08/17/2015 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday,August 17,2015 6:30 dclock p.m. 9. #15-3774 IRWIN JACOBS, 1700 SHORELINE DRIVE,PRELIMINARY PLAT, 9:10 P.M.—10:45 P.M. Michael Steadman representing applicant Irwin Jacobs was present. Gaffron stated the proposal is to split off three new 2-acre building sites from the northerly portion of the 31-acre property,to be accessed via an extension of Heritage Lane. Gaffron stated this property is one of Orono's few remaining large lakeshore estates and consists of approximately 31 acres, bordered on the north by Tanager Lake and the Dakota Rail Trail on the south by County Road 15 and Smith's Bay of Lake Minnetonka. The existing residence on the property is located centrally and is proposed to remain at this time. The portion of the property that will contain the existing house stays at approximately 20 acres. The other three lots that are being proposed further north will consist of 2-plus acres. All three new lots are proposed to be accessed via an extension of Heritage Lake,a public road extending from County Road 15. The road was platted in the 1960s back during the time when the zoning in this acre was one acre. The proposed single-family development is consistent with existing development in the surrounding neighborhood. Similar single-family lots with 2-plus acre lot sizes to the east and southwest,while the lots within the adjacent Foxhill neighborhood average 1.05 acres. The property was added to the MUSA in 2001 in order to allow the installation and use of municipal sewer. All three new lots are intended to be served with municipal sewer and private wells. The property is located in the LR-lA, Single-Family Lakeshore Residential District, which requires a minimum lot size of two dry buildable acres and a minimum lot width of 200 feet as measured at the lakeshore and at the 75-foot setback. All three lots are in conformity with the guiding of this area for single-family lakeshore residential development at a density of one unit per two acres. The property slopes downward generally from a central high point toward Tanager Lake to the north and to a large wetland in the south end. The north half of the property in which the three new building lots are proposed is heavily wooded and contains two defined bluff areas, one on Lot 3 and the other primarily on Lot 4. Potential home locations and driveways are shown on the preliminary plat for illustrative purposes and are subject to revision. The wetlands have been delineated but confirmation of their boundaries by the MCWD is still pending. Lot 1 contains approximately 3.6 acres, which is the lot closest to the Dakota Trail, and includes a portion of a linear wetland adjacent to the trail. The lot is also proposed to contain a stormwater ponding area resulting in a final dry buildable area of approximately 3.2 acres. The lot width is 350 feet at the lake and approximately 360 feet at the 75-foot lake setback. The proposed house site sits approximately 8 to 12 feet above Tanager Lake, with a driveway extending 500 feet from the new cul-de-sac. Lot 2 is approximately 2.2 acres in total area, which includes a small wetland centrally located and about 10 feet above lake level. Lot width is 220 feet at the lake and at the 75-foot setback. The proposed house site is about 15 to 20 feet above lake level, with a proposed driveway just over 300 feet in length. Lot 3 is approximately 3.4 acres in area, which includes a sliver of wetland at the southeast corner of the lot. Portions of the southerly half of the lot are bluffs, and the suggested house site sites on a terrace approximately 40 feet above the lake,just above a slope that averages nearly 30 percent and may be a Page 27 of 43