01-27-2003 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Peterson Page 2 Re: StoneBay January 22. 2003 we will not be given an opportunity to explain, that the language approval granted by the City Council in December was the direct result of the watershed delays. Please give your support by voting to approve this project, subject to the conditions in the draft resolution, thereby eliminating one of the few remaining items that stand in the way of what is sure to be a great housing project for Orono. Our development team has been working on a devebpment proposal for this 51 -acre parcel since November 2001. In April 2002, after months of negotiation, we finally obtained an option agreement from Orono Plaza, the owner of the property. An undivided interest for the southeast 7.41 acres of the properly has been conveyed to Gilbert C. and Anna Lou Ella Braun Charitable Remainder Trust, pursuant to an unrecorded deed. Mr. Braun is also a partner in Orono Plaza. We obtained a separate option agreement from Mr. Braun for his portion of the property. On April 17,2002, we submitted an application for approval of a PUD concept stage plan, commercial site plan, sketch plat, rezoning and land use guide plan amendment for the property. Our request was for approval of mixed-use development with 235 housing units and 38,000 square feet of commercial development. The Planning Commission and City Council did not support the land use guide plan amendment to allow a mix of residential and retail uses south of Kelley Parkway. On June 10, 2002, the City Council meeting denied our request for u land use guide plan amendment. The requested amendment would have allowed residential and retail uses south of Kelley Parkway In an area currently planned for office uses. Neither the City Council nor the Planning Commission reviewed our applications for the requested rezoning, PUD concept plan and sketch plat. The City Council directed us to revise our plans to comply with the existing Community Management Plan and schedule a workshop with the Planning Commission to review the revisions before bringing our application back for formal City Council review of those items. On June 24, 2002, we withdrew our applications for a land use guide plan amendment and commercial site plan approval. We revised our rezoning, PUD concept plan and sketch plat applications to comply with the Community Management Plan. We also granted the City a 60-day extension to the review period. The City Council recommended approval of the concept plan and sketch plat on August 26, 2002. The City Council also approved the rezoning subject to approval of the final plat. In August of 2002, the issue of affordable housing was raised the first time in this review process. Our application complies with the City of Orono Community Management Plan definition of affordable housing, which is defined as owner occupied townhome units developed at a density of six units per acre. However, the development team did agree to work with the City to address this issue and offered several tools for the City to use to ensure that new development meets the City ’s housing needs. We met numerous times with the City Council and City staff to discuss