11-15-2021 Planning Commission Packet

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This message may be from an external email source. • Do not select links or open attachments unless verified. Report all suspicious emails to Minnesota IT Services Security Operations Center. Good morning, Wes. I'm one of the Planners for the City of Orono. I understand you are our new Area Hydrologist. I assume you've been pretty busy catching up on all of the different areas you're serving. I apologize for adding one more thing to your plate. I am working on a minor amendment to our City Code regarding Lots of Record. Between 2012 and 2013 we made some amendments to our provision regarding development of non-conforming lots both within and out of the Shoreland Overlay District. During that time our goal was to codify the State Statute language and unfortunately we created a small problem for ourselves in the process, I'll explain below. You may have some of this history in your records but in 1992, when the City codified Shoreland Overlay District regulations we were allowed a departure from the standard 25% limitation by assigning graduated zones of increasing percentages based on the distance from the OHWL. At that time we had 4 zones of hardcover limitation: no hardcover(except for the DNR exceptions) was permitted within the first 75-feet from the OHWL; within the zone between 75'and 250'we permitted a maximum of 25% of that zone's area to be hardcover; between 250'and 500'we permitted 30%; and between 500'to 1000' we allowed a maximum of 35% hardcover. In 2012, we refined our hardcover regulations to simplify the zones for homeowner use. We followed the same basic principal as above; we assigned each property to a Tier based on their setback from the OHWL. We chose this method rather than splitting zones within properties because it is difficult for a homeowner to calculate themselves. Please refer to City Code Chapter 78, Article XIII Stormwater Quality Overlay District for our hardcover regulations. Refer to Code Section 78-1701 for our tier • assignment methodology. Currently, the problem we are attempting to correct is the 25% limitation applied to properties which develop/redevelop under our Lot of Record standards(Sec 78-72c)which limit any property in the Shoreland Overlay District to 25% hardcover. This, I believe, was not intentional on our part nor is it consistent with the application of or Stormwater Overlay District tiers. Additionally, it has become sort of a record keeping nightmare. We will have the first public hearing before our Planning Commission on this amendment on Monday, October 18th. I apologize for the short notice but I'm looking for DNR feedback on the proposed amendment. The amendment would be slated for review by the City Council on November 8th following the Planning Commission meeting. I've attached the proposed amendment for your review and comment. Thank you, Melanie Melanie Curtis, Planner Direct 952.249.4627 Planning &Zoning Office 952.249.4620 2750 Kelley Parkway, Orono, MN 55356 Email: mcurtis@ci.orono.mn.us • Website: www.ci.orono.mn.us All permitting is now done through our new online portal - LINK!