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To:Chair Bollis and Planning Commission Members <br />Adam Edwards, City Administrator <br />From:Laura Oakden, Community Development Director <br />Date:March 18, 2024 <br />Subject:#LA24-000013, City of Orono Text Amendment: Phase 2 of the City’s <br />Recodification of City Code <br />Background <br />Recodification is a process that includes a thorough and full legal review of the City’s municipal <br />code to ensure that all provisions are comprehensive, lawful, and enforceable. It is recommended <br />that a legal review of the municipal code be conducted every 10-15 years to address the needs of <br />the City's stakeholders. The City Code was last republished in 2003. In 2022, the city initiated <br />the current recodification project of the City Code. To begin this process, Municode (the city’s <br />code publication vendor) completed an initial chapter-by-chapter review. Orono staff took the <br />results of the Municode review and over the past 18 months conducted our own chapter-by- <br />chapter review of the code to include for updates. The Staff reviews were followed by review by <br />the City Attorney. <br />Proposed Updates for review <br />Changes to the zoning regulations within Chapters 78 and 82 require review by the Planning <br />Commission at a public hearing prior to Council action. Modifications made to other Chapters of <br />the Municipal Code will be brought directly to Council for their review and action. <br />DNR Comment: <br />Sections 78-1279 and 78-1285 within the Shoreland Overlay District were sent to the DNR for <br />review, as required by Statute. The DNR provided a letter of conditional approval for the <br />proposed amendments noting the changes are minor and the changes proposed in Section 78- <br />1285 provide clarification on the vegetation replacement standards. <br />Planning commission should review the changes and provide feedback: <br />Application Summary: The City of Orono is proposing ordinance updates consisting of <br />housekeeping edits, language updates, and clarification of existing City Code involving <br />multiple chapters. <br />Staff Recommendation: Planning Department Staff recommends approval of the draft <br />language as written. <br />110