12-14-2015 Councill Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, November 23, 2015 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 29 of 41 zoning, there would have to be a clear and compelling reason to do that. Fredrickson noted the Council spends a lot of time talking about slight variances on a property and that this would be a major change. Fredrickson noted Mr. Wasmoen also talked about the Metropolitan Council requiring two to three units per acre but yet there is nothing in the City’s documents that say anything but one-acre lots. Fredrickson stated nothing has ever been presented in the past 18 months that says that. Wasmoen noted it is contained in the guide plan. Fredrickson stated they purchased their land knowing what was across the street and Mr. Delaney purchased his land knowing what the zoning was. Fredrickson noted she was here one month ago with a friend when he was requesting a 1-foot variance and he was not given it. Fredrickson stated they are again here talking about rezoning this land when it very clearly states in the plan that it is one-acre zoning. Fredrickson stated this is a very unique lot and is not flat farm land. Fredrickson stated the Council has to let the land speak to them about what will fit on the property. Fredrickson noted this land is not flat, it slopes, and it is not possible to excavate the area to make those homes fit in there like depicted on the sketch plan. Fredrickson indicated she also did some research on trees. Fredrickson stated she called the MN Department of Forestry and also spoke with a friend of hers who has done a lot of development. Fredrickson stated it does not matter if it is 24 units or 12 units and that when you are talking about trees and excavation, a person has to worry about the root system and not just the canopy. The root system goes out twice the tree’s height. Fredrickson stated the bottom line is, when there are that many homes, the land will be clear cut or the root system will be disturbed, which means the trees will die, and that she would rather place her bet on three single lots if it will save all the trees. Fredrickson stated it is not a guarantee that somebody will cut them down but that they would be a fool if they cut down them since that is the best feature of the lot. Fredrickson stated it is disingenuous to say they will not be cutting down very many trees. Fredrickson stated the biggest problem with the sketch plan is that it should be accurate. Fredrickson indicated she has been presenting materials for 35 years, and that when she gets an opportunity to sell something, she knows she has to do it right since everyone’s time is valuable. Fredrickson stated if she is presenting for the seventh time, she has to be extremely lucky. Fredrickson stated the developer should not come in with a drawing that is not to scale and that it is likely if someone parks in some of the driveways, the back end of the vehicle would be sticking out into the street. The road is also not wide enough for two cars to pass each other. Fredrickson stated they also cannot build that close to the conservation area because there is a big drop-off. Fredrickson noted the bubble drawn on the sketch plan supposedly represents the radius that is required by the City of Orono for a turnaround for fire and emergency but that it is drawn to a quarter of the size. Fredrickson stated given the distance between some of the homes, you can literally shake someone’s hand in the adjoining house. Fredrickson noted the ordinance says the garage must be 40 feet from the street, but yet the developer is coming back in with a drawing that does not comply with that after 18 months of presenting this to the City Council. Fredrickson stated the Council should be giving the developer feedback and saying that they should not be wasting the Council’s time.