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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION <br />Tuesday, February 16, 2021 <br />6:00 o'clock p.m. <br />restaurants are conditional use in the B 1 district and a conditional use is required to expand the restaurant <br />into this new space. The expansion will also add a new employee breakroom, coatroom, office, and <br />second restroom, in addition to a small retail space. The customer entry will move to the Shoreline Drive <br />side and the existing western entrance off the parking lot will serve as the driver delivery access. City <br />code states that restaurant use requires at least one parking space per 80 square feet of public restaurant <br />space. The existing restaurant requires three spaces and with the proposed changes the existing public <br />space will primarily be used for delivery ins and outs but may still be accessible to the public for takeout <br />pickups, and there is a restroom available in that area that is a handicap area. The additional space <br />requires 4 parking stalls for a total required of 7; the customers will park in the private lot to the west in 5 <br />spaces or with available on street parking. Applicants have identified 5 parking stalls for customers and <br />parking location in the rear of the building down the stairs in the back for employees and overflow. The <br />lower -level parking lot and adjacent public parking lot will also provide additional overflow. The <br />Applicant has provided a narrative regarding the parking which is in the packet, she has not received any <br />public comments as of today. Planning Staff recommends approval of the CUP to facilitate expansion of <br />the restaurant into the adjacent vacant space as proposed. <br />Bollis asked regarding the existing space they are taking over, what is dedicated to that space as it sits <br />today. <br />Curtis replied she does not know the conditions of the parking dedication as far as what is available on the <br />private lot space. The Applicant has summarized who parks where and what is dedicated to whom. The <br />City parking lot does not have specifically allocated spaces per uses. <br />Bollis asked if that space is conforming as retail right now to the parking, or do they just not know. <br />Curtis said she has no idea. <br />If Ressler recalls, one thing to note about that space whether it is part of the property or not, there is <br />adequate parking on the street, as well as some parking out back, and that is certainly helpful as part of <br />the deliberation. <br />Curtis said it is relatively unique that they have a small parking lot dedicated just to their use. <br />Jason Fischer, Applicant, approached the podium. He addressed the question regarding parking and said <br />there are 12 additional spaces behind the building and those are not specific to any one tenant in the <br />building so it is parking available to essentially anyone. As Curtis mentioned, they also have the City lot <br />behind that; therefore, they have 5 dedicated spaces for the existing business, street parking off Shoreline, <br />and 12 additional spaces in the back of the building, and the City lot beyond that. Generally speaking, <br />customers are in and out within a couple of minutes, they try to do curbside as much as possible for <br />customer safety. Mr. Fischer said they are proposing to expand into the vacant space to add additional <br />capacity for cooking. Right now, in the existing space they only have 450 square feet and one pizza oven, <br />which is not adequate for purposes right now during peak time, so they would like to add an additional <br />pizza oven, and some additional cooler space. <br />Libby asked Mr. Fischer if they are required to have any additional Department of Health licensing to <br />prep the dough and do that on site or are they getting it from a third -party vendor. <br />Page 17 of 38 <br />