05-28-2013 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE , ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday,May 28,2013 7:00 o'clock p.m. (3. #13-3596 CITY OF ORONO—ACCESSORY USES AND STRUCTURES—ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT, Continued) McMillan noted question five deals with whether the Council would like to establish a code section defining and providing standards for alternative energy systems and whether certain systems, such as wind energy, outdoor wood furnaces, etc., should be prohibited. McMillan stated she would like to see that in a separate section so the Council can approve the rest of the ordinance and work on that section later. Mattick stated there are a number of good examples out there already and that the Council can decide which ones they would like to allow and which ones should not be allowed. At the present time Orono allows solar but it needs to be attached to the residence. The Council should address whether it would be allowed detached from the house,which is becoming a little more popular depending on the topography of the yard. McMillan asked how everyone feels about trash enclosures. McMillan stated she is unsure whether the City wants to start regulating those. Mattick stated he has sat through this discussion before with other communities, and a number of people are okay with entrance monuments but they require an encroachment agreement since they are located in the City's right-of-way. The idea behind that is no one really likes the big trash can sitting out by the road so wouldn't it be better enclosed. The problem with that is the structures would all look different and would be a permanent structure in a high visibility area, which is one thing that should be considered. Bremer asked what would stop someone from placing one ten feet from the lot line or the road. Gaffron indicated on a lakeshore lot you would need to meet a principal structure setback if it is not a garage. Bremer stated it would depend on where the lot is. Gaffron stated at the present time the City does not allow any accessory structures between the house and the street. At its last meeting the Planning Commission reviewed an application where there is an existing shed about 20 feet off of the road and the house sits approximately 50 or 60 feet back from the road. There was a question of whether or not it should be allowed to stay. Bremer commented she can see that situation growing and that it becomes a slippery slope. Levang indicated she likes the Brooklyn Park code relating to the recycling. Gaffron stated the fully screened requirement is probably the biggest difference between their code and Orono's. Levang noted they also have some instructions limiting when trash can be placed out for collection. Bremer commented the big green and yellow containers are also more obvious. Page 8 of 18