04-13-2020 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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To: City of Orono From: Source Land Development, Inc. CC: Jeremy Barnhart – Community Development Director Melanie Curtis – City Planner Orono City Council Subject: Comments from Planning Commission (Easement Vacation/Dedication Narrative) Source Land Development, Inc. would like these written comments to be included in the April 13th City Council packet. Since this meeting is being held via webinar, we would also ask that the staff include these comments in their staff report. 1. Results from Planning Commission: Unfortunately, the Planning Commission meeting held on Monday, March 16th, resulted in a denial of our application. We received (4) No votes and (2) Yes votes. Of those (4) No votes we were not provided with much reasoning behind the denial. It just seemed like the answer was just no even though a compelling benefit was presented, issued raised by neighbors have been addressed and the new plan is still in line with the original conservation space concept. We are at a loss to explain why the Planning Commission voted to deny the application. With the lack of PC support and guidance on how to proceed, Source is keeping the application the same for Council. We feel that the application provides a benefit to not only the Lakeview neighborhood, but also the community and preserving the natural open spaces in Orono. The economic benefit of fixing design problems on certain lots helps the Lakeview project to be more successful and to finish sooner. 2. Driveway Concerns (Lot 17 Block 3): The proposed change to Lot 17 Block 3 places an added driveway onto North Arm Drive. We have shared a sight line image with city staff, and this should be in your packet. The approximate distance from the road curve to the Northern most edge of the potential driveway measures at 315’. Something to think about, the Lakeview Park was originally planned to be a residential lot. It wasn’t until we partnered with CLP to convert this lot into a Park,