HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo to C.C. re auto lot area variances s -
TO: Orono Council
FROM: Michael P. Gaffron, Assistant Zoning Administrator
� DATE: May 21, 1986
SUBJ: Big Island - Automatic Lot Area Variances -
Resolutions
Record Lot No. 11, V. William Melin
Record Lot No. 28, J.W. Vanderhoof
Record Lot No. 41, Scriver/Burch
Record Lot No. 36 , Stephen O'Gara
Record Lot No. 40, D.W. Pratt
Record Lot No. 14, D.J. Kilbane
List of Exhibits
A - Typical Documentation Packet Re-sent to 14 Non-
Respondents in Spring 1986
B - Copies of Automatic Lot Area Variance Resolutions for
6 Record Lots
C - Listing of Status of Big Island Record Lots as of
Spring 1986
Background
Please recall that in 1983 when the Council adopted Ordinance No.
246 (creating the "RS" Seasonal Recreational Zoning District ) ,
�-J Big Island property owners were given the opportunity to
be automatically granted lot area variances , which
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gave them the right to build upon their substandard sized lots
without further Council action. Identified in Section 10.31,
Subdivision 6(F) were 55 Record Lots ranging in area from 0.18 to
4.3 acres, which wexe designated as SUBSTANDARD BUILDABLE RECORD
LOTS.
In the summer of 1983 , City Planner Alan Olson mailed
notifications of the Record Lot designations to the appropriate
property owners. About 2/3 of them returned the proper paperwark
and documentation immediately and were subsequently granted the
Automatic Lot Area Variances.
Midway through this process, Olson resigned his position with
Orono and consequently left much of the follow-up work undone.
Staff has only recently been able to free up time to review the
Big Island matters outstanding, and subsequently have taken the
following steps :
l. Reviewed a 11 Big Is land Record Lot f i les to determine
which substandard buildable lot owners did not respond to
the initial notification.
2. Based on statements by at least two of those property
owners that they either "never got the information" or
"didn't know they were supposed to return something", staff
revised and updated paperwork, mailed it out again to the
non-respondents, and stipulated a deadline of April 30, 1986
in which to return the documentation required without having
to file a formal variance application.
Big Island Resolutions
May 21, 1986
Page 2 of 2
3. Reviewed the properties which have outstanding issues or
concerns yet to be resolved.
Staff would recommend approval of the following automatic lot
area variances for Record Lots on Big Island. These are for
simple lot area variances with no request for additional uses:
1 ) V. William Melin - Record Lot No. 11 - 3.4 acres
2 ) Dennis J. Kilbane - Record Lot No. 14 - 2.7 acres
3 ) John W. Vanderhoof - Record Lot No. 28 - 0.97 acres
4 ) Stephen O'Gara - Record Lot No. 36 - 0 .66 acres
5 ) Daniel W. Pratt - Record Lot No. 40 - 0 .54 acres
6 ) Katherine Scriver - R�cord Lot No. 41 - 0 .53 acres
In reviewing the status of the Big Island Record Lots (Exhibit C)
note that 6 owners have never responded to the City' s
notification, either in 1983 or in 1986. Staff recommends that
the opportunity for automatic lot area variances for these be
denied, and recommends that at the time they request building
permits will have to go through the standard zoning application
procedure for lot area variances .
Note also that we have 4 properties requesting a conditional use
permit for year-round dwelling use. Staff expects these
resolutions will be drafted for Council approval sometime this �
s umme r.
In the case of 4 record lots, applications are filed or pending
to rearrange record lots to be more usable.
We have 2 potential Day-Use Recreational Area situations to
review and we have one record lot that consisted of 6 parcels
that the owner in 1982 or 1983 sold to various parties apparently
to avoid the record lot status - this has yet to be resolved, but
suffice it to say that staff will issue no permits for anything
on this property unless the lots are all combined.