04-14-2014 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, April 14, 2014 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 23 of 30 (18. POLICE GARAGE AND ADDITION PROJECT, 2750 KELLEY PARKWAY, Continued) (a) Site Plan Review and Variance (Public Hearing), Continued Curtis stated City Code requires a 35-foot setback from the delineated edge of wetlands. There are existing portions of the City Hall building and parking lot that do encroach into that setback but they are allowed to remain as they exist as legal nonconformities. The current single access off of Kelley Parkway will be separated into a public access and a designated police access. The existing police access will move 50 feet to the east and the new access for the public will be located in line with the western access to the medical building across Kelley Parkway approximately 120 feet from Old Crystal Bay Road. Curtis stated the necessary reorientation of the police access point and the curve of the existing parking area serving the Police Department today serve as practical difficulties and makes it difficult to avoid encroaching into the 35-foot wetland setback on the southernmost point of the wetland. Curtis stated the City Council should consider a motion to waive the Planning Commission’s review of the application. The City Council should then open the public hearing, consider any comments from the public, and, if deemed appropriate, direct Staff to draft a resolution granting approval of the site plan and the wetland setback variance for adoption at the April 28 meeting. Levang moved, Bremer seconded, to waive Planning Commission review of Application No. 14- 3651, Steven Kleineman with SKD Architects, Inc., on behalf of the City of Orono, 2750 Kelley Parkway. VOTE: Ayes 3, Nays 0. Mayor McMillan opened the public hearing at 9:19 p.m. Dennis Walsh, 1354 Rest Point Circle, stated he realizes the City published a notice approximately a week ago and after seeing the notice he came to City Hall to review the plans but no plans were readily available. Walsh indicated the City Administrator found some old plans for him to look at and also gave him a tour of the facilities. Walsh stated he also met with the Police Chief and he provided an update on what is being proposed and the rationale behind the improvements. Walsh stated in his view the changes are a good improvement but that he is questioning why there has not been a public hearing prior to tonight. Walsh noted the City will be spending approximately $4 million on this project, which equates to approximately $5,000 per resident, and that he has gotten the impression that the City Council has to approve this application before the public gets to find out what is in it. Walsh stated he would like to see more transparency and input from the public before these large projects are approved. Walsh stated he is assuming there will be another public hearing on the finances and that he would like to hear what the finance director has to say about the funding of the project. McMillan asked if the City Council has any questions on the wetland setback variance. McMillan noted the City Council has not discussed possible rain gardens. McMillan asked if the City Council should be looking at any sort of mitigation on the site.