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Variance Request 3760 Watertown Rd. Orono, MN <br />LA23-000052 <br />Reason for variance request: Land owner requests to build an accessory structure greater than 1,000 sqf <br />footprint "streetward" of the primary residence. This is contrary to Orono standard zoning practices. <br />Background: The parcel is located in the NW quadrant on the corner of Watertown Rd and Stubbs Rd. The <br />parcel consists of 30 Acres with approximately 7acres of forest, 19 acres of pasture and tillable farm land, <br />2.5acres buildable areas, and 2.5 acres of lawn, driveway, etc. The property has been subject to a Conservation <br />Easement since 1994 of which the City of Orono has been provided the current version thereof. The current <br />owner is Revis Stephenson III, who purchased the property in 2012. The property is an active farm, is designated <br />agricultural by the governing assessor, the owners have filed a Form Schedule F with the IRS since 2014, and <br />participate in the annual Department of Agriculture survey to report their farming activities. <br />Figure 1— Google Earth View of 3760 Watertown Rd <br />The Property Owner has submitted a permit to build a new home (RPS 23-000099) and a new Barn Accessory <br />Structure (RAS 23-000047). During the preliminary review of the Barn Permit, the City of Orono determined that <br />Stubbs Bay Rd is considered the "Front of the Parcel" per zoning rules. The property border along Stubbs Bay rd <br />is about 1,465 ft and the about 1555 ft along Watertown Rd. As it turns out, the rule is the shorter of the two is <br />the front. One could imagine why this is the rule for smaller lots, but I truly believe the rule is not intended to <br />prohibit the proposed buildings at this site, on a farm of this size. It would certainly appear that the variance <br />