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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION <br />Tuesday, February 16, 2021 <br />6:00 o'clock p.m. <br />Ressler noted it is a daycare facility and that is needed, it is a vacant building, parking is adequate, ingress <br />and egress is adequate. <br />McCutcheon said it is a pandemic and there will be more kids. He said in all seriousness, he thinks it <br />would be a great asset to the community. <br />Ressler agreed and asked if there is any opposition. <br />Libby does not have opposition but reading the licensing and the accreditation and the fact that this is a <br />vetted organization it seems that it would be a sensible proposal for them to become their own landlord. <br />Kirchner moved, Gettman seconded, to approve LA21-000013, 2190 Wayzata Blvd W, Conditional <br />Use Permit. VOTE: Ayes 7, Nays 0. <br />11. LA21-000014 MARK RAUSCH/AZIZ SADDIQUI O/B/O UNIVERSITY OF ST. <br />THOMAS, PID 33-118-23-11-0060 (NW CORNER OF WILLOW AND WAYZATA <br />BLVD) COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT - SITE PLAN; ZONE CHANGE; AND <br />PRELIMINARY PLAT (STAFF: JEREMY BARNHART) <br />Aziz Saddiqui, Applicant, was present. <br />Staff presented a summary packet of information. This application involves four different actions that <br />Barnhart is looking for responses on tonight: a Comprehensive Plan amendment, a zone change, a <br />preliminary plat, and a master development plan proposal. These are all related to re -guiding and rezoning <br />the property for a residential planned unit development to support a 37 -unit townhome development. The <br />Planning Commission saw this project as a sketch plan last September and at the time the project was 43 <br />units and there was some comment or concerns with the external setbacks of the site. There was also a <br />density issue. Barnhart said the Applicant has responded to the comments made by the Planning <br />Commission and City Council and has come back with a 37 -unit project. The project will be 37 units in 9 <br />separate buildings, all of the buildings would be shared by municipal water and sewer, and storm water <br />management plans have been provided to manage water on site. Eventually all storm water will depart <br />the site and enter the larger regional pond immediately to the west of the site. Access to the project is via <br />a single road off Kelley Parkway, this road will be private. There are no proposed or supported <br />intersections with Willow Drive or Wayzata Boulevard. The Applicant proposes a unique feature as a <br />sidewalk that connects to all the front doors throughout the development, with a larger external sidewalk <br />or trail system. The Applicant also shows a decorative fence along the west, south, and east boundaries of <br />the property to define the space between the public and private areas. Regarding the Comprehensive Plan <br />amendment, generally the City of Orono tries to keep density low and only introduces higher density <br />where it absolutely has to happen or there is no impact on neighboring properties. Barnhart said this <br />project is proposing a reduction in density from what is guided for in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, <br />which guides this property for urban high density which is 20-25 units an acre. This project came in at <br />right above 10 units an acre which requires a formal approval for that amendment through the Met <br />Council. There has been comment during the sketch plan process of why they cannot make it less dense; <br />in analyzing this project, when they start dropping below 10 units an acre, they start having repercussions <br />in requiring to add density elsewhere in the community. Barnhart said if they go below 37 units, it would <br />require them to re -guide it for urban medium density which is a 3-10 unit/acre range. When dropping to <br />the 3-10 unit/acre range, the Met Council only considers the lowest number of that range (3 units/acre). <br />Page 21 of 38 <br />