06-03-1999 Council Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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Attachment Page 2 systems not meeting a 3’ seasonal water table separation. It was determined that perhaps as many as 60% of the existing systems in Orono would not conform to the standard, and would eventually have to be replaced. During the latter half of the 1990's the City worked aggressively to bring sewer to the "Hot Spots" neighbor!toods. This seemed more prudent than forcing homeowners to construct new mound septic systems on sites that in many cases were marginal due to soils, topography and available space. Most of the 10 "Hot Spots" have been sewered, or are expected to be in the next two years. One of the results of solving these scattered neighborhood problems, has been the creation of a MUSA boundary that has multiple inroads and islands. There are few portions of the Rural Area that are more than a mile from the nearest sewer. This can lead residents to the perception that sewer is 'just around the corner’. The 1980 CMP did not specifically set a goal of providing sewer to the entire shoreline of Lake Minnetonka. However, the current Council appears to be of a single mind that this should occur. A prime example is the 1998 MUSA amendment that allowed the 7-lot Little Orchard subdivision to be sewered, and brought the entire northeast shore of Maxwell Bay into the MUSA. One of the (perhaps not anticipated) side effects of low-density zoning has been the gradual 'gentrification' of Rural Orono. While the 1980 CMP states that "Orono's rural areas provide the opportunity for low density housing at affordable prices...", opportunities for 'affordable' rural housing have dwindled due to skyrocketing land values. In Orono's rural area (2-acre and 5-acre zones only), 21 new homes were constructed in 1998. The range in construction values for these 21, not including land costs or landscaping, ranged from $185,000 to $1,597,000. 14 of 21 exceeded $300,000 construction value. The average construction value was $452,000 which likely translates to a selling price around $550,000. The point here is that as a higher percentage of the rural area is developed with housing cf high value, a greater percentage of rural property owners may be willing to accept the high cost of sewer in order to not have to deal with septic problems. This will lead to pressure to retrofit 2-acre conforming lots with sewer for neighborhoods that are willing to pay for it. And then perhaps it's only a short leap to the idea that we might actually develop 2-acre neighborhoods with sewer from the very start. Met Council policies notwithstanding. Over tlie last 20 years the urb«n spiral ha^ apparently been held at bay, and we haven’t been forced to become Plymouth. This could be attributed to a progression of City Councils who refused to tezone the rural area while watching it develop at a slow, steady pace. It also could be attributed to a market that eats up new 2-acre developments as quick as they are created, apparently indicating that the "rural" lifestyle Orono provides is an attractive one.