08-21-2017 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday,August 21,2017 6:30 o'clock p.m. The Planning Commission had no questions for Staff. James Gilbert,4030 Dahl Road, stated he is the chief manager of JHG Properties and that he has resided in Orono for over 30 years. Gilbert stated he tries to do what is right and be a positive influence and that he is attempting to be proactive in this situation but that he takes issue with the recommendations of Staff. Gilbert stated he purchased this blighted,rundown property off of the Internet after it was foreclosed upon. Gilbert indicated they found out when they started demolition on it that there were three subbasements. The house was built up from 1926 and onward but not taken care of. The house has been vacant for almost 15 months before purchase and over the years the City has had maintenance issues relating to grass cutting and other problems with the prior owner. Gilbert indicated he bought the property in an as-is condition and that they eventually decided to demo the home. Gilbert noted the owner of 940 North Arm put a trailer home on the property and that all he needs is a building permit to put a trailer home on this property. Gilbert stated it is not his plan to do that but that he does have a concern that it would be allowed in Orono. Gilbert stated they did perform the demolition and it ended up being a lot more work than what was anticipated. Gilbert stated after they filed the application, a letter was distributed to the 18 homes in the neighborhood asking for their input. A written response was received from the McGlynns and the only call received was one from Mr. Wallner on Loma Linda,who expressed two concerns. The first concern related to the size of the home. Gilbert stated he informed him that they do not know how big the house would be but that it would not be any bigger than 3,500 square feet. Gilbert stated he has a footprint about the same size as the current home with a second story being added. The second concern expressed by Mr. Wallner was about an accessory structure that was being proposed that he felt was too close to the property line. Gilbert noted they have removed the existing structure. Gilbert indicated JHG Properties has constructed approximately 10-12 homes in the past as well as the U.S. Bank building in downtown Wayzata. Gilbert displayed a picture of a house in Minnetonka that JHG Properties is constructing right now as well as another home in Minnetonka that they constructed consisting of a 5,000 square footprint. Gilbert stated he does not know the design of this home yet but that it will be a high-quality home. Gilbert noted this lot is 1.82 acres, which is equivalent to a football field and a half. The proposal is that one of the lots would be fully conforming even without the wetland being taken into consideration. The idea was to have the larger lot near North Arm Drive. Gilbert noted there would be some separation between the two homes because of the slope and that they are also proposing to do some landscaping to create more of a buffer from North Arm Drive. Gilbert noted Section 3C of the report says that less than three of the surrounding lots are one acre or less. Gilbert indicated he went on the Hennepin County website for real estate taxes and that he tried to figure out the size of the lots. Of the 18 lots that are either facing this lot or adjacent to it, nine of the lots are less than one acre and nine of the lots consist of one acre. Gilbert stated in his view creating the two lots would be in conformity with the neighborhood and that everything that will be built will be in compliance with the requirements of the City. The only variance being requested is the lot area variance for the smaller lot. Page 5 of 25