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I <br />To:Mayor Peterson and Orono City Council <br />Ron Moorse, City Administrator <br />/ <br />Prom: <br />Date: <br />Subject: <br />Michael P. Gaffron, Asst Planning & Zoning Adfllinistrator <br />May 18, 1992 <br />^ 4 <br />« t <br />' fdtMetropolitan Council Rural Service Area <br />64/640 <br />Summary <br />%9 <br />In 1991 the Metropr'< itan Council adopted new Rural Service <br />Area policies for development outside the MUSA line. <br />Approximately three-fourths of Orono's land area is outside the <br />MUSA line. <br />The Met Council intends to require comprehensive plan <br />modifications from cities whose plans are inconsistent with the <br />new rural policies. The key issue for Orono appears to be the <br />rural density maximum of 1 unit per 10 acres, or 64 units per 640 <br />acres. In the long rvn, if Orono doesn't comply with their <br />guidelines, the type of sanctions which Met Council might employ <br />could Include refusal to allow new connections to the <br />Metropolitan Sewer System. <br />List of Exhibits <br />A <br />B <br />C <br />Met Council 2/10/92 Memo <br />12/5/91 Policies for the Rural Service Area <br />Notice and Agenda from 2/27/92 Forum <br />Discussion <br />The Met Council has for many years held to the concept that <br />long-term development with septic systems should occur with a <br />density no greater than 1 unit per 10 acres. With our 2 and 5 <br />acre rural zoning districts, Orono already has just over 1100 <br />residential units on 7400 non-lake acres outside the MUSA <br />boundary. This yields an existing density of 1.5 units per 10 <br />acres or an average lot size of 6.6 acres. <br />At full development, which under the current slow growth <br />rate could take 20 to 30 years or more, we would expect about <br />1800 rural units or 2.4 units per 10 acres (average lot size <br />around 4 acres including wetlands). <br />Met Council has indicated that communities should calculate <br />the density section-by-secti.on throughout the City, excluding <br />surface waters (lakes) and major metropolitan rights-of-way <br />(Highway 12?). While the Met Council'would encourage clustering <br />of residential development, their intent is to protect <br />agricultural and environmentally sensitive lands, leaving open <br />space that could be efficiently developed at higher densities in <br />the future rather than at the present. They will encourage <br />i <br />nL, Am i Tr I