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ORONO JOINT PLANNING COMMISSION & CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Wednesday, March 2, 2011 5:30 o'clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 4 Franchot pointed out the group has not really approved those specific goals but have indicated they would like those ideas explored. From a process standpoint, the City needs to clearly identify the goals and the desired outcomes and should avoid jumping too quickly at the answers without looking at it from all angles. Gozola indicated he has some specific items he has identified within the code that the group may want to consider. Staff would request the group identify additional aspects of the current policy which must be retained, things people have historically liked, and things about the current policy that people feel must change. Gozola stated the first area deals with multiple terms that are currently used throughout code to address the issue of impervious surface. Hardcover is essentially defined as anything that interferes with direct absorption of rainfall into the ground. Lot coverage is essentially defined as area covered by structures while hard surface is undefined and impervious coverage is undefined. Bremer noted the term typically used in Orono is structural coverage rather than lot coverage and that she would recommend the term lot coverage be changed to structural coverage. Schwingler asked whether other cities use lot coverage. Bremer stated they use lot coverage to define hardcover. Franchot commented there is not much confusion about what lot coverage is, but that his sense is that the term hardcover has caused a number of problems since there is some deviation in thought on what hardcover truly is. Decks, for example, are considered hardcover even though they have openings in them, which has caused some consternation on the part of the applicants. Consistent terminology and clear definitions would help to overcome that. Gaffron stated another example of inconsistency is gravel that is driven on is considered hardcover while gravel that is not driven on is not considered hardcover. Gaffron commented they have had people in the past put holes in their plastic to make it nonhardcover, which required Staff to inspect it. Curtis noted geotextile fabric is not allowed for landscaping but it is exempted when it is used on a mound system. McMillan stated one of the overall goals is to make the terminology more consistent throughout the regulations. Bremer asked whether other cities have more consistent definitions. Gozola indicated there are some consistencies in what is considered hardcover but that there are also some inconsistencies, such as the hard packed gravel, decks, and landscaping. Plastic is always considered hardcover but that other cities do accept the geotextile fabric. Gozola commented that enforcement does become a problem over time. Leskinen agreed the group should look at whether hardcover could possibly be tied into performance Item #03 - CC Agenda - 03/14/2011 Approval of Joint Planning Commission & City Council Work Session Minutes [Page 4 of 13]