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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING <br /> Tuesday, January 20, 2004 <br /> 6:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> (MIKE KEAVENY ON BEHALF OF RICHARD M. KEAVENY REV. TRUST, 3425 <br /> SHORELINE DRIVE, CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT AND COMMERCIAL SITE <br /> PLAN REVIEW—Continued) <br /> Austin Evans, 2497 Kelly Avenue, the nearest neighbor to the south of the bowling alley, <br /> voiced numerous concerns: <br /> 1) As Kelly Avenue is a residential street, he found the additional traffic <br /> worrisome within a residential neighborhood. <br /> 2) The fact that the restaurant and lounge would have a liquor license was a <br /> concern, especially since the neighborhood is kept up at night from the commotion at the <br /> Narrows currently. <br /> 3) He questioned whether there was adequate space for restaurant use and the <br /> parking to accompany it. <br /> 4) The City cannot ensure how long the Pizza Factory will remain, and the <br /> City would lose control of what type of restaurant or lounge occupies this space in the <br /> future by allowing this today to go forward. <br /> 5) The traffic exiting onto County Road 15 would make a dangerous situation <br /> and intersection worse. <br /> 6) Evans cautioned that re-location of the bus shelter at the junction of Kelly <br /> Avenue and County Road 15 would be far more dangerous than where it is currently. <br /> Encouraging pedestrians to cross 2-4 lanes of traffic between cars stacked up for the light <br /> would be hazardous. <br /> 7) What would the impact be to Lake Minnetonka from this additional <br /> development merely 200' from the lake. Might people try to snowmobile or obtain boat <br /> access to the restaurant. <br /> 8) 68% of the little proposed landscaping at all is located primarily in the rear <br /> where few see it. In fact, no landscape plan has been provided. Reminded of the Navarre <br /> Town Meeting a year ago, during which residents asked for additional landscaping along <br /> County Road 15 in Navarre. <br /> 9) The proposed parking facilities are incomplete and inadequate. While 53 <br /> spaces are required, contrary to zoning regulations, the proposal offers a mere 30 spaces <br /> for a 75 seat restaurant. The additional use requires 91 total spaces, short 7 in the proposal, <br /> with no setbacks or greenspace provided. <br /> 10) This approval would increase the use of the lot to 16,000 s.f. of retail space, <br /> which required by zoning should assume 1' of lot area per 4' of retail space. Evans <br /> maintained that by approving this request the City will continue to perpetuate an <br /> unacceptable planning state of affairs for Navarre. <br /> 11) In the Navarre Town Meeting several points were echoed by the residents. <br /> Since Navarre is considered Orono's town center, why not make it more like Wayzata or <br /> Excelsior with additional landscaping, street lighting, and updating facades of the <br /> businesses in the area. <br /> Evans encouraged the Planning Commission to give serious consideration to denial of this <br /> applicant's request and recommend the owner address alternative uses for the site. He <br /> PAGE 46 of 53 <br />