01-11-2010 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, January 11, 2010 7:00 o'clock p.m. • (3. #05 -3164 CITY OF ORONO — CONSERVATION DESIGN ORDINANCE — ORDINANCE ADOPTIONNO. 67, THIRD SERIES, Continued) Gaffron stated a natural resource specialist should probably be hired by the developer in order to help him meet the requirements of the ordinance. Gaffron noted the developer will likely incur some additional costs in order to meet the requirements of the City. The ordinance does contain a set of criteria for determining whether an application meets the goals desired by the City. McMillan commented she does have a concern that the ordinance will add costs to a development. Gaffron stated one of the benefits of having an ordinance that is somewhat flexible is that it gives the Council some leeway on applications. Murphy noted the original Rural Oasis Study was done by DSU and AES, which is where a number of these items were compiled from. Murphy commented the City needs a good pictorial presentation of what is being requested, which is what was done by DSU as part of the Rural Oasis Study. The City is attempting to basically create a series of rules that are flexible in the City's Conservation Design Ordinance. Franchot stated there needs to be a good definition for invasive species and non - native species. Franchot noted there are a number of species in this area that are not native. Gaffron stated there are state regulations concerning invasive species. There are a variety of things that • are invasive that are required to be removed and a variety of invasive plants that are not regulated. Jennifer Haskamp stated she is here on'behalf of Susan Seeland and that she would like to share a few comments with the Council. Haskamp indicated she worked with DSU at the time the ordinance was drafted and is well aware of the process that was taken to create the ordinance. Haskamp stated she has reviewed the ordinance and has expressed several comments during the public hearing phase and has submitted written concerns. Haskamp expressed concerns that the ordinance before the Council tonight will achieve exactly what they are looking for. Haskamp stated she has a letter prepared for the Council's review but would like to summarize some of the key points contained in the letter. The first concern with the ordinance is regarding the City's 2030 Comprehensive Plan and the fact that the 2030 Comprehensive Plan has not been formally adopted as a policy document at this point, which raises some issues. State statute says that once a City's comprehensive plan is adopted, you have nine months after adoption of the document to update all of your official controls, which this ordinance would be considered an official control. Haskamp stated she feels this ordinance is premature since they have not had the opportunity to comment on the comprehensive plan, which is the policy document. Murphy asked who the "we" is she is referring to. L� Page 4