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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING <br />Monday, July 21, 2014 <br />6:30 o’clock p.m. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________ <br />  <br />Page 14 of 30  <br />  <br />Schoenzeit stated it sounds like the applicants are saying that Orono’s Code concerning the definition of <br />the basement is missing the word adjacent floor as opposed to the floor on the opposite side of the house. <br />Schoenzeit stated when the majority of the basement calculation worksheets are completed, Staf typically <br />uses the height of the floor outside where the land is being measured. <br /> <br />Gronberg stated the definition is not very clear when measuring multi-level homes. In this case more than <br />50 percent of the floor is the main living floor and not the garage floor. <br /> <br />Schoenzeit stated when he looks at the plan that has been submitted, the floors are ten, ten, and ten, and <br />then there are 2-foot floor systems. Schoenzeit stated the applicants could easily take off four feet from <br />the house by reducing the height from ceiling to floor by a foot. Schoenzeit stated he does not believe <br />that what has been submitted is 30 feet and that he sees it as being 34 feet plus the roofline. <br /> <br />Gronberg stated the average height of the building is less than 30 feet. <br /> <br />Thiesse stated on the cross section he has 12 feet, 12 feet, 10 feet, and then a roof. <br /> <br />Schoenzeit stated in his opinion there are opportunities to re-engineer the house to reduce the height. <br /> <br />Gronberg stated he did not design the floor plans but that he understands there are some difficulties with <br />floor height and clearance and the number of steps. <br /> <br />Dean Johnson, Builder, stated he does not believe the average height is a problem. <br /> <br />Gaffron stated the height of the house has a peak height from the lowest grade to the peak of 44.5 feet. <br />Staff then takes the average of the highest peak, which would reduce it by four feet, and then ten feet <br />above the lowest level, which would result in a 30-foot elevation. Gaffron noted the existing grade at the <br />entrance to the garage is more than 10 feet above the grade at the low side. By definition Staff uses 10 <br />feet above the low side for defining the height, and as a result, you would end up with 44 minus four for <br />the average of the highest peak and minus ten for the grade. Gaffron stated that calculation would result <br />in a defined height of 30 feet. Gaffron indicated Staff does not have an issue with the defined height but <br />that it is the number of stories. <br /> <br />Schoenzeit stated to his understanding both issues are at play since there are three 10-foot floors and two <br />2-foot floor systems. <br /> <br />Gaffron asked if the point is that the floor system or the height of rooms can be reduced. <br /> <br />Thiesse stated that is not the problem and that the problem is the number of stories. <br /> <br />Schoenzeit asked if the floors are required to be a certain height. <br /> <br />Leskinen stated they are limited to 2-1/2 stories. <br /> <br />Schoenzeit stated if the City did not care what the height of the floors were, the building could be higher <br />than 30 feet but still be 2-1/2 stories. <br /> <br />Item #01 - PC Agenda - 08/18/2014 <br />Approval of Planning Commission Minutes <br />[Page 14 of 30]