06-17-2024 Planning Commission Packet

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FILE #LA24-000030 17 June 2024 Page 2 of 5 General Site Characteristics The site to be platted as “Honey Hill on Lake Classen” currently contains two developed residential homes with outbuildings, open meadow or pasture areas, wetlands, and some wooded areas along the south portions of the property. The property also abuts Lake Classen which is classified by the DNR as a Natural Environment Lake and requires a 150-foot structure and building setback from the OHWL. A wetland delineation has been completed and the wetlands have been depicted on the preliminary plat drawing with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District- required buffers (“MCWD”). The City has received a copy of the delineation; the MCWD currently has the delineation under review. Road Layout and Standards A 50-foot wide outlot containing a 24-foot wide paved, private road ending in a cul-de-sac is proposed to serve the development. The road extends for 650 feet accessing south of CSAH 6. A split entrance is proposed to create a landscaping island for the development identification sign, 55 feet from the paved county road. The paved width has been increased to 30 feet in this area, and a 6’ x 48’ pavement opening is provided to accommodate the sign and any landscaping. Rural Oasis + Conservation Design + Wetlands The Developer’s engineer, Anderson Engineering prepared a Conservation Design Master Plan (CDMP) for the development following the Conservation Design requirements outlined within Chapter 78, Article XII (beginning with Section. 78-1631). The Honey Hill CDMP reviewed the development against the City’s Rural Oasis Study, and provided an overview of the property relating to Drainage, Land Use, Natural Resources Inventory, Public Waters Inventory, and Wetlands. The property is directly adjacent to CSAH 6, a corridor identified in Orono’s Rural Oasis Study (R.O.S) The Study identifies the corridor along CSAH 6 from Brown Road to Highway 12, as an Open Enclosure Corridor. The R.O.S defines Open Enclosure Corridors as having “Long views beyond the right of way, and no real sense of corridor enclosure.” Positive views of the natural landscape extending from Open Enclosure Corridors are tied to the rural feel of the area. The CDMP determined that novel “non-rural” land uses such as new residential or industrial structures, can threaten the rural character of the open corridors identified in the study. The study identified potential solutions to these threats through ecological and conservation design measures such as berming, landscaping, and planting techniques that preserve the rural character of the area. According to the CDMP report, the plan for the site includes integrating the existing natural environment in a way that will minimize negative impacts on the current rural character as described in the Rural Oasis Study. Landscaping and planting along the northern boundary of the property will be utilized to preserve the positive and natural viewsheds identified along CSAH 6. The development will not impact the natural viewshed of Lake Classen, regardless of travel direction (east or west) along CSAH 6. The Honey Hill CDMP concluded that the project would not have a significant impact on these resources, nor would it negatively impact the rural character of the City of Orono. This CDMP determination was made considering the following factors: 1. The inventoried natural resources and ecologic communities primarily occur on the periphery of the site 2. Site development plans are focused on areas of the site that have already been impacted by human development, thus the risk of impacting the remaining resources and ecological communities is minimized. 3. The site development plans maintain the rural character of the City of Orono through the necessary site design plans, as described in the Rural Oasis Study. 4. The site development plans follow the City of Orono’s Shoreland Overlay District building setback standards and Minnehaha Creek Watershed District wetland buffer standards.