11-23-2015 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, November 9, 2015 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 15 of 24 9. #15-3768/15-3780 MICHAEL AND LISA LARSON, 3569 SHORELINE DRIVE, TEXT AMENDMENT TO AMEND B-1 ZONING DISTRICT AND CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT (continued) McMillan stated when someone walks into the building, the dogs get excited and get riled up but that she did not tour the inside of the facility. Mike Larson indicated they have toured countless facilities and that they had a similar type of experience where the dogs were kept in a long row of cage after cage. Larson stated the noise was deafening and the facility made no effort to deafen the sound. Larson stated they recognize that as a problem and that they do not want that to exist in their facility. Lisa Larson noted they are also talking about only bringing the dogs out two at a time in the morning and that they will not have day care dogs on the weekends. Mike Larson stated they have drafted a preliminary schedule, with the first outs being at 7 a.m. in the southwest corner. The last out will be at 7:30 at night. Larson stated one important thing is that they recognize the neighbors do not want to listen to barking dogs at 7:00 a.m. and that they want to control that to make sure that is not an issue. Larson stated they will be taking the dogs out two by two on leashes for the first round of outs. After that, they will be introduced out there in larger groups. McMillan stated the applicants have come up with a great plan and are very conscientious of the issues but that she is still struggling with the location. McMillan noted this is a small site next to a residential area as well as a commercial area. McMillan stated the City runs up against how different businesses will work with the neighborhoods and that the City has struggled in the past with the Narrows Saloon. McMillan stated in her view Navarre does not have a big enough commercial area and that there is quite a bit of residential tucked in there that the City needs to be very cognizant of. McMillan stated she does not want the applicants to make a big investment and then find out that it is problematic. McMillan stated her concerns have nothing to do with the applicants’ business plan or site plan but has to do with the location. McMillan asked if anyone would like to comment on this application. Tom Haugan, 3585 Lyric Avenue, stated he owns the property adjacent to this site and that he is here to speak in opposition of this. Haugan stated he does not do that easily and that he is pro-business. Haugan stated he knows these people are conscientious but that he does have some concerns. Haugan noted some of the Council Members talked about the sound and smell already but that he wants to talk about the traffic. Haugan stated currently in the morning Shoreline Drive is bumper to bumper as people try to head east. People get frustrated and they go up to where the drycleaner is and then go racing down Lyric. Haugan indicated there are a lot of people that do this every morning and that Lyric is being used like Shoreline Drive. Haugan noted one of the concerns people were talking about at the Navarre Festival was the traffic between the Navarre Park and the new Livingston Park, which is on Lyric. Haugan noted the Council also heard the number of suites being 54, but that there will also be 18 daycare dogs. Haugan stated presumably 18 dogs will be dropped off during rush hour, which will add to the traffic. Haugan stated he feels it is a great plan and no one wants to see an empty building, but that he does not see how it will work at this site with the traffic and safety issues.