08-19-2013 Planning Commission Packet

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday, July 15, 2013 6:30 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 16 of 23 Gaffron stated the law does not does guarantee a person the hardcover needed to accomplish that or the setbacks. Larson stated they will add some amenities to the house to make it more attractive but that it will not be of the caliber of the house next door. As it relates to the house up on the hill, that whole house faces the other direction. The setback that is being requested for the rear abuts her driveway. That house and dock are oriented the other way. Larson stated in his view it will fit into the neighborhood just fine. Chair Leskinen opened the public hearing at 7:45 p.m. Lisa Wysocky, 1555 Orchard Beach Place, stated her mother inherited the house from her grandparents and that she personally has lived there since 1958 off and on. Wysocky stated she would like to address the flooding issue. Since 1948 the property has been observed to flood several times each year. The runoff comes from the gullies and sometimes from the lake but it also comes up from possibly a spring on the property and is wet all the time. Wysocky indicated she has a photograph that was taken this past Saturday which shows a clear path of flooding that is regularly observed on this lot. Wysocky stated she is very opposed to this small lot size being built upon in this part of Orono. The one acre lot size is to prevent high density and over population of the lake. The 0.22 acres is far below the required lot size. Wysocky stated the dampness of the lot is very, very typical of what they see several times throughout the year. Wysocky commented she understands the applicant has talked about filling and grading, but when the water also comes up from underneath, it will likely be an ongoing problem even if fill is placed in there. The 0.22 lot size is far less than anything else in the neighborhood and will change the character of the neighborhood. Wysocky noted lots in this area also have to have 144 feet of lakeshore frontage and the 83 or 86 feet is far below that. The required lot width is to prevent overpopulation of the area and also to be environmentally sound for the lake. Wysocky stated in her view this house will impact their view from the south and southwest side of their house since there are windows that face the lake on those sides. Wysocky stated if this house has a 29- foot elevation, that will impact their view. The summer house that was there in the 1930s was just that - a summer house. Wysocky indicated a lot of the small, summer houses around the lake consisted of 600 to 800 square foot homes and were not intended to be lived in year-round. Wysocki stated the original house on the property was a summer home and was never homesteaded. Wysocky stated the average lakeshore setback is also a concern. As Mr. Gaffron suggested, the average lakeshore setback for this neighborhood is 112 feet for this neighborhood. Many of the homes are set back further than that and the 75-foot setback for this house will be far ahead of the other homes on the lake and will change the character of the lake. Wysocky indicated she has always been told by city officials that Orchard Beach Place is a fire lane and that they cannot park on the street. Wysocky commented she probably sees city workers working on that lift station approximately once a week and that they currently are putting in a new generator. Because it is a fire lane, Wysocky stated they have a concern that a house on this property would block emergency Item #01 - PC Agenda - 08/19/2013 Approval of Planning Commission Minutes 07/15/2013