10-10-1988 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO COUNCIL MEETING "OF OCTOBER 10, 1988 HIGHWAY 12 ZONING AMENDMENT CONTINUED • of the land area within a parking area be landscaped. That section of the ordinance sets forth minimum sizes of landscape materials at the time of planting. Section I provides direction with regard to trash and trash handling equipment. Any accessory structures must be,of similar type, quality and appearance as the principal structure. The ordinance would require that the ground level view of all mechanical utilities and external loading and service areas be screened, and that automobile headlights and other sources be screened whenever it may directed onto adjacent residential windows. The final ordinance is the Planned Unit Development (PUD) Ordinance. The PUD would be a floating district that would be available for application anywhere throughout Orono. The PUD would provide for flexibility in the development standards. The current process for handling nonconforming applications is through the granting of a variance, which requires determination of a hardship. The PUD would encourage innovation of building designs and would provide some incentives to the developer, who in turn could offer increased amenities to the community. It would also allow for negotiations throughout the development process, and would give the City more stringent or detailed controls where it may be necessary to do so. The PUD allows for mixed use development and would allow a • developer to apply for virtually any use. When an application was received, the zoning district within the current ordinance that most nearly parallels the use applied for would provide the basic performance standards. If the application proposed a variance from those standards, the developer would need to show why it would be advantageous to the community and the project to proceed as he requested. The City would then have the oportunity. to weigh the variance of his proposal. There would be a great deal of flexibility given to the City in terms of required standards. The PUD would be reviewed and coordinated with the subdivision regulations. There are three stages in the PUD process as follows: 1. Sketch Plan Review. Before a great deal of time and money is spent on behalf of the applicant, there would be an initial consulation with the City Staff. This meeting would provide the developer /builder with an idea as to the City's concerns about development in a particular area. The applicant would then go before the Planning Commission and Council with a sketch plan. The Planning Commission and Council would give the applicant some positive or negative feedback and some direction as to how development should take place. 2. Concept Approval. It would be at this stage that the • rezoning and planning and development would occur. Concept approval corresponds with preliminary plat approval. By the time 61