01-12-1998 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON DECEMBER 8,1997 (#12 - Navarre Housing Study - Continued) Kelley was informed that the number of affordable homes were 183. It was unknown what percentage is being mandated by the Met Council for affordability. Van Zomeren said the Navarre irea homes meeting the affordability criteria is 6% of the total homes in the City. Van Zomeren said Staff feels there is 24% of the housing that will be found to meet the affordability criteria. The average property value in Navarre is $107,000 with $220,000 overall in the City of Orono. The information will be used for exploring grant possibilities and updating the Comprehensive Plan. Other cities are assisting in reviewing affordable housing in the area. Jabbour said the Planning Commission was asking what grants are available. It was noted that the City has received CDBG funding in the past, though not for 1997. Jabbour commented regarding the Planning Department analyzing variance applications and cataloging them. He feels it is fruitless to amend zoning requirements as applicants will adjust their needs accordingly and will increase the number of variance requests accordingly. Van Zomeren responded that she feels this will result in obtaining a recommendation from the Planning Commission for elimination of some variances. She noted according to the oversize accessory chart, no variances are allowed and could be more restrictive. Van Zomeren said this information has allowed her to have a better understanding of what has been approved in the past. Jabbour noted the concern over drifting from cur main objectives. Peterson said she has been told that the Council was more objective in the past and believes the Planning Commission could be more restrictive. Jabbour urged that Staff checks with Council before fully developing an idea. Goetten said she would like to see the Planning Commission more restrictive in their approvals. She noted that this results in it being more difficult to change an application at the Council level. Van Zomeren said new application forms are being developed which will require more information to be supplied by the applicant. Flint noted that the analysis should not be tied into statistics from the Met Council. He indicated the City is trying to develop a community of different income levels. Jabbour noted that there should be no leeway given from the zoning code regardless of the cost of the residence.