04-11-2011 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, April 11, 2011 7:00 o'clock p.m. (6. #11 -3501 YOUR BOAT CLUB, LL C, 1444 SHORELINE DRIVE, Continued) Kujawa stated he has been in the boat business for over 25 years and the main driving factor for people using a boat club is the ability for them to have quality time on the water with their kids and family. People have a passion for boating on Lake Minnetonka and boating has become very elitist over the past ten years due to the costs associated with owning a boat. Access to water is one of the biggest issues facing boaters and a boat club would solve all of these issues. A boat club also helps address exotic species issues since the boats do not travel from lake to lake and eliminates parking issues at the public landings. Kujawa noted it is now approaching almost a year since they started this process and that they are at a point where they need a decision. Spring is finally here and people will start wanting to commence boating in the very near future. Boat clubs have been in existence for approximately 35 years and nowhere in the country has there been a need for additional parking space at a marina for a boat club. The City has an annual licensing process for marinas and the number one requirement is adequate parking. They would not be able to run the boat club business if there is not adequate parking and that people expect to be able to park at the marina. Kujawa noted he was at the boat club on the busiest days last year and there were no problems with parking. Kujawa stated boat club boats are more heavily used than other boats, especially on the weekends. Fishing boats are typically not out on Saturdays or Sundays when there is more boat traffic and they go out in the early morning or evenings during the weeks. The boats owned by the boat club would be 18 to 25 feet and they would not be putting in boats that can accommodate 25 people. The boats are used by • families for a few hours and not college kids. Considerable effort has gone into defining a boat club by the City: There is a wide variety of people who n own boats, ranging from single owner boats, family trusts that ow a boat, two brothers that might own a boat, fractional ownership, and time shares. Kujawa stated every single one of those situations is in between a single owner and a rental but the City is singling out boat clubs for some reason. Kujawa stated the very first day that he met with Mr. Gaffron he was told that this is a poorly written and ambiguous code. At first the Planning Commission stated they did not want to add any conditions and then they elected to make it an accessory use but the ordinance was eventually tabled. Kujawa stated he has been attempting to obtain a CUP and that he is running out of time. Kujawa commented he has seen people crossing that road and that whenever possible he does not want to have people do that. Even on the busiest days the two residential lots are nearly empty. The Planning Commission also indicated they are not trying to regulate the busiest days but the average day. On the busiest days for the boat clubs, the retail stores are not open, which gives you an additional eight parking spots. There is more than ample parking above what is required and in the past 25 years, there has never been a parking issue where someone has been operating a boat club. Kujawa noted the only people who have raised concern with his boat club are the two people who currently operate boat clubs on Lake Minnetonka. Kujawa noted he does not require any signage and that he is not operating a boat rental operation. Kujawa indicated he has new boats ordered, employees hired, members signed up, and families waiting to go • boating. Rahn asked how many boat slips have been leased. Page 9 of 30