10-28-2002 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Eihibit..B To: Prom: Date: Mayor and Council Ron Moorse, City Administrator Greg Gappa, Public Services Director Paul Weinberger, Planner Mike Gafiron, Planning Director October 24,2002 Subject: #02-2839 Boyer Building Corporation, 3320 Watertown Road - Appeal of Storm Water and Drainage Trunk Fee Attachments A • 2002 Fee Schedule B - Boyer Letter of Request In regards to Zoning Application #02-2839, a proposed subdivision to create two single family building sites, the applicants have requested a reduction of the Storm Water and Drainage Trunk Fee (“SW&DT Fee"). The entire parcel is 50 acres, of which 40 acres are unbuildable wetland and only 10 acres are buildable. The property is in the 2-acre zone, and the SW&DT Fee would be calculated under the current fee schedule at $2700 per acre or a total of $135,000, i.e. $67,500 per home site. The SW&DT Fee ordinance established a fee structure based on the entire acreage of the various zones of the City and did not exclude wetlands from the calculation. This fee structure will normally result in a reasonable fee for the typical developing property in Orono that has 15-20% wetlands (as indicated in the Comprehensive Plan, in Orono’s 7,000 acre “2-acre zoning” districts about 1300 acres or 19%, are wetlands). However, for a property that has a high percentage of wetland, the SW&DT Fee can be an enormous burden when considered on a per-lot basis. The justification is weak for collecting such a fee when the actual runoff impact is merely 2 new homes on 80 acres of property. The ordinance established a fee structure on the premise that the costs of a stormwater management system are higher on a per-unit basis at lower densities than at higher densities, similar to the costs of providing sanitary sewer to low density development. This is accounted for in the existing fee structure, as well as in the provisions for a 50% fee reduction for the 5 acre zone when buffer and drainageway easements are established. No such reduction was included for the 2*acre zones, as the long-term viability and maintenance of such buffers would be difficult. Rather than revamping the ordinance to exclude wetlands from the calculation or create buffer incentives for the 2-acre zone, staff suggests that the City establish a per-lot maximum fee for the 2-acre zone. This fee would be based on the projected 2-acre zone overall density of 1691 homes on 6811 acres or 1 home per 4.03 acres at full development, which is shown in fable 3B-2 of the CMP. Under this scenario, the maximum SW&DT Fee of ($2,700 x 4.03 acres » SI 0380) per single family lot would come into play for a rural subdivision that contains an extraordinary percentage of wetland.