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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 5 of 11 <br /> <br /> <br />City Planner Curtis said the owners plan to build a new home on the existing footprint with a garage <br />addition as well as other hardcover changes/improvements on the property. Their plans involve elevating <br />the new home on fill to comply with FEMA regulations and bring the home up to modern standards with <br />respect to ceiling heights resulting in an increase of mass within the 75-foot setback. As a result of the <br />required fill and the changes to the structure of the home, the overall height is proposed to increase by <br />approximately 14 feet over existing conditions. The existing home on the property is situated within the <br />75-foot setback from the Forest Lake Channel. There are hardcover improvements within the 75-foot <br />setback (from the channel and the lake), and the home is nonconforming with respect to FEMA floodplain <br />regulations relating to the low floor elevation and the adjacent grades. The applicant has identified the <br />channel as the primary practical difficulty supporting the requested variances. Regarding practical <br />difficulty, Staff finds that the existing conditions of the lot (the house elevation and location, the narrow <br />width of the lot, and its location along the channel requiring a 75-foot setback) are practical difficulties <br />supporting variances. Staff finds there are practical difficulties for the requested variances with the <br />exception of the screen porch portion of the home within 13 feet of the channel. The increased height of <br />this porch combined with the extreme proximity to the channel cannot be supported, she said. The <br />applicant has the right to rebuild this portion of the home in-kind but staff does not find practical <br />difficulty supporting the vertical expansion of the porch due to the close proximity to the lake. The <br />applicant should redesign the porch to minimize the massing impact so close to the Ordinary High Water <br />Level, she said. <br /> <br />Ressler clarified that it will be necessary for the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District to review the plan <br />as well. <br /> <br />Erick Hill with Keplinger & Keranen Builders, Maple Plain, and two other representatives of the <br />builder as well as the homeowner, the applicants, said they tried to design something that fit the <br />neighborhood and blended in with the neighborhood. They were required to raise the house because of the <br />flood plain. The lot is on the Narrows Channel and so heavily wooded you would not see the massing. A <br />hedge will be added where necessary, but the massing will be completely hidden by the tree cover. The <br />porch is in about the same place and at the same level of the house as the current home, but the house is <br />being raised because of the floodplain. There is also a peaked roof. <br /> <br />Ressler asked if the porch roof could be changed. <br /> <br />Libby pointed out the pitch of the roof would result in a fair amount of water flow off the roof. He asked <br />if there were other higher-level views of the location. <br /> <br />Chair Bollis opened the public hearing at 7:22 p.m. <br /> <br />There were no public comments. <br /> <br />Chair Bollis closed the public hearing at 7:22 p.m. <br /> <br />Bollis said he is in favor as applied and isn’t concerned about the porch. The massing isn’t within any <br />neighbor’s view of the lake and they have been thoughtful about the design, he said. <br /> <br />Ressler said they just had the discussion about going up on narrow lots and he would agree.