01/20/2004 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Tuesday, January 20, 2004 6:00 o'clock p.m. (#04-2971 HICKORY FINE HOMES INC.,3220 AND 3240 WATERTOWN ROAD, LOT LINE RE-ARRANGEMENT—Continued) Steve Koehler, 35 Crystal Creek Road, questioned the site on the hill, claiming that this location would be much closer to his property than the alternate home site. Henderson stated that the most attractive building site for any potential homeowner would be the site in the back versus the one up front on the hill. Gaffron pointed out that the location of the septic site would likely drive where the house building site would be. He agreed that the hill side site would be difficult, as the septic lines would have to run a long distance and across the creek bed. While he felt this to be an unlikely building site, he noted that the applicant could feasibly build there, or agree not to build on the steep slope. Henderson agreed, stating that the hillside location would not likely be a desirable one, and indicated that they would consider the suggestion. Koehler asked what the location for the outlot and setbacks for the driveway were being proposed at. Gaffron stated that the outlot would be a 15' wide driveway corridor that narrows. He noted that the driveway was placed merely 5' from the lot line and questioned whether the outlot should be wider or whether the driveway within the outlot offset. Summers stated that the driveway outlot was of great concern to him, since the driveway would run the entire length of his property. Although one option might include moving the driveway further west by widening the driveway, Gaffron noted that widening too much would impact the septic sites and house size. Koehler pointed out that drainage issues might also be a concern for the future homeowner as the runoff tends to move towards this site and under Watertown Road via a culvert. Gaffron thanked the neighbor for his concern, and acknowledged that the City Engineer would need to evaluate the drainage issues, and how these might impact construction. He mentioned that some buffers would be likely to manage treatment near the creek, and noted that the applicant hopes to have these issues resolved by the February meeting. Acting Chair Mabusth questioned how the applicant would plan to cross the creek. While the City would need confirmation from the MCWD, Gaffron stated that a 48"oval culvert with fill on either side was proposed to accommodate flow. He noted that MCWD PAGE 24 of 53