05-20-2002 Planning Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Background On June 26, 2000 the City of Orono adopted Resolution No. 4485 approving the variances and conditional use permit for the Hennepin County Highway Maintenance facility located at 3880 Shoreline Drive. The salt and sand storage building required variances to permit the building to exceed the maximum allowed size for an ovt rsized accessory building on a property of 6.65 acres. The Municipal Code only permits a 2,400 square foot oversized accessory building on the property, and an aggregate of 4,800 square feet for all accessory buildings. The proposed building is 60 feet X 120 feet plus a 10’ overhang for an extended roof for each storage bay. Initially, the City of Orono was concerned that the construction of such a facility on the property may expand the operation of the site. County staff has indicated the proposed building would actually have less impact on the surrounding residential properties becau.se the number of salt and sand deliveries to the site would be reduced by approximately 60 trips annually. During a significant snow event, night deliveries of dry salt and sand mix are required because of the limited indoor storage currently provided. With the enclosed building they can stockpile the mix and accept deliveries during the daytime hours. Existing use of Property: The property has been used as a County Highway maintenance facility since at least 1962, the time the original building was constructed. In 1962 the zoning of the property was for commercial purposes, since that time the property was rezoned to LR-IC. Because the use of the property has not changed since the rezoning, the facility has been allowed to exist as a legal non-conforming use. The facility is used primarily for winter road maintenance, with a coverage area for this facility primarily being County Road 15 between Mound and Highway 12 and County Road 19 from Orono to Excelsior. Other Public Uses of the Property The DNR has located a wash rack for cleaning mussels ofTloats, trailers and other watercraft. The wash rack is located north of the parking area and is used voluntarily by boat owners before boats are placed into Lake Minnetonka. 1 he LMCD has used the property for storage of 4 milfoil har\ esters. The harvesters are currently stored in a parking area where the salt'sand storage facility is proposed. Hennepin County will continue to allow the LM^D to store the milfoil harvesters. I he large parking a ea between the existing building and the south property line has been used as overtlow parking for vehicles and boat trailers when the public landings are full. The overflow parking would reman; as a continued use. Overflow parking only occurs in the spring/summer/fall mainly on weekends not to interfere with the winter road maintenance facility operation. 1