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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION <br />January 17, 2023 <br />6:00 o'clock p.m. <br />received for this application. Staff is able to support the variance addressing utility connections as an <br />existing condition to minimize disturbance to the property and the existing utility connections. Staff <br />recommends denial of the lot area variance for ADU use. <br />Ressler asked if that accessory dwelling was not part of the request, would staff be supportive of the <br />application? <br />Curtis said the staff supports the application to combine the lots but not the accessory use. <br />McCutcheon pointed out the City just changed the ordinances to include performance standards; for <br />ADUs and one of our criteria was the lot has to be at least one acre. He said since it's an existing house, <br />the Planning Commission could probably get past the requirement that the main residence and the ADU <br />share utilities. The big conundrum for us to discuss is are we okay with the not meeting the one acre? <br />Tim Oare 2967 Casco Point Rd. The Swenson property had a 20 -foot piece of Lakeshore. When we <br />purchased our house, we had talked to the Swensons and Abbotts and Swensons happened to live in <br />Florida. The Abbots share the driveway with the Swenson property. The guest house is almost touching <br />our driveway. We thought it was a great opportunity to eliminate this lake shore piece. If you look it's a <br />20 -foot piece of lakeshore. You really can't have a dock there. We just thought getting rid of all of this <br />and combining it in the two yards instead of three was going to be an easy solution. The house is existing <br />the way it is. Tearing it down doesn't make sense. We are eliminating a whole bunch of hardcover to try <br />and do this. The stairs of the lake are going away. There's a sidewalk from the house to the garage. That's <br />all going away. So we're getting rid of all this hard cover to get down to our right size hardcover, and we <br />didn't realize this was going to be such a big deal to make the split. When they sold their house and we <br />built our house, we redid all the sewer lines, all the water lines to both houses. So it's all fresh, updated <br />sewer, water lines and to combine them again would be a big, big deal. So all we're asking for is to just <br />use the house as a house. It's not like we're renting it out. We just want to keep it as a house for guest. <br />Right now it's a three-bedroom, three -bath house. To convert it to just a party room or storage facility just <br />doesn't seem to make sense either. <br />McCutcheon asked for clarification on the use of the old Swenson house as a guest house or dwelling. <br />Curtis explained that the lot would not meet the one -acre requirement for an ADU and that the new <br />ordinance removed guest houses and replaced them with the ADU regulations. <br />Chair McCutcheon opened the public hearing at 6:12 p.m. There were no public comments. <br />Chair McCutcheon closed the public hearing at 6:12 p.m. <br />The Commissioners discussed the item. <br />McCutcheon noted this was the first variance request under the new ordinance. It doesn't seem like he's <br />asking a lot but it doesn't conform so that is what we are here to discuss. <br />Page 2 of 13 <br />