01-17-2001 Planning Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITYof ORONO RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL NO. ^006 A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING POLICY REGARDING THE HARDCOVER STATUS OF PLASTIC AND FABRIC LANDSCAPING MATERIALS and defining THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN STRUCTURAL AND NON-STRUCTUR.\L HARDCOVER WTHEREAS, ihc City of Orono since 1975 has regulated the use and placement of hardcover on land within 1000 feel of lake shorelines; and WHEREAS, City Ordinances define hardcover as "Any structure, blacktop, or other material which interferes to any degree with the direct absorption of rainfall into the ground"; and WHEREAS, the City Ordinances placing limitations on the use of hardcover divide the 1000-fool regulatory zone into four tiered "hardcover zones" which are commonly referred to as "the 0-75* zone" "the 75-250’ zone", "the 250-500’ zone", and "the 500-1000* zone"; and said zones arc respectively allowed 0% hardcover, 25% hardcover. 30% hardcover, and 35% hardcover; and WHEILEAS, the City Council has long considered that plastic sheeting and weed control fabrics (hereinafter referred lo as ’plastic or fabric*) shall be considered as hardcover for the purpose of administering the hardcover ordinances, regardless of the extent to which such matenals are actually permeable; and WHEREAS, the City has never issued permits for placement of plastic or fabric on private or public property, and all such material where it cunently exists in excess of the allowed hardcover percentages on any given propertv, is considered as non-COnforming ; and WHEREAS, the City is continuously faced with requests for variances lo the hardco.cr ordinances wherein applicants are required to provide calculations identifying the various types and square fooiages of hardcover within a property ; and WHEREAS, hardcover variance requests are commonly reviewed by the City* with the underlying intent that the percentage of hardcover be reduced from the pre-e.xisting condition; and Page 1 of 3 •^r-iinrtrirnn-i