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CITY of ORONO <br />RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL <br />NO. 4 9 f:1 1 <br />3. The alley provides a potential pedestrian connection from the Casco A venue / <br />Caroline A venue/ Ethel A venue neighborhood to the City beach at Carman <br />Avenue. <br />4. While a portion of the alley south of the applicant's property may be wetland, <br />the possibility for use of the alley in the future via a walkway through the <br />wetlands, or for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing access to the Lake via the <br />beach in the winter, should not be minimized. <br />5. The property adjacent to the alley directly behind the applicant's property is City- <br />owned undeveloped land, used for stormwater drainage purposes. The City cannot <br />predict the value of this alley as a corridor for future storm water needs, but the <br />City should not eliminate any possibilities. Likewise, as City land, the area <br />behind the applicant's property may have potential park uses that are currently <br />not envisioned, and this alley provides potential access for such use. <br />6. While past utility use of the alley may be minimal, the City cannot predict the <br />need for future utility use of the corridor, and because it connects two main <br />residential streets, there are likely possible future uses for public utilities (such <br />as sewer & water, gas, telephone, electric, cable TV, or other communications <br />needs) that are as yet unknown; and <br />WHEREAS, the City Council in recent years has gained a strong awareness of the <br />value of public access to the lake. This corridor has potential to provide connectivity between an off- <br />lake neighborhood and the lake. The Council is generally reluctant to vacate public rights-of-way <br />that are in use, especially in Orono's defined Urban Area (the½-acre and 1-acre zones, including <br />Casco Point). While this alley may have had minimal use in the past, it has significant potential for <br />future public use. The Orono 2000-2020 Community Management Plan, Pages 4A-32 & 4A-33 <br />regarding preservation of lake access, supports the maintaining of lake access corridors and is <br />applicable to this request even though this alley does not directly abut the lake. <br />NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the petition of Richard Kail for <br />vacation of a portion of alley within the plat of Casco Heights is hereby denied. <br />Page 2 of 3