07-27-2015 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, July 13, 2015 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 8 of 28 wanted to buffer those from the northern boundary and that a 75-foot buffer was created along with 50-foot side setbacks and a 90-foot tree preservation area. Stickney noted a new septic location was found resulting in zero tree loss for Lot 2, Block 2 and the pond was relocated on the other side of that property. Stickney indicated he has met with Prairie Restorations on the site a couple of times on the site and that they will be planting prairie grasses on the north side of Lot 1, Block 3. A total of 1.96 acres will be planted in prairie this year. Stickney stated he would like to spray the invasive species next week once his plan is approved. Stickney stated as a result of the work of Prairie Restorations, the invasive species will be eliminated, the woods will be cleaned up, the prairies will be burned, reseeded and restored, and the ponds will be restored. Stickney indicated Staff wanted to see what could be done about relocating the cul-de-sac near the woods. The cul-de-sac has been relocated just south of the woods at the bottom of a slope. The result is less impact in terms of tree loss. Stickney noted it would be a 20-foot wide road at a 12 percent slope. Stickney stated on either plan the first 850 feet of the property would consist of a 20-foot wide road, which is 10 times better than Fox Street. There are a total of 3.5 to 5.5 inches of asphalt in some places and that they would increase that to around a foot of aggregate. Stickney stated they would like to keep the 20-foot width. Stickney stated on his plan, all the driveways, the septic sites, and the home sites are showing a minimal loss of trees. Stickney indicated he will also be planting additional trees for screening and the roadways will be lined with trees. Stickney stated the plan is that the lots will be camouflaged and to locate the septic sites and driveways in places that will help ensure there will be a zero loss of trees. Stickney stated preservation of the trees is one of the major concepts of this development and that there is a very strict tree preservation and replacement covenant to further help preserve the trees. Stickney noted the covenants will dictate where the building pads and driveways will be. Diagram 5 depicts the plan that was presented at the June Planning Commission meeting. Stickney indicated he removed one lot from the Big Woods area and placed it closer to the prairie. Stickney illustrated the location of Lots 1 through 8. The newly relocated lot consists of almost four acres and a number of trees will be planted on the lot. Stickney stated the only difference between this plan and the other plan is that there will be one less lot in the woods, 36 more trees planted, and one lot in the prairie. Stickney indicated he will also be planting approximately 40 trees in that area and will plant more if necessary. Stickney stated everything was planned initially to minimize someone’s ability to see the houses by keeping what is there and adding trees. Stickney stated Plan B has the cul-de-sac located further to the south and results in very little tree loss. Stickney stated in his view the proposed location of the cul-de-sac in the first plan was probably the best location for it but that he has relocated it to address the concerns of the Planning Commission. In addition, the curb and gutter will result in very little grading. Stickney stated they have also designated the primary and alternate septic sites and that the lots have similar building envelopes. Stickney stated the covenants on this development say that an outbuilding can only be added if there is zero tree loss. Further restrictions were placed in the covenants to require 100 percent of the homeowners approve anything that would change anything for the Big Woods lots.