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0\\GlTYofORONO <br />RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL <br />NO 4 619 <br />6. Amendment of the Comprehensive Plan is uarranied because uhilc the use of <br />the \\eslerly portion of the property will be in keeping with the currently planned <br />"commerciar use as established in the 1980 and 2000-2020 CMP. senior housing <br />use of the easterly portion of the property will be more compatible with the <br />existing adjacent single-family residential use to the immediate north than would <br />development to high-intensity retail commercial as currently guided. Amendment <br />of the Comprehensive Plan is also warranted because topography of the site is <br />severe, making retail development more difficult, more costly and potentially <br />more visually incompatible with the surrounding area due to the potential need <br />for e.xtensive retaining walls to accommodate expanded access and parking needs. <br />7. The proposed senior housing meets a number of Orono's housing goals including <br />the provision of lifec\clc housing optiorts and provision of affordable housing. <br />8. The proposed development has incorporated building and road design that takes <br />advantage of the existing topography. The senior building has been designed to <br />fit the general topography of the land, resulting in the ability to reduce the <br />visual impacts of the story as well as maintain a vegetated bulTer to the north <br />where existing residentiai homes would be most impactc.l by the mass of the <br />building. Likewise, the office building has been limited to two stories, has been <br />moved to provide more than the required rear setback, and has been oriented <br />with the short side facing the adjacent residential neighborhood, limiting its <br />visual impacts from neighboring properties. <br />9. Provision of buffers on site will decrease the visual impacts to the adjacent <br />single family residential use. The Sugar Woods Homeowners Association owns <br />and maintains a 40' wide platted outlot buffer strip along the perimeter of that <br />residential subdivision and immediately adjacent to the property. Wliile <br />restrictions were placed on each lot within the Sugar Woods neighborhood that <br />prohibits removal of uees greater than 2" in diameter within the rear setback for <br />those lots located closest to the proposed development, additional screening will <br />be needed on the property to minimize the impacts of the mass and length of <br />the senior building as well as the proximity of parking area serving the office <br />building. DutTers to the east, sotlh and west of tlie property are less critical <br />because the property is located on Highway 12; the properties to the east and <br />Page 3 of 13