantially larger parcels and this is a very tight amount of <br /> acreage to have 2 or 3 different types of product mixed. <br /> Gettman noted it's not mixing it just to mix it,but rather to get the most out of the area. <br /> Barnhart said he thinks they're giving good feedback in terms of what they'd like to see,but noted they're <br /> getting into the weeds a bit. He said now the Applicant takes the feedback and either chooses to make <br /> changes for the Council or they want to hear what the Council has to say. He said they should pull back a <br /> bit on some of the detail comments because he feels they got the message out in terms of what they'd like <br /> to see with the setback. Frankly, it's not suggested to introduce commercial or even a mix of units here, <br /> the Council has already suggested that the 20-25 units is too high and they'd like to lower that so that is <br /> what the Applicant is trying to do. At the sketch plan level,he feels they've gotten good feedback and <br /> they can leave it at that. <br /> Mr. Saddiqui said they will use the two setbacks Mr.Ressler mentioned as a guideline and they'll see <br /> what they can come up with and try to address the outlot, as well. <br /> Libby concurred with Kirchner on the setbacks for the two thoroughfares for Willow and Wayzata, he <br /> thinks they need to be set back and they're fortunate to have someone in law enforcement who deals with <br /> these issues on a technical basis with cause-and-effect. He said he likes several things he heard and <br /> always greatly admires people with a compass of staying for the long-term and people who have a <br /> commitment to high fit and finish when it comes to architectural design and style,and he compliments the <br /> Applicant for that. He said he'd also like to support Chair Ressler's comment,with all of Mr.Barnhart's <br /> hard work on the 20/40 Comprehensive Plan,which brought from a 20 year old plan and kept the <br /> integrity of what countless people in Orono believe and enjoy,which is the rural setting versus an urban <br /> setting. He noted the plan is different but that doesn't make it bad,and it satisfies something very <br /> important: Orono needs housing. If this is quality housing that people like and want to buy, it's <br /> complementary to the community.He noted the more the development can look and feel like a rural <br /> community he better off they will all be. <br /> Mr. Saddiqui said if anyone is in Maple Grove in the future,he asked them to please visit the Donagal <br /> development,where the buildings are detached townhomes which are eight feet apart and it will give a <br /> glimpse the product,the aesthetics,mix and multiple elevations, color and materials they have come up <br /> with. He said it is a very impressive and well-received landscape of architecture and noted they are <br /> selling like hotcakes all across the country, because they are addressing what people are looking for in <br /> suburban living with urban looks. <br /> Libby said the design is considered to be an urban,medium-to-high density residential mixed use. <br /> Erickson said historically, about 15 years ago,he served on a volunteer citizens committee that was a <br /> joint committee between Long Lake and Orono and they were looking at alternatives and design features <br /> for the County Road 112 improvement. One of his positions was trying to get funding for as much buried <br /> Page 5 of 6 <br />