05-08-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17, 2023 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. LA23-000015 SWANSON HOMES, 3017 NORTH SHORE DRIVE, PRELIMINARY PLAT Oakden reported the applicant is requesting a preliminary plat approval to subdivide 3.57 acres into two buildable lots. There's currently one house and the applicant is proposing to demo a portion of the existing house in order to meet the side-yard setback required by a new shared property line between lot one and lot two. The proposal is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and the LR1B1 family lakeshore residential zoning districts. Both lots will meet the one-acre size and 140-foot width requirement in that zoning district. Staff feels the proposed lots are consistent with the character of the neighborhood and do not trigger the requirements for conservation design. All drainage and utility easements will meet current City standards and have been preliminarily reviewed by the City engineer. Minnehaha Creek provided a comment that a two-lot subdivision does not trigger their permitting requirements but they may require permitting at time of demo and of construction. Hennepin County has not submitted comments yet but did provide an update that they have no major concerns. The applicant is proposing a shared driveway access off of North Shore. A driveway easement and maintenance agreement should be required with this plat. Staff recommends a 10-foot easement be obtained along North Shore Drive to support the creation of a potential regional trail corridor. Staff recommends approval of the subdivision with additional requirements before final plat, including a driveway easement and maintenance agreement, 10-foot trail easement along North Shore Drive and separate sewer connections and demo permits. The applicant is here and can speak to the project. McCutcheon noted the lot is irregular and asked if there had been an attempt to make the lot lines square up with the lake. Blake Swanson, Swanson homes,1360 Hamel Road, Medina, said they had put a lot of time and effort into the design especially given the existing home. The reason the lot line goes around the home the way that it does is because that's right where the kitchen and the mudroom are. Going straight line through there and also meeting the other requirements would be a substantial slice through a very critical part of the home. We've been working very diligently with staff to try and come up with a plan that meets all of the requirements of the ordinance. It's consistent with a lot of the other properties along this stretch. He said the new lot to be created would be about 100 feet wide which is also consistent with others in the area. Chair Bollis opened the public hearing at 6:43 p.m. Kathryn Kallas, 3048 North Shore Drive, the homeowner across the street, also asked about the irregular shape of the lot and said it would be helpful to the neighbors to be able to see what's being proposed and how it is going to be situated. She said there is no one currently living in this home and it was not intended to be a living home for someone per the neighborhood discussion, it was seen as a flip that would take place in the neighborhood. Those of us who live in the neighborhood enjoy this space, enjoy the size of the homes and the properties and how it's been configured over the years. Draft