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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION <br />October 16, 2023 <br />6:00 o’clock p.m. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />Page 1 of 11 <br /> <br />ROLL CALL <br /> <br />The Orono Planning Commission met on the above-mentioned date with the following members present: <br />Chair Chris Bollis, Commissioners Mark McCutcheon, Dennis Libby, Jon Ressler, Ted Schultze and Bob <br />Erickson. Commissioner Gary Kraemer was absent. Representing Staff were Community Development <br />Director Laura Oakden, City Planner Melanie Curtis, and City Planner Natalie Nye. <br /> <br />Chair Bollis called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. <br /> <br />APPROVAL OF AGENDA <br /> <br />Libby moved, Ressler seconded, to approve the Agenda. VOTE: Ayes 6, Nays 0. <br /> <br />APPROVAL OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 <br /> <br />Ressler moved, McCutcheon seconded, to approve the minutes of the Orono Planning Commission <br />meeting of September 18, 2023. VOTE: Ayes 6, Nays 0. <br /> <br />PUBLIC HEARINGS <br /> <br />1. LA22-000059 TOM RYAN, 2245 WATERTOWN ROAD, REQUESTS <br />PRELIMINARY PLAT APPROVAL TO CREATE ONE ADDITIONAL <br />BUILDING SITE <br /> <br />City Planner Curtis said the property owner is requesting preliminary plat approval to combine five <br />separate PIDs into two buildable lots. The combined area of the property is 5.13 acres located within the <br />RR-1B one-family rural residential zoning district. This application is not a subdivision. Rather, it should <br />be viewed as a more formal boundary line adjustment (subdivision exception) due to the need to formally <br />re-plat two of the parcels which are currently classified as “outlots”, she said. The wooded site includes a <br />small drainage creek which the property owner is planning to reorient slightly. Work began on the <br />drainage creek in the Fall of 2022 without proper City permits. The work was stopped, and the applicant <br />has been working with Staff to complete the project through permitting. The property is not located <br />within the Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA); the properties will be served by private onsite <br />septic systems. The applicant proposes to retain the existing home on lot 1. Development of lot two is not <br />proposed at this time. The application results in two conforming lots. The City’s Engineer has reviewed <br />the plans for the preliminary plat and the applicant’s request for City resources regarding the ditch. There <br />were no substantive comments regarding the plat. The City received two comments on this project. The <br />comments were focused on the erosion from the unpermitted land alteration and downstream <br />sedimentation which resulted from the unprotected ditch. Staff supports the approval of the preliminary <br />plat subject to the City Engineer’s requirements. Staff further recommends that the applicant be required <br />to remove the downstream sediment and obtain the proper permits for the drainage creek reorientation. <br />Erosion control measures should be installed prior to the work and be maintained throughout the duration <br />of the project until vegetation is established. <br /> <br />Tom Ryan, 2245 Watertown Road, the applicant, said he thought they had approval to start the <br />preliminary work on the ditch. He stated the erosion was caused by the roadwork done previously on <br />Watertown Road. The addition of curb and gutter resulted in more water flow at that area, he said, adding