11-22-2004 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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i James W. Ogland 525 Femdale Road Wayzata, Minnesota 55391 November 13, 2004 To: All Orono Planning Commission Members Re: 043057, Don Henderson, 560 Big Island, Record Lot Size Variance From: James Ogland, Senior Past Commander of the Minnetonka Power Squadron (large property owner on Big Island), author and local historian of Lake Minnetonka, especially Rig Island, resident of Orono for over 60 years, owner of property at 200 Big Island smce 1981, former chairman of the Orono Park Commission, licensed real estate agent and listing agent of this property. Dear Members: This property was purchased in 1957 by Henry Henderson, and has been owned by the Henderson family for almost fifty years. It is small by some standards, yet is one of the largest undeveloped parcels on Big Island. According to Hennepin County tax records and Orono records, its 3.33 acres consists of 1.43 acres of high, dry land and 1.9 acres of wetlands. Of the 61 Record Lots on Big Island, it is the 19th largest property on the Island. Its western boundary at 300 feet is the length of a football field. • It meets or exceeds all of the requirements for a buildable lot • It has acceptable sites for three septic drain fields (more than required) • It meets all setback requirements including the 75 foot lakeshore requirement • It meets the wetland setback requirements • There are no bluff issues • It has a recent survey indicating the above • It has had a wetlands delineation survey and report identifying the edge of adjacent wetlands For the most part, the property is distant and totally isolated from its adjacent neighbors to the north and cast, and only minimally visible with its neighbors to the west. The recent moratorium on wetland docks should not be an issue, as placement of a shoreline dock will only traverse a few feet of wetland, and would be in keeping with DNR recommenda tions. Construction of a seasonal dwelling on this property should have little or no impact on the Irabitat or wildlife in the wetland area. This property is a desirable building site and will be an asset to Orono and the Big Island community. As one of the largest lots on the island, it certainly qualified and should have been granted Record Lot Status twenty years ago, and only by an oversight, was not. Sincerely, A iavv James Ogland I