Laserfiche WebLink
I. INTRODUCTION <br />A. Premise & Philosophy <br />Orono's 2-acre lakeshore and rural zones were created via <br />the 1975 Zoning Code as a result of the City Council's decision <br />to limit the development density of northern Orono. The intent <br />of creating low -density residential zones was to protect the <br />water quality of Lake Minnetonka, preserving the natural <br />watershed that feeds the Lake, maintaining the wetland system for <br />filtration and purification of runoff waters, and limiting the <br />volume of urban runoff by providing residential lots large enough <br />to not require municipal sewer and water services. The Council <br />was striving to break the "Urbanization Spiral", (as illustrated <br />in the 1980 Orono Community Management Plan), by which the costs <br />of installing municipal services forces the division of land into <br />many small lots, reducing the individual financial burden but <br />increasing the density of development. <br />It was determined that in order to provide adequate area for <br />long-term on -site sewage treatment and disposal, lot sizes should <br />be not less than two acres in unsewered residential Orono. Two <br />acres generally provides enough land area for construction of a <br />single family residence and the normal accessory structures, <br />while preserving enough area for primary and future drainfield <br />sites, and at the same time maintaining proper setbacks from <br />water wells. <br />At the time the 2-acre and 5-acre zones were created, the <br />City recognized that small pocket: of existing dense development <br />within the unsewered zones would eventually require further study <br />and action. Five such areas were delineated in the 1980 <br />Community Management Plan. Four of the five areas were studied <br />during the period 1980 through 1985, and as a result, after <br />finding no feasible permanent on -site or innovative alternatives, <br />the Council ordered installation of municipal sewers in all four <br />areas. Stubbs Bay is the last of the 5 areas to undergo an <br />Alternative Waste Management Study in order to identify and <br />evaluate sewage treatment and disposal options. <br />1 <br />