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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING <br /> Monday,June 18,2001 <br /> (Baywind Christian Church,Continued) <br /> - Exterior wall finishes to be a)face brick,or b)natural stone, or c)specially designed precast units <br /> if the surfaces have been integrally treated with an applied decorative material or texture, or d) <br /> factory fabricated and finished metal framed panel construction <br /> - All subsequent additions and outbuildings must be architecturally comparable with the original <br /> architecture <br /> - No temporary buildings allowed except as needed during construction of permanent buildings <br /> - Drainage plans must be in accordance with City and other agency requirements. <br /> Gaffron stated the conditional use listing for churches in Residential `R' Districts includes merely a <br /> definition that church use includes"those related structures located on the same site which are an <br /> integral part of the church proper,convents or homes for persons related to a religious function on the <br /> same site,"and a specific condition related to location("provided that no building other than a <br /> residence shall be located within 50 feet of any abutting lot line in an `R' district."). There are no <br /> other specific standards for a church in an `R' District. <br /> The Planning Commission should also consider whether adjacent commercially zoned property in the <br /> B-4 District will be impacted as to value if a church is located on a B-4 site. Orono's B-4 District is <br /> very small, comprising only 11 tax parcels and a total of about 17 acres. The Planning Commission <br /> may also wish to consider whether expansion of the church should be limited. <br /> Gaffron stated one of the issues raised by the Planning Commission at its prior meeting regarded <br /> parking and pedestrian safety. Any use allowed in the B-4 District should be required to provide <br /> adequate parking on site or an adjacent property. No B-4 use should be approved that inherently <br /> requires pedestrian crossings of major roads at uncontrolled intersections. <br /> Gaffron stated the Orono Zoning Code establishes parking requirements for all districts and uses, <br /> with church parking requirements being based on the designed seating capacity of the main assembly <br /> hall,requiring one parking space per four seats. The City of Minnetonka uses 2.5 seats per parking <br /> space for churches. Gaffron noted according to the 2000 census, Orono households currently contain <br /> an average of 2.7 persons. <br /> Gaffron stated that while only one property in the existing B-4 District abuts a local residential street, <br /> it may be appropriate to require that churches with potential access onto both local streets and <br /> collector or arterial roadways must not access to the local street. Gaffron stated the City of Orono <br /> currently has eight church properties in Orono,with three of the eight having access to local streets <br /> and the remaining having access onto collectors or arterials. <br /> Gaffron stated Orono Code also restricts B-4 parking to within 10 feet of a residential lot line <br /> adjoining the B-4 rear yard. Church parking in the R Districts under current code could be as close as <br /> 10 feet to a side lot line and three feet from a rear lot line abutting a residential property. Gaffron <br /> noted the City of Minnetonka requires a 25 foot setback from residential property for church parking <br /> regardless of the zoning district. Staff recommends a 25 foot rear yard setback for parking for a <br /> church when that parking abuts a residentially zoned property. <br /> Gaffron stated an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan probably is not necessary since Orono has <br /> never had an"Institutional District"zoning classification and since schools, libraries and museums <br /> PAGE 4 <br />