07-13-2015 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, July 13, 2015 7:00 o'clock p.m. Peterson stated his company does not build an attached product and that he is probably not the person to be asking that question of. Peterson stated the attached product in the current marketplace is very challenging for a number of reasons and one of the primary reasons is HOA litigation. Peterson noted 65 percent of the product that was built in the Metropolitan area up through 2007 or 2008 was attached product and that since that time it has been 10 percent or less. Walsh stated people who own a million dollar home might be interested in downsizing to something like this. McMillan stated Lots 11 through 15 may be a little more challenging to sell. Walsh stated it is nice to have neighborhoods and that it might be a good idea to include a park. Walsh stated he has a problem with the 5 -foot separation and a front yard setback of 11 feet. Walsh stated in his view they would be doing Orono a disservice by having things that jammed up. Gonyea stated a lot of the attached family housing is still available on the market, which is part of the reasoning to put up a competing product. McMillan stated she would like to see whether there is a way to have some cheaper options available and that she worries about the future of homeownership in general. McMillan stated in her view diversity in housing is a benefit to Orono. Gonyea stated the other component is that the owners would not have the maintenance since it is done through the association. Walsh asked if they are looking for any other feedback. Peterson stated in regards to the affordability component, the Metropolitan Council has an affordability table and that he would like to obtain that from the City to see whether they can meet those. Gaffron stated he does have that data available but it is unlikely the applicant will be able to get there. Gaffron stated the Metropolitan Council says affordable housing is anywhere from 70 to 240 and that it appears the best they would be able to do is the 250 to 300 range. Walsh stated due to the number of homes that would be in this development, it would make sense to have this be a public road, which would impact the width of the road and other things. Gonyea stated what is depicted is pretty close to public standards. Gaffron stated according to the Comprehensive Plan, it should be a public road based on the density. Gaffron stated he also discussed with the applicant whether or not the wetland should be treated as a common amenity. Gaffron stated it is not possible to get all the way around the wetland with a trail and that in his view the lots would sell better if each lot has a piece of the wetland. Gaffron indicated he does not have a problem with this type of layout and that outlots really do not fit with this design. Gaffron asked whether the City Council feels a trail connection should be provided. Gaffron noted drainage will also need to be addressed. Page 22 of 28