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Request for Council Action continued <br />page 2 <br />June 5, 1995 <br />Proposed Zoning Code Amendment-Domestic Abuse Shelters <br />In an attempt to involve the public in the decision-making process, the City has greatly <br />exceeded the legal notification requirement by: <br />Publishing notice twice in the legal newspaper. <br />Mailing notice to the owners of more than 200 occupied properties in the Navarre <br />area, within a radius of at least 500 ’ of the site proposed for a shelter by Westonka <br />Inten-ention (see map). This mailing list was gathered from sewer and water billing <br />records, which do not include vacant properties. (If Westonka Intervention applies <br />for a CUP and/or rezoning, they will be required to provide a certified list of the <br />owners of all vacant and occupied property within 350 of their site.) <br />Review Process <br />When Westonka Intervention approached the City in October 1994 with a proposal to <br />establish a domestic abuse shelter in Navarre, they were advised that such a use w^ not <br />provided for in the Orono Zoning Code, and to establish such a use would require an <br />amendment to the Code. At the regular City Council meeting of October 24. 1994, Mr. <br />Hessberg presented his proposal to the City Council. The Council voted 4 to 0 to establish a <br />committee to review the proposed use. The Orono Planning Commission subsequently took on <br />this task and held work sessions on January 6, January 20 and February 21, followed by a public <br />information meeting on March 7, 1995. The three work sessions functioned as an educational <br />and fact-finding forum for the Planning Commission, and the public information meeting (with <br />Navarre area mailed notification) was held to not only inform the neighborhood of what was <br />being proposed, but to gain public input. As a result of these meetings. Planning Commission <br />voted 7-0 to recommend that the Council permit the Planning Commission to consider revising <br />the Zoning Code with respect to a domestic abuse shelter as a conditional use permit. This <br />resulted in the April 10 directive that Planning Commission consider a B-4 commercial district <br />CUP as well as a residential CUP. <br />The May 18 public hearing was attended by approximately 20-30 members of the public <br />(16 of whom signed the attendance sheet). Only 3 Planning Commissioners were present, hence <br />there was no quorum. The majority of public present were in favor of the shelter use. (See <br />minutes). The 3 Commissioners present directed staff to make a number of revisions <br />wording of the drafts. Because there was no quorum, that meeting was continued to May 24. <br />At the May 24 meeting at which a quorum was present, approximately 10 members of the public <br />were in attendance, the majority of which stated opposition to the proposed shelter. After <br />reviewing the revised amendment. Planning Commission accepted public comments and then <br />voted 6-0 to recommend adoption of a residential CUP for domestic abuse shelters, withvotea o-u to recomiucuu a ----------- <br />additional revisions. Since May 24, a neighborhood group opposing the shelter has come <br />forward and will be attending the June 12 meeting.