12-12-2005 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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f * IVUNUTESOFTHE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday, November 21,2005 6:00 o’clock p.m. Gafiron stated the applicant has submitted a revised Wetland Delineation Report, which indicates that the portions of the road ditch along Willow Drive are incidental wetland; i.e., areas of wetland created solely as a result of actions by public or private entities that were taken for a purpose other than creating the wetland. The applicants are requesting that MCWD declare this portion of wetland as incidental and not subject to a replacement plan. The City’s wetland consultant, John Smyth, reviewed the plans to determine the potential impacts of the proposed wetland filling and to determine if there were options to rearrange lot lines to avoid the need to for wetland buffer setback variances on Lots 7 and 8. Smyth concluded that the City should support a potential revision to the classification of the wetland along the Willow Drive frontage of Lot 10, allowing the lot lines for Lots 8,9, and 10 to shift westward. This could potentially allow for reductions, instead of increases, to the fill in the wetland in Lot 8, which is considered by the City’s consultant to be a more valuable wetland to protect than that in Lot 10 along Willow Drive. Gaffron stated the applicant and staff met with Adam Arvidson, landscape architect with DSU, on November T*" to review the Rural Oasis study and its applicability to this site. Gaffron noted Arvidson’s comments are included within the commissioners’ packets. The Park Commission has reviewed this plan on November 7*^ and is recommending that the trail connection along the private road and through the church property to Glendale Drive be a public pedestrian and bike trail. Gaffron noted the Pa>k Commission did not discuss further the issue of potential wetland conflicts with the trail easements requested along the entire Willow Drive frontage of the plat. The Planning Commission had concluded on October 17"' that the combination of Outlot B and the proposed trail connection to Glendale would satisfy the RPUD 10 percent private recreation area requirement, with no park fee reimbursement for either of these elements, even though the trail through the church property will be public. The Planning Commission should consider the following issues: 1. Inclusion of a 10-foot trail easement along the west boundary of the entire property. PAGE 2 __J