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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO CITY COUNCII.MEETING <br /> Monday,Apri110,2017 <br /> 7:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> 15. #17-3912 BRUCE BIRKELAND, 1298 WILDHURST TRAIL AND LOT 3,BLOCK <br /> WII.DHURST,VARIANCES (Continued) <br /> Walsh stated the inlet created the weird arc and that the options came up after the Planning Commission <br /> meeting. Walsh pointed out the applicants would have to build past the purple line to be conforming as <br /> measured by Staff. <br /> Birkeland stated their surveyor indicated he has measured it this way for a long time. <br /> Curtis stated the surveyor read the definition a different way from Staff and that very few lake lots are <br /> created in the City. <br /> Seals asked what option Staff would prefer. <br /> Curtis stated Staff would prefer not creating nonconforming lots. <br /> Seals asked if the Planning Commission representative had anything to add to the discussion. <br /> Denise Leskinen,Planning Commission representative, stated they had a lengthy discussion on this <br /> application regarding the practical difficulty and that their preference was not to create nonconforming <br /> lots. Leskinen stated the 10-foot side setback variance was less of an issue than creating two <br /> nonconforming lots. Leskinen stated the reason the Planning Commission recommended denial was due <br /> to the lack of a practical difficulty since it seemed that the only practical difficulty was economic in <br /> nature and that it was not within the scope of the Planning Commission's authority to recommend <br /> approval. <br /> Walsh noted the applicant had indicated at the Planning Commission meeting he did not write the original <br /> practical difficulty. <br /> Birkeland stated he wrote it and that he was mistaken at the Planning Commission meeting. Birkeland <br /> commented some of the questions were ambiguous to him and that he is simply attempting to make the <br /> lots more useable. Birkeland stated the money aspect is important and that they have owned it for 51 <br /> years and have paid taxes on it. Birkeland stated he is not sure why they drew it like that. <br /> Walsh stated in the end the physical characteristics of the land were not addressed in the practical <br /> difficulty statement. <br /> Birkeland comxnented he is not a developer and that they seemed to be more statements rather than <br /> questions. <br /> Printup stated if there can be two conforxning lots,he would be less concerned with the variance. <br /> Page 12 of 26 <br />