10-19-2015 Planning Commission Packet

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday, September 21,2015 6:30 o'clock p.m. Byrnes stated it is logical to assume this will be a three to five-year project and that the local residents will face years of inconvenience with no residual value being returned to the residents. Byrnes stated he would request the alternative route be explored. Matt Mithun, 1160 Heritage Lane, stated he would echo the comments made by Mr. Byrnes. Mithun stated the burden being placed upon the residents is the biggest issue and that it is a matter of equity in the end. Mithun indicated there are 17 kids in the neighborhood and that it will probably involve five or six years of construction. Mithun stated the residents really have no issue with the development itself but that they hope everyone takes a good look at the imbalance. Bruce Flessner, 1190 Heritage Lane, stated he realizes the outlots are not an issue tonight,but if the Planning Commission thought about where the docks are going to go on the lake,the only place to get access to those would be via Green Tree or Heritage Lane. Flessner stated he has asked about that and he was told that access from the other three lots could happen because there could be trails produced or the opportunity to use golf carts or other things. Flessner stated what he has heard tonight is that they cannot make accommodations far the construction process,but that he would like to know what the access process is going to be in the future when the docks are considered. Flessner questioned how it can be to their benefit when they want to sell lots to have access to the main lake but when it comes to the protection of the rest of the neighborhood, the burden seems to be excessive. Kelly Kromer, 1005 Heritage Lane, stated he is against the building of the road period and not just for construction. Kromer stated the person who bears the greatest burden is himself, followed by Dennis Libby since they have the most land that borders the easement. If you divide that by the acreage, Mr. Jacobs is bearing a very insignificant burden and all the benefit. Kromer stated nothing new is being presented and that the temporary road is completely viable. Kromer stated it is not a surprise that the people who work for Mr. Jacobs find the existing driveway a better route than the alternative road. Kromer stated there is a serious conflict of interest there. Sarah Mithun, 1160 Heritage Lane, stated they have three of the 17 children that will be affected by the construction and that she thought it would be prudent to show their faces. Mithun stated she would second the opinions of those in the neighborhood who will be affected by the construction traffic and the concerns regarding the safety of the children in the neighborhood. Mithun stated the last time they were here for a very long time, but that they feel very, very strongly about this construction issue and that they hope the Plan»ing Co�nmission takes the residents' thoughts and concerns into consideration. Matt Mithun asked how the 350 and 1,800 feet were measured. Steadman stated the 350 feet would be the length of the road coming off the e�sting driveway. Mithun stated the overall environmental argument is kind of weak since they are talking about construction and development versus the safety of all the families in the neighborhood. Greg Coward, 1950 Heritage Drive, stated last week he asked a person who was involved with heavy trucking in Alaska what he thought about slopes and negotiating slopes up and down with trucks. That person stated it is clearly a problem both ways. Going up a hill you can have trucks with more horsepower and six or eight wheel drive, which can help solve that. Going down, if there is a slippery slope, there may be a problem, but one simple solution is to load the truck up with a full load. Coward Page 5 of 46