07-27-2020 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, July 13, 2020 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 13 of 19 Walsh stated he did not recall. He noted there are four docks in the area where the one dock is visible, having just been in the area around the 4th of July. Johnson asked if the shed has always been there. He said someone called in about the docks and said they were being rented and was questioning the shed. He indicated everyone received an email the previous day titled “Comments on sketch plan,” although Staff was not included on it. Walsh and Crosby stated their email did not download. Johnson said they could ask the Applicant about that. He asked where the cul-de-sac was on the photo being displayed. Staff indicated the area of the cul-de-sac on the displayed photo. Crosby asked where the proposed house would be. Rief indicated the areas where the two houses would be on the displayed photo. Johnson said that was all he needed because he was at the property earlier and was not sure where they were talking about. Mr. Frederick Puzak, 1340 Baldur Park Road, a resident for 27 years, said the question is, what to do with an acre of land. Lots 21-27, which has a cabin built in 1900 that would be removed, contain over an acre of land above the 929.4 ordinary high-water level. Less than 5% of the land is wetland. The proposal provides for two building sites on an acre of land in the spirit of the ½-acre zoning. They put in a la rge cul-de-sac in order to make Staff happy which takes up some of the lot area. Because the topography rises as it goes to the northwest, the cul-de-sac has to be kept on Lot 27 because it cannot be built on a slope. Otherwise, access to the higher ground will be too steep. The architect, Gronberg, has two possible well- spaced home sites with over 100 feet between them and the neighbor to the east. The original builder was looking for more density. Per recommendation by the Council/Planning Commission, the density has been reduced to two dwelling units per acre, though some of it is cul-de-sac. He has not spoken to anyone in the neighborhood who is in favor of the cul -de-sac. If that is what City Staff wants, that is what is being proposed. He does not want it to look like Bloomington or Brooklyn Park, this is Baldur Park, but that is the compromise he is making to try to make a long-needed terminus to Baldur Park Road and to put some lots on underutilized land that were platted 120 years ago for cabins. He said many of the lots to the east on Baldur Park Road are 50 -foot lots and in a floodplain. There is some floodplain on the property but it is not wetland. It has been professionally delineated, and the delineation shows that less than 5% of the property is wetland. He tried to make compromises and keep everybody happy and thinks Mr. Gronberg has come up with a very viable, creative solution. He is hoping the Council finds it merits approval. Johnson asked if there were two sets of docks. Mr. Puzak said there are docks at the cabin. There are also docks associated with the house farther up the hill. They are both accessory uses to the existing structure on Lot 25. The docks will go away if the proposal is approved. Walsh asked if Mr. Puzak was renting th e docks.