12-08-2003 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24,2003 LMCD REPORT—LILI MCMILLAN, REPRESENTATIVE McMillan stated that they had their annual meeting with the Hennepin County Sheritf s Water Patrol, which enforces the LMCD code on the lake. Overall code enforcement went well. They had a safe summer, except for the July 4''* boating incident. There was a significant increase in BUl's, with 67 in 2003 vs. 22 in 2002. One possible cause would be the good weather. The water patrol campaigned this year to address underage drinking on the lake, which led to a significant increase in citations, with 87 in 2003 vs. 30 in 2002. Licensed deputy and special patrol hours totaled 4,500 on Lake Minnetonka, which came to about 85% of enforcement time for the entire county. The percentage time was consistent with what they’ve done in the past. They had about 33 special deputies (volunteers), which is down with their hours totaling 800 in 2003. They felt 33 was a good number of special deputies. Hennepin County has not yet determined if they’ll fund enough of the budget to have the two extra deputies next summer as well. They should know by the end of December. Murphy asked if the increase in BUI has to do with increased enforcement. McMillan stated they had the same number of deputies last summer. Sansevere stated he believed they stepped up enforcement of BUI after the Big Island problems over July 4*''. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. ZONING ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT 3. #02*2829 Orono Zoning Code Amendment—Section 78*71 —Regulation of Nonconforming Uses and Nonconforming Structures Gaffron stated that the Planning Commission had been working on this Zoning Code amendment for about two years. The intent was to add standards for nonconforming structures. The current draft was reviewed by the Planning Commission at a Public Hearing held on November 17***. They recommended approval with a unanimous vote. The draft accomplishes three things: a purpose for the nonconforming uses and structures section, and standards for nonconforming uses and nonconforming structures. It separates the provisions pertaining to "Nonconforming Uses” from those pertaining to “Nonconforming Structures.” It eliminates language that makes the existing section pertinent only to uses, not structures. It eliminates the ’36-months after 1-1*75’ sunset provision for lawful nonconforming use of land not involving a structure or involving a structure with value less than $3000 on 1-1-75. It eliminates language that suggests Council w ould look favorably on the granting of variances where a situation existed legally under laws prior to 1975. It distinguishes between “Involuntary Destruction” and