07-11-2016 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, June 20, 2016 6:30 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 1 9. #16-3832 CITY OF ORONO, 3580 WAYZATA BOULEVARD WEST, VARIANCES, 8:05 P.M. – 8:40 P.M. Barnhart stated in April of this year, the City Council approved a plan to develop a portion of Lurton Park as an off-leash park. The City is requesting setback variances from the lake and wetland boundaries to facilitate construction of fencing within the park. Other improvements approved by the Council include expansion of the parking lot, additional benches and tables within the park. Barnhart noted the plan presented in May differs from the plan being presented now. The proposed fence has been pulled back from the wetland buffer on the west side and has been pulled back from the private residential property to the north. The fence has mainly been pulled back from the wetland boundary on the east side of the property. Variances are necessary because the fence crosses mapped wetlands just to the east of the parking lot and is within 150 feet of the edge of Lake Classen. The fence within the wetland near the parking lot replaces an existing fence. Barnhart stated a fence is a normal part of a park and the proposed fence is the primary improvement to the park. When Staff looked at applying the practical difficulty standards in this situation, they looked at the fence as being the primary structure. In Staff’s analysis, it was felt the fence does meet the requirements and goals of the ordinance in trying to minimize the impacts to the neighbors and the goals of the City. A letter of concern was received by the City regarding the change of the park to an off-leash park. During the public comment period at the Council meeting, neighboring property owners spoke in opposition to the conversion of the park to an off-leash park. The neighbors noted concerns that the fence would impact wildlife movement and habitat, and a fence adjacent to their property would negatively impact their property. The fence has been pulled back from the property line to allow for wildlife movement and to prevent interaction from the park to the private property. The comments received to date center more on the presence of fencing versus the location of the fencing. Lemke asked why the Planning Commission did not see this application previously. Council Exhibit E 16-3832