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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION <br />Monday, May 17, 2021 <br />6:00 o’clock p.m. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________ <br />Chris Azad said the house that is there right now is the exact same direction, the only thing they added <br />was a sunroom and the garage is a little bigger. <br /> <br />Chair Kirchner opened the public hearing at 6:43 p.m. <br /> <br />Chair Kirchner closed the public hearing at 6:43 p.m. <br /> <br />Kirchner does not see that it is the same location of the current house. Based on setbacks this is not <br />something he can support and agrees with Staff’s recommendation. <br /> <br />Gettman asked what would be the proposed envelope that Kirchner and Curtis would be comfortable with <br />because they are combining the garage that is currently separated. The overall footprint looks like it is <br />modified but practical difficulty is this is just not a buildable lot. <br />Curtis showed the building envelope on screen that the Code would dictate. <br /> <br />Gettman said where the existing garage is they are not trying to modify the footprint that much but trying <br />to combine it under one space. He would tend to support this as the practical difficulty of trying to <br />combine. Switching it the 45 degrees based on this lot, it looks like the area to the south does not <br />necessarily mean it will fit for any kind of house they are trying to combine the space with. <br /> <br />Bollis thinks Gettman brings up a good point and the 15.3 front yard setback they are asking for it <br />actually better than the existing one when considering the garage. That being said, he could get behind <br />this if it was a remodel or addition but this is a completely new house. He does not know if he can support <br />this; if it was an addition he would support it. <br /> <br />Gettman asked the applicant what renovations he had previously tried to do. <br /> <br />Mr. Azad said the house is close to 100 years old and the basement has a lot of problems. Trying to fix <br />and remodel was not reasonable and it did not work out. <br /> <br />McCutcheon asked if it is oriented to get a lake view out of the sun room. <br /> <br />Mr. Azad said they are trying to put the house where the old house is and a little bit on the back might be <br />bigger; that is his understanding from talking with the designer. <br /> <br />McCutcheon asked if the applicant were to re-orient the house, what does Mr. Azad not like about that <br />design. <br /> <br />Mr. Azad stated there is nothing that he would not like. <br /> <br />Libby asked to clarify in the term “partial approval” what Curtis sees as permissible and positive and can <br />work within the envelope that would meet the City’s ordinance. <br /> <br />Curtis noted they are asking for four variances: lot area, lot width, front, and rear setback. Staff supports <br />the lot area and lot width variances to develop the lot with a new home. Staff is suggesting that there is an <br />adequate building envelope to do so not requiring variances. <br />