05/21/2007 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION Monday,May 21,2007 6:00 o'clock p.m. (#07-3280 Vogue ICF,Continued) become the new standard. Walsh stated it was his understanding that there had to be some hardship demonstrated and that the hardcover is not controlled by the price of the land. DeAnne Compton, 1342 Rest Point Circle, stated she also has a concern with the drainage and the fact that their cottage was not depicted on the survey. Compton indicated she did speak with the City Engineer,who stated he was not aware of the cottage. Compton requested the survey include their cottage and that the runoff from this property not be directed toward their cottage. Kroeger inquired whether the cottage is on their property or on the subject property. Compton stated the cottage is on their property and that it appears to have been hand drawn on the survey but is not to scale. Compton stated she also has a concern regarding the massing on the lot and that it had been recommended by several commissioners that the size of the structure be reduced to avoid the need for a variance. Jack Edwards, 1340 Rest Point Circle,stated at the last meeting he had the understanding that the consensus of the Planning Commission was that these two houses were too large for the properties and that they should be adjusted accordingly. Edwards stated outside of the height variance being dropped, the size of the house has not been addressed. Jan Dematteo, 1336 Rest Point Circle, stated it was implied at the beginning of this meeting that the only issue was the hardcover. Dematteo stated she understands that larger houses are going to be built in this area and that Mr.Walsh's house,which is a larger sized house,is located on two lots that were combined. David Bois, 1360 Rest Point Circle,inquired when the swales were drawn on the overhead. Bois noted the swales are not included in the packet that they received. Turner stated the plan on the overhead reflects the lowering of the house an additional foot. Turner stated the arrows on the drawing are not swales and merely indicate the direction of the drainage. Turner stated the contours of the property changed with the drop in the height of the house. Bois requested the Planning Commission look at the drainage in this area very carefully and take adequate steps to ensure that the runoff will not be directed toward the neighboring properties. Kempf noted the City does employ the services of an engineer to review and approve the drainage prior to the building permit being issued. Compton inquired whether the City Engineer has seen this latest revision. Turner stated City Staff received the revised plan this morning and that the City Engineer has not yet reviewed the plan. Turner stated in her view,given the larger swale,the City Engineer probably would not have a problem with the drainage as now depicted on the revised plan. Winer assured the neighbors that the engineer employed by the City is very competent. PAGE 3