02-12-2018 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, February 12, 2018 7:00 o'clock p.m. Crosby stated he is not in favor of expanding the footprint, and that if they allow more structural coverage than what is currently allowed, the question is where it will end. Printup stated if they look at things on a lot -by -lot basis, the question is whether they are cutting off their noses to spite their face. Crosby stated the homes across the street are two-story. Dankey stated they are older homes but they are still two stories. Dankey stated this house could be longer and narrower. Printup stated no matter what, variances will be necessary. Crosby stated having a new structure there will enhance the nearby properties. Printup stated the current house is closer to Arbor and the new house is being centered on the lot. Walsh stated he can see some give and take on this application and that perhaps limiting the height to 23 feet would be a start. Oakden stated to her knowledge there is a mixture of one story and two-story homes in the area. Dankey asked whether the home will be a walkout. Oakden indicated the plans depict it with a full basement. The developer states on his plans it will not be a walkout but a rambler with a full basement. Printup stated if you take the 40,000 -foot view and look at the surrounding area, a two-story home will jump out at you no matter what side of the road you are on. Dankey questioned whether the house could be longer and narrower. Crosby stated in his view it should be redesigned and that the developer should stick to the 2,000 square feet. 17. #184000 JEFF MARTINEAU ON BEHALF OF BARBARA GARCIA,1335 ARBOR STREET, VARIANCES, 7:48 P.M. — 8:26 P.M. — Continued Seals stated she struggles with the application because the Council recently changed the maximum structural coverage to 2,000 square feet to be more flexible and that anything the Council does on this lot is going to look out of character or different. Seals stated she understands the concerns over the height but that she worries about Pandora's Box on this one. Rief states his concern is that with the Red Oak development, they have 5 -foot setbacks, 20 -foot backyards, and homes that go up to 30 feet. As a result, all you see is your neighbor's house. Rief stated some of the homes in this neighborhood are 100 years old and that the City Council now has the opportunity to set the stage for the next 100 years. Rief stated the question is whether they want to see 30 -foot homes in this neighborhood. Page 10 of 22