01-24-2000 Council Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I I Orono's land use plans and programs allow new urban and rural developments to provide comparable cost housing opportunities. Orono has never had regulations requiring arbitrary minimum square footage in homes. Orono has never required such cost increasers as garages, paved driveways or mandatory landscaping. Any structure which conforms to State Building Code safety requirements can be built on any residential lot in the City. In addition, Orono has had long experience with rural residential development including a full six years a quarter century of requiring at least 2.0 acres of dry buildable land for each rural dwelling. From this experience, Orono has found that housing built on rural lots of 2 acres per dwelling can be and is often comparably priced with housing built on ty pical 10.000 square foot 1/4 to 1/3 acre suburban lots in neighboring developing cities. The difference is one of lifestyle and necessary ’ public improvement investment. The typical suburban lot requires massive amounts of investment for improvements necessary to allow urban density, including sanitary sewers, municipal water, storm sewers, p aved public streets, street lights, large-scale earth moving and landscaping or erosion control measures. Indirect costs include park development fees, and increasing taxation to pay for schools, police, fire and general governmental expansion. Development time often exceeds a year or two from concept to reality. All these costs, plus large, long-term carry’ing charges, are built into the cost of each urban home. On the other hand, rural development as practiced in Orono is relatively quick and inexpensive. Small rural subdivisions have been completed within 90 days. Each rural lot is subject to extensive site and soil evaluation to ensure adequate, permanent on-site septic system operation. But, the installation of on-site septic systems and individual wells cost s co ns iderably less per un it th an are comparably priced with municipal sewer or and water systems. There is n o extensive The extent of land alteration and no storm sew er n ecessary construction is minimized . A11 access is via the existing street system or by new roads privately owned and maintained by the landowner. Road construction is less expensive, because of the limited-use rural sections need not be built to urban design standards. Municipal tax levels remain the same because the development density can be accommodated within the means of the existing public services and facilities. Thus Orono's two acre lots provide a vastly different lifestyle for the same market price as other cities' 10.000 square foot 1/4-1/3 acre urban neighborhoods. t * CMP 3C - 6 B