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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION <br /> February 21,2023 <br /> 6:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> Mr. Johnsrud said there's a patio below that existing deck right now. We reduced the deck already by four <br /> feet, along with removing the staircase.And right now, it's just a matter of the existing structures that <br /> were there. He said they had had conversations about the driveway and a walkway to the front door. <br /> There's a set of little wood steps there. So there's not a lot to remove. The only thing that we mentioned <br /> when Natalie brought it up in our staff report was that lakeside patio. We can remove that 76 square feet. <br /> The existing home is 28.4,I believe.And we're bringing it down to 27.9. With the calculations we're <br /> doing,that lakeside patio would bring it down to 27.4. <br /> Bollis noted the deck off the second floor which the applicant said was at a bedroom. In, in your practical <br /> difficulty analysis,I think one of the reasons you mentioned is the poor interior layout from a 1920s built <br /> house, and there's no main level deck.Now this solves that issue. <br /> Libby asked if a main floor bay window would be removed to add the new deck. <br /> Applicant, right,the bay windows coming out and the door's getting put in there?The portico or entrance <br /> is existing. Only the deck is being added. <br /> Libby said,but I'm just looking for hard surface. <br /> Mr. Johnsrud said we did,too.And we've removed everything that we can remove. And like I said,we <br /> already reduced the size of the deck. <br /> McCutcheon asked if they can make smaller deck. I don't know if the math works out. But is there a <br /> dimension to hit the 25 percent hardcover and have a usable deck in your opinion? <br /> Mr. Johnsrud said no,because they removed 152 square feet of the deck, and we're adding a deck that is <br /> netting 188 square feet(by removing the patio below the deck), so it's not okay. <br /> Chair McCutcheon opened the public hearing at 8:20 p.m. <br /> Patti Kubalak, 2623 Casco Point Rd. said she is right next door. I think it's a great idea. You're just <br /> trading one for another, and it'll just make the house even better. <br /> Chair McCutcheon closed the public hearing at 8:20 p.m. <br /> Kirchner said he believes the applicant has established practical difficulties in two regards --that the <br /> existing hardcover overage is not a result of the current homeowner and the remodel project. It was from <br /> prior homeowners. And there's no main level deck, I guess maybe that's not a practical difficulty, but I <br /> can understand where they're coming from on a lakeside of the home. I don't think it's egregious. We've <br /> been here before; we've talked about improving the position. We're going down from 28 percent <br /> (hardcover).And so based on all those factors, I think practical difficulty has been established. We're <br /> improving our position, and I'd be in favor of supporting this. <br /> McCutcheon said he would tend to agree with Kirschner. You're right. We do see this a lot. And I think it <br /> is an improvement on the hardcover.And as already mentioned,the homeowner already did reduce the <br /> deck size, we do appreciate that, to make the hardcover formula better.You could probably save a few <br /> Page 17 of 19 <br />