01-26-1998 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON JANUARY 26, 1998 • ( #9 - #2319 Ron Lauer - Continued) Ron Lauer reported that the problem with moving the house back on the property was due to the existing hill. Jabbour asked for grades and elevations. He was informed that the elevation at lakeside is 930' and 940' at the top of the bank. The property is then flat by the building pad and goes uphill to 985' elevation. Schmidt said the other neighboring home sites differ from this property. This lot requires the driveway and house to be pushed more into the 75 -250' setback zone. It is a long and narrow lot. A problem would be created for lake views if the house was moved back further on the back. Gaffron informed Jabbour that the functional width of the lot is 111' with 125' at lakeside and required width of 140'. Jabbour noted that when the Shoreland Ordinance was adopted, the City was asked to adopt hardcover regulations up to the 500' setback. The City felt this would result in clustering of building and decide to split the zone into two. Gaffron acknowledged that the City's philosophy differed from that of the DNR. Jabbour said he feels the zone split gives a mixed message to the Planning Commission. If the zone was 75 -500', a more • massive house would have been allowed. This results in the need to make other considerations for long and narrow lots. Goetten said the steepness of the hill creates the hardship. Jabbour said building a small home on this lot could not be justified. Mrs. Edmunds, 1030 Tonkawa, said she is 100% in favor of the house placement. She is happy to see the hardcover from the pool being removed. She would be concerned with drainage if building was moved back into the hillside. Edmunds stated her architect built in swales to accommodate the drainage and would like drainage to remain as it exists. Robert Edmunds said he was at the Planning Commission meeting. A relevant point made at that time was that the property is a prime building lot and requires a substantial house to be built on the expensive real estate. Assuming ecological reasons for the ordinance, Edmunds said the plan includes reducing the current hardcover and saving the hill as being ecological reasons. He feels this is preferable to changing drainage patterns and building retaining walls. Mr. Buxton said the revised plan allows for the driveway to be moved back. He would like to see the woodland preserved. With the long driveway, there is a need for parking. He is concerned with the loss of trees, sight lines, and the ability to use the existing driveway. 11