01-27-2014 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, January 27, 2014 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 4 of 32 (4. #13-3636 LIXIAO WANG, 3059 FARVIEW LANE – VARIANCES, Continued) Levang stated the Planning Commission reviewed the plan again and voted 4-2 in favor of the 6-foot garage. Levang stated she would like the applicant to have a functional two-car garage but that she is not in favor of granting a variance simply to allow a three-car garage. Levang stated the City Council should set some sort of minimum, which would be 24 feet. Printup stated his concern with that is that anyone who has a 23-foot garage would come in and request a 24-foot garage. Printup stated the problem he has with the application is that it appears to be benign because they are only talking about a few feet, but that it becomes a slippery slope and could cause problems down the road. Printup stated he is hesitant about setting a standard since there really is no standard. Levang stated if the garage is 23 feet and they would like 24 feet, they could move the interior wall if it is structurally possible. Wang indicated the Planning Commission stated cars could also be parked outside, which would block the view somewhat, and that they are looking to park a small car in that third stall. Levang stated the City Council understands that point, and that the City Council decides whether or not to accept the recommendation of the Planning Commission. Levang stated the City Council is interested in making sure the applicant has a functional two-car garage. McMillan noted the Planning Commission was going off that 18-foot depth, and if the depth is truly 23 feet, the Planning Commission may have recommended otherwise. McMillan stated a motion could be made conditional upon verification of the depth. Printup asked if the true depth is 23 feet, whether he could expand it one foot. McMillan stated if it is 23 feet, she would not allow it to be expanded at all. Levang stated if it is 18 feet, the City Council would allow him to go to 24 feet. McMillan noted the application would need to come back to the City Council again in order to approve the resolution, which would allow Staff time to verify the depth of the garage. McMillan stated if the depth is determined to be 23 feet, the application would be denied. Wang stated at the last Planning Commission meeting, those numbers were not on there. Levang noted the City Council needs to have that number verified. Wang indicated that is fine. McMillan stated the Planning Commission was going off a depth of 18 feet.