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Memorandum To: Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Board CC: City of Orono From: Scott&Michelle Miller Date: 9/1/2005 Re: Wetland Protection Permit • MC WD Board, The following memo contains information regarding the request to impact the Type 1 wetland on our property—85 S.Old Crystal Bay Road,Orono. There are a number of factors which lead to this request. The first is the placement of the house(see site plan). Originally the house was staked with a portion of the garage in the setback required by the City of Orono. The reason for the location of the house was due to it being the highest point on the land and therefore good drainage for the house,it set back from the road,which is a safety concern as we will have two little children,and the view—the house faces the wetland to the south. Due to the City's setback from the wetland,the house was then moved to the north and west. However,due to the need for the main septic site to be located in the northwest corner of the property and the corresponding setbacks from the property line and house,the house was again moved. Finally,the house and garage were pivoted to the east,to create better access to the house and minimize the impact to the wetland and buffer area. Thus,the fourth and current placement of the house. The driveway was another factor in impacting the wetland. Originally the driveway proceeded due south and then east from the house and veered north just prior to the driveway approach to Old Crystal Bay Road. This would have placed the driveway directly through the center of the wetland,impacting a much greater area. The reasoning for this original placement was the aesthetic value of being able to see the front of the house as one proceeded up the driveway and the house is not visible from the road. This is no longer the case. When we discovered the location of the wetland,we moved the drive to the north,its current location. During this process,consideration was also given to the orientation of the garage. The alternative was to access the garage from the north versus the east. However,to do so added expense to our project in terms of additional brick,windows and an extremely long sidewalk. In addition,all visitors to our home would need to walk from the north side of the garage and around the east and south sides of the garage before they arrive at the front door. This configuration is not only illogical as a house design,but it also . decreases the value and aesthetics of the house. As we proceeded though locating the house and considering a number of alternatives to evade the wetland,it appeared we would need to impact the wetland to achieve a balance between what the land required and our desires for our house and property. Our plan is to fill up to 1,000 square feet of the wetland to provide an elevation suitable for the driveway. Due to our impacting the buffer area as well, we discovered we could create an alternate buffer area. Our original plan was to maintain the land just east of the Type 1 wetland in its natural state and therefore is most suitable to creating an alternate buffer 1