11-08-1999 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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D ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION MINUTES FOR OCTOBER 27,1999 ROLL The Orono Planning Commission met on the above date to discuss a proposed adult use ordinance with the following members present; Chair Elizabeth Hawn, Commissioners William Stoddard, Dale Lindquist, Janice Berg, Jay Nygard, Sandra Smith and Daniel Kluth. The following represented City Staff; City Administrator Ron Moorse, City Attorney Tom Barrett, Senior Planning Coordinator Mike Gaffron, Zoning Administrator Paul Weinberger, Assistant Zoning Administrator Wendy Bottenberg. Chair Hawn called the meeting to order at 8; 00 a m. CONTINUED BUSINESS Chair Hawn introduced the proposed adult use ordinance to the Planning Commission, and indicated three issues she wanted to address. 1 . Ensure the ordinance makes clear what the City will and will not allow. 2. Ensure the ordinance provides for effective enforcement ability in the case of a violation of the ordinance. 3. Ensure the limitations regarding the opportu-'ity to locate adult use establishments in the City are reasonable Hawn requested City Attorney Tom Barrett introduce the draft ordinance. Barrett stated adult uses are protected under the First Amendment. If the City does not have an ordinance in place that regulates adult uses, the City may not be able to take any regulatory action to address the negative impacts of adult uses. Studies have shown negative activity can result from nearby adult use establishments. Barrett stated it is in the best interest of the City to adopt an ordinance that would allow adult uses to exist in defined areas of the City. Kluth inquired if an ordinance should disperse the use or concentrate the use to one area in the City. Barrett stated the ordinance would concentrate the uses in the City's industrial and commercial areas, which are only a small portion of the City's land area. Hawn suggested the empirical studies regarding the adverse impacts of adult uses should be incorporated in the ordinance as footnotes Hawn commented the Planning Commission needs to determine whether the proposed ordinance provides sufficient opportunity for locating adult uses in the City. Barrett stated the total land area available for adult uses is appropriate because Orono is a bedroom community. Only a small percentage of the land area is zoned for commercial and industrial uses, and much of the commercial and industrial land is immediately adjacent to residential properties.