05/16/2006 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday,May 15,2006 6:00 o'clock p.m. SCHEDULED PUBLIC HEARING,8:00 P.M. 13. CITY OF ORONO,BUILDING HEIGHT,LOT WIDTH,AGGREGATE SETBACKS, ORDINANCE,8:41—8:55 P.M. Gaffron stated the application by the City of Orono deals with a zoning amendment regarding building height limitation relative to lot width and aggregate setbacks. The Planning Comm.ission,at its April work session,indicated support for the following zoning code amendments to address the issues of building height and massing: 1. In addition to the current 30-foot height limit,limit peak height to 75 percent of lot width, where peak height is measured from pre-existing high side grade(or 10' above low side, whichever is lower)to the highest roof peak. The intent is to reduce the visual impact of height on very narrow lots. For lots wider than 60',the defined building height limit of 30 feet would likely be the limiting factor for height. 2. In conjunction with the current minimum side setback requirement for each zoning district, add an aggregate side setback requirement for all residential lots(lakeshore and non-lakeshore)by establishing that the width of a house can be no more than 70 percent of the lot width. Gaffron stated this zoning amendment will impact a large number of properties and will also create a ' significant number of nonconforming lots. In addition,at its April work session the Planning Commission expressed general support for revising the defined height definition to exclude gable-end windows from defining the"median height of the highest gable",such that only when there are dormers would we use the top of the windows and the peak to define the upper measuring point. Gaffron stated the theory is that a window in a gable end does not add actual volume or mass to a building,nor does it add to the visual impression of height within the roof system,whereas dormers do add to the perception of height and do add to the volume and massing in a roof system. This revision would potentially allow people to maximize the livable area within a more restricted 3-dimentional buildable envelope. � Gaffron pointed out the code amendment does not apply to commercial or industrial districts. Rahn opened the pubic hearing at 8:48 p.m. There were no public comments regarding this application. Rahn closed the public hearing at 8:48 p.m. Rahn stated the amendment is consistent with what was discussed at the Planning Commission workshop and that he is in favor of the amendment. PAGE 21