06-08-2004 Council Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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(■ ORONO CITY COUNCIL MDS’UTES OF THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETLNC OF MAY 11,1999 Storch remarked that this secondary access will not help eliminate the traffic problems currently being experienced on County Road 15 but will have a great impact on their neighborhood. Storch presented a picture of Woodhill Avenue at the section where it curves, noting that a puddle routinely forms at that location and becomes an ice slick in the winter which causes a safety concern. Storch stated that this secondary access was not brought up by Woodhill Country Club at the time this area was developed, noting that they may not have purchased this land if this access was being contemplated. Storch commented that she has not seen vehicles using this access in the past, noting that this area is overgrown. Storch further remarked that at the time Woodhill Country Club was constructing this access, they were informed that this would be a temporary access, noting that the City was not initially informed that the Country Club was going to reopen this access. Jerry Storch, 1245 Woodhill Avenue, commented that being a citizen of America, individual rights should be recognized and not pushed aside when those rights are being challenged by a business or corporation. Storch stated that the issue that the City Council should consider is whether this application is right or wrong, noting that the City currently does not allow other businesses to have a secondary backdoor entrance through a residential neighborhood. Storch stated he has a concern with the house that is located at the end of Woodhill Avenue, noting that this house has been sold approximately a year ago and remains vacant to this day. Storch remarked that the conditions that arc being requested are not very enforceable in his opinion and the Country Ciub should be required to install a card system to insure that only members of the Country Club utilize this access. Storch indicated that currently a semi-tractor truck makes deliveries to the Club on a regular basis, and requested that commercial traffic not be allowed to utilize this access. Storch commented that the main issue here is the number of cars that will be utilizing this access, noting that this proposal will not greatly reduce the number of cars on County Road 15 but will greatly impact traffic on Woodhill Avenue. Storch remarked that in his opinion he has a hard time believing that Woodhill Country Club will respect the neighborhood based on their previous attempts to construct the access without informing the City or the local residents. Storch indicated that it has been the neighbors' position that they will abide by the decision of the City Council, noting that they were not the initiators of this lawsuit against the City and have endured inflammatory remarks by people who support this application. Storch indicated that he hopes all parlies involved in this matter will be able to put those differences aside once this issue is resolved and become friends once again. Bruce Malkerson. Attorney-at-Law, reviewed his May 4.1999 letter regarding the application by Woodhill Country Club, noting that pages 12 and 13 outline the standards and reasons why this application does not meet the City's standards and should be denied. If access is granted, then access should be limited by installing a security gate which is locked at all times and can only be accessed by Club members. Further, the access should be limited as outlined on page 9, Items A, B, C, and D, and should be designated as one-way to permit traffic into the Club. Malkerson suggested that speed bumps also be installed along Woodhill Avenue to reduce the speed of the vehicles that will be traveling down that road as a result of the secondary access. Malkerson remarked that it is within the City's authority to deny this application, and commented that if access from County Road 15 is cut off, then that is a different situation and should be reviewed. Malkerson requested that some type of review system be incorporated into the conditional Page 11