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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br /> July 10,2023 <br /> 6:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> Andrew Iverson,4448 North Shore Drive,said they bought the house in 2019 but it needed a lot of work <br /> so they have taken four years to remodel the house into their home. When they purchased the house it had <br /> no siding and all the windows were deteriorating,he said. Their family is growing and they want to add <br /> on to the house to create a classroom and additional space as well as the rooftop terrace as a safe play <br /> space for their children. He pointed to another nearby residence that was approved to have a rooftop <br /> terrace. <br /> Mayor Walsh stated the problem with Orono's smaller lots is that people buy properties with existing <br /> conditions that couldn't be put there today,and then want to expand that.He said the applicants were just <br /> barely able to squeeze just a little bit of living space out of basically a non-buildable lot. He said he was <br /> familiar with the property and that the new owners had done a great job with the remodel to this point. <br /> Johnson noted due to the size of the lot they would never be able to meet the 75-foot setback but asked if <br /> there was a way they could improve the situation by building up.He said the applicant is way below the <br /> height limit. <br /> Iverson said the house does not have a basement but rather a crawl space and that impacts the ability to <br /> have livable space. <br /> Walsh said he can definitely see the problem but not having enough space is not a practical difficulty but <br /> rather a personal issue. For the City,the problem is being consistent and not allowing residents to expand <br /> non-conformities.He said sometimes people need to know what they are buying.When the City says yes <br /> to things,it can't say no later on to people with the same kind of issue,Walsh said. <br /> Crosby said the biggest issue is creating another non-confirming use where the property is already non- <br /> conforming.He suggested tabling it for now and working with the staff to find a compromise. <br /> Benson said in reviewing the Planning Commission notes,the added height and the 75-foot lake setback <br /> were called out and that the City has been consistent on that. With small,substandard lakeshore lots <br /> there's only so much room, she said, and that's why the Council has been consistent in terms of enforcing <br /> that. She suggested it might be worth the applicant's while to see if they could think of a plan that may <br /> give them a little bit more space living space but not be so far into this encroachment on a number of <br /> different areas such as height and side setbacks, <br /> Iverson pointed out the house was approved at one time.Now there's new rules and laws and regulations, <br /> he said,noting again that they are not trying to encroach any farther towards the lake.He said he feels that <br /> they should be"grandfathered"in. <br /> Nye said currently residents are not allowed to build anything within the 75-foot setback. There is a house <br /> there but expanding that footprint either out or up increases the non-conformity.The Council appears to <br /> be willing to let the applicants fill in within the bubble that they have. She suggested talking to their <br /> builder to see if they could possibly get a second story within the same ridge line. <br /> Johnson said he would not be in favor of any expansion of the existing footprint. If this was someone that <br /> was going to build a new house,he said he would be in favor of letting them use the footprint that exists. <br /> Page 3 of 8 <br />