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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-17-2023 Planning Commission Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. ROLL CALL The Orono Planning Commission met on the above-mentioned date with the following members present: Chair Chris Bollis, Commissioners Mark McCutcheon, Dennis Libby, Bob Erickson, Gary Kraemer and Scott Kirchner. Commissioner Jon Ressler was absent. Representing Staff were Community Development Director Laura Oakden, City Planner Melanie Curtis, and City Planner Natalie Nye. Chair Bollis called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. OATH OF OFFICE Community Development Director Oakden led returning and new Planning Commission Members Scott Kirchner and Gary Kraemer in the Oath of Office. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Kirchner moved, Erickson seconded,to approve the Agenda.VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. APPROVAL OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 20,2023 Kirchner moved,Kraemer seconded,to approve the minutes of the Orono Planning Commission meeting of March 20,2023: Ayes 6,Nays 0. PUBLIC HEARINGS 1. LA23-000002 CITY OF ORONO, 1449 SHORELINE DRIVE AND 1475 SHORELINE DRIVE,VACATION Oakden said this application is to vacate unused right-of-way along County Rd. 15. The City of Orono is requesting to vacate portions of right-of-way. Hennepin County conducted a project and obtained rights- of-way to reconstruct Tanager Bridge. Portions of that right-of-way are no longer needed to support the road improvement. The County has transferred the property to the City for the purpose of vacating which is standard vacation process. The land does not serve a public purpose and has no use for City services. Staff is recommending approval. Chair Bollis opened the public hearing at 6:06 p.m. Richie Anderson, 1449 Shoreline Dr., stated his agreement with the County was, any property the County took on one side,he would get back on the other side,which is the space we are talking about now. I've been waiting since 2020 to get this resolved. I didn't hold them up on price and gave them more property than needed and I've been paying an attorney to get this done. You are not giving us something we did not have an agreement to get. Chair Bollis closed the public hearing at 6:08 p.m. Libby commented that he had worked closely with the County and a different property owner regarding right-of-way acquisition for this road project. I was very aware of two precedents at that time. When there is a vacation like this, if the County decides it no longer has a use for a property it must pass through ownership of the City before goes to an adjoining property owner for first right of refusal, which is Page 1of12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. another precedent. At this point all we are really deciding is whether we are advising Council to approve vacation. I am supportive. Kirchner supports the application. Erickson noted from a motorist and resident standpoint it is a tremendous improvement over what was there before.He appreciates the efforts of the property owner and the county and City staff and everyone working together to come up with a finished product that's top quality. McCutchen moved,Erickson seconded,to approve LA23-000002, 1449 Shoreline Drive,Vacation. VOTE: Ayes: 6,Nays 0. 2. LA23-000008 DAVID CHARLEZ DESIGNS, 1340 VINE PLACE,VARIANCES City Planner Nye said the applicant is proposing to demolish the existing home and rebuild on the existing foundation which is non-conforming. The lot is substandard in size and is just over maximum hardcover of 25 percent. The proposed home will be larger and taller with adding a second story and roof pitch and a new front porch addition. It is proposed to demolish a 2-car detached garage and construct a three-car attached garage in a similar location. The lot is not buildable which is a practical difficulty. The proposal would bring hard cover into compliance. In order for the applicant to construct the new home they will need variances from lot area,average lakeshore setback. 75-foot lakeshore setback,hardcover within the 75-foot setback and rear yard setback. Staff is supportive of this request due to the practical difficulties. Kirchner asked about expansion of the footprint. Nye said there would be a slight expansion due to a new, larger garage in the same place as the existing garage. David Zweber,David Charlez Designs,Lakeville,explained it was a difficult property because of the location on an inlet and existing setback rules make it nearly impossible to construct anything in conformance. The existing property is in disrepair and new construction will make it a better property. The proposed new home will bring the hardcover down to within conforming levels,he said, and will not be adding a larger footprint per se,but simply stacking some square footage in a two story fashion to pick up the additional area that the client is needing for their growing family.Attaching the garage also will be a much nicer improvement to the existing structure. Because of the location of the neighboring properties, the neighbor to the northwest is significantly elevated over this property and looking down upon the property currently, so adding a story will not block any views. The property to the southeast will not be affected. Chair Bollis opened the public hearing at 6:19 p.m. There were no public comments. Chair Bollis closed the public hearing at 6:19 p.m. Kirchner said he feels practical difficulties are established and attaching a garage in place of a detached to new construction is not egregious. I don't see any concerns with the project in my opinion. Page 2 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Kraemer said it looks like a good addition to the property and getting hardcover lowered overall is good. Kirchner moved,Libby seconded,to approve LA23-000008 1340 Vine Place,variances.VOTE: Ayes: 6,Nays 0. 3. LA23-000014 SUSANNE& MATTHEW JOHNSON, 1007 WILDHURST TRAIL, VARIANCE City Planner Curtis said the purpose of the application is to consider an average lakeshore setback variance on the newly oriented lot at 1007 Wildhurst Trail. The existing home at 1003 Wildhurst would remain and is not part of this application. The applicant is in the process of designing a new home for the 1007 lot. The homes on 1003 Wildhurst and 4455 West Branch Road create an average Lakeshore setback line bisecting the center of the subject lot. The applicant is requesting an average lakeshore setback variance to allow construction up to the 75-foot setback.Approval would be subject to the County approving the pending lot line changes. The applicants have identified the unique lake channel orientation for both the new lot and the adjacent lakeshore property on West Branch Road to the north as creating difficulties.Applicants are in attendance. Staff agrees with the applicants that the unique orientation of the properties along the lakeshore channels create an extreme average lakeshore setback across the subject property which is restricting development near the lake. Staff recommends the planning commission discuss whether the proposal fits within the character of neighborhood,whether practical difficulties exist, and whether or not there is any lake view impact to consider. Staff recommends approval. Bollis clarified that the proposal would meet the 75-foot setback but it's the average setback for which the variance is being requested. Matt Johnson, 1003 Wildhurst Trail,said there are currently three PIDs on this property. There is a large, undeveloped chunk of land purchased when there was talk of putting seven or eight houses in there and neighbors wanted to keep density lower. So in an effort to reduce the density of this area, his proposal was to bring it down to two lots. And then in doing so,the average lakeshore setback gets connected from the property to the north, and then connects to the property at 1003 Wildhurst Trail that he also owns. Average lakeshore setback was intended to preserve the lake views between neighbors and lake. Chair Bollis opened the public hearing at 6:30 p.m. There were no public comments. Chair Bollis closed the public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Kirchner said it reminded him of another case a few months ago. In reality, we are looking at a two-lot application here,not a three-lot. McCutcheon said if it was three we wouldn't be talking about this. One house is extremely on the west side but since they are combining,it's a lakeshore lot. Where the house is located now it makes a lot of sense.As you look at the neighborhood to the south they are all about that distance from the lake, so I think it fits the character of the neighborhood. Bollis said it goes back to the intent of the ordinance. I don't think it creates an issue with sight lines. Page 3 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Kirchner said the property is heavily wooded.Because of woods I don't even know what sight lines would be there. Libby said staff has done a good job and given us a lot of good information. The applicant has tried to position the house so does not obstruct any other lake views.I'm in favor of this but we still have to have the County to chime in on this because of the subdivision of the lot. Libby moved,Kraemer seconded,to approve LA23-000014, 1007 Wildhurst Trail,variance. VOTE: Ayes: 6,Nays 0. 4. LA23-000015 SWANSON HOMES,3017 NORTH SHORE DRIVE,PRELIMINARY PLAT Oakden reported the applicant is requesting a preliminary plat approval to subdivide 3.57 acres into two buildable lots. There's currently one house and the applicant is proposing to demo a portion of the existing house in order to meet the side-yard setback required by a new shared property line between lot one and lot two.The proposal is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and the LR1B family lakeshore residential zoning districts.Both lots will meet the one-acre size and 140-foot width requirement in that zoning district. Staff feels the proposed lots are consistent with the character of the neighborhood and do not trigger the requirements for conservation design.All drainage and utility easements will meet current City standards and have been preliminarily reviewed by the City engineer.Minnehaha Creek provided a comment that a two-lot subdivision does not trigger their permitting requirements but they may require permitting at time of demo and of construction.Hennepin County has not submitted comments yet but did provide an update that they have no major concerns. The applicant is proposing a shared driveway access off of North Shore. A driveway easement and maintenance agreement should be required with this plat. Staff recommends a 10-foot easement be obtained along North Shore Drive to support the creation of a potential regional trail corridor. Staff recommends approval of the subdivision with additional requirements before final plat, including a driveway easement and maintenance agreement, 10-foot trail easement along North Shore Drive and separate sewer connections and demo permits. The applicant is here and can speak to the project. McCutcheon noted the lot is irregular and asked if there had been an attempt to make the lot lines square up with the lake. Blake Swanson, Swanson homes,1360 Hamel Road,Medina, said they had put a lot of time and effort into the design especially given the existing home. The reason the lot line goes around the home the way that it does is because that's right where the kitchen and the mudroom are. Going straight line through there and also meeting the other requirements would be a substantial slice through a very critical part of the home. We've been working very diligently with staff to try and come up with a plan that meets all of the requirements of the ordinance. It's consistent with a lot of the other properties along this stretch.He said the new lot to be created would be about 100 feet wide which is also consistent with others in the area. Chair Bollis opened the public hearing at 6:43 p.m. Page 4 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Kathryn Kailas, 3048 North Shore Drive, the homeowner across the street,also asked about the irregular shape of the lot and said it would be helpful to the neighbors to be able to see what's being proposed and how it is going to be situated. She said there is no one currently living in this home and it was not intended to be a living home for someone per the neighborhood discussion, it was seen as a flip that would take place in the neighborhood. Those of us who live in the neighborhood enjoy this space, enjoy the size of the homes and the properties and how it's been configured over the years. Jeff Zitzloff, 1380 Briar Street,said he does not live in the neighborhood but questioned if the lot line between the existing home and the new lot would create a reasonable setback. Chair Bollis closed the public hearing at 6:46 p.m. Oakden said that zoning district requires a 10-foot setback,as proposed with portions of the existing house and patio slated to be removed,the existing home would be a conforming structure relating to setbacks and hardcover. McCutcheon stated his biggest concern was the shape of the lot but he supports the shared driveway for safety reasons.He said if you look at the proposed plat it doesn't make sense but if you look at the zoom out of the houses are pretty close together. Kirchner commented about the building envelope which appears to be adequate.He discussed the struggle to consider denying something like this when someone is asking to develop land in a conforming manner to our existing ordinances. He said it would not be the smallest lot in the area and would be in the middle of lot sizes in the neighborhood. Kraemer stated he finds it a thoughtful subdivision.He likes the fact that they are doing the common driveway for safety and aesthetics. He thinks it fits the character of the neighborhood. It's definitely not a straight property line but there's a lot of crooked property lines in Orono and you can see why this one's required. - - Libby said he would support the staff recommendation of requiring a maintenance agreement for the shared driveway.He notes that would eliminate a lot of potential problems. The 2040 plan guides this for one acre so we're beyond that on the on the first site and I would tend to be in favor of this. Bollis noted there are other shared driveways in the area which makes sense on a county road. He added it meets all the checkmarks for what the code requires in a subdivision. Kirchner moved,Erickson seconded,to approve LA23-000015,3017 North Shore Drive, preliminary plat with the stipulation that a driveway and driveway maintenance easement be included,a trail easement,drainage and utility easement and additional sewer connection as noted by City staff in their recommendation as applied.VOTE: Ayes: 6,Nays 0. Page 5 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. 5. LA23-000016 CAROLINA CANO-GARNICA O/B/O KESHAV PROPERTIES LLC,2160 WAYZATA BOULEVARD WEST, CUP City Planner Nye said the applicant is to open a new Mexican restaurant at 2160 Wayzata Blvd. West in two vacant spaces in a multi-tenant building with a variety of uses including a gas station. The restaurant will serve liquor which would classify it as a Class II restaurant in the City code which requires a conditional use permit in the B1 zoning district.No exterior modifications are proposed at this time. The business will be able to obtain a sign permit as long as they meet the City sign code. The building has a shared parking lot with 17 parking spaces allocated for the restaurant where 11 parking spaces are required. Six of the parking spaces in the rear are not striped but are intended to be used for overflow or employee parking. Staff recommends that these parking spaces are striped as well.The City code requires that garbage and recycling containers are closed but does not require having a trash enclosure. Staff recommends the planning commission discuss the possibility of adding a condition of a trash enclosure if the garbage area ever becomes a nuisance or an issue. Staff overall finds that the proposed restaurant meets all applicable conditional use permit regulations. The use is compatible with the surrounding area and is appropriate for the district and for the future land use for this site. Ms.Nye said the applicant was present and available for questions. The applicant,Gustavo Cano-Garnica, 985 Old Long Lake Road, said he was also representing his sister, Carolina,who was ill.He said his family of seven has lived in Orono for 20 years. So there is a sense of community as well as that sense of family hospitality.While most restaurants in the community are mainly fast food places,he said,they intend to offer Mexican cuisine and a memorable dining experience. He said they planned a bright and glossy decor and added the restaurant's peak time will be in the evening and so will not interfere with the other businesses in the center. They expect to have around 12 employees with the employees carpooling and are looking into having the remaining parking spaces striped. Libby asked about adequate handicapped parking spots. Oakden said that is a review done by the City's building official. If more are needed or desired that can be-addressed through the building official at the time of permitting. It would also be possible to make that a condition to ensure that it's addressed as part of the conditional use permit. Chair Bollis opened the public hearing at 7:03 p.m. Richie Anderson said he is a long-time Orono resident and is not part of the application.But he just wanted to talk to the character of these folks that are running this gas station. It's a local gas station,first class,great food already. They're just solid citizens.And if you don't use their place,you should. Chair Bollis closed the public hearing at 7:04 p.m. Bollis said it looks like a good proposal and does not see any issues.But would like to hear from the other Commissioners. Kraemer also said he didn't see any issues. Page 6 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. McCutcheon wished the applicants luck and said parking could be revisited later if it would become a problem.But otherwise,he is in favor of it. Erickson said Long Lake started requiring dumpster enclosures in the early 1990s and it's gotten to be accepted over time. He thinks that should be a model as to what we should be looking for in this or other restaurant locations.He feels that should be part of the requirement for not just this location,but any other restaurants that come up. Kirchner said he would struggle with looking at this application and trying to apply an enclosure when we have other existing businesses,restaurant businesses within the City.A broader discussion for potential ordinance review rather than trying to apply it to one singular application is appropriate. Bollis said he would be supportive of seeing if the trash site became a nuisance and if so,possibly requiring an enclosure. McCutcheon moved,Kirschner seconded,to approve LA23-000016, 2160 Wayzata Boulevard West,CUP.VOTE: Ayes: 6,Nays 0. 6. LA23-000017 MURPHY& CO. DESIGN,746 TONKAWA ROAD,VARIANCES Nye said the applicant is proposing to renovate the existing home at 746 Tonkawa Road including demolishing a detached,non-conforming garage and constructing a new three-car garage nearer the street. Because the proposed garage has its garage doors facing the street the setback requirements increase from 10 to 30 feet. The proposed garage is 10 feet from the rear property line. The applicant is requesting variances for rear-yard setback for the accessory building from 30 feet down to 10 feet and an additional variance for driveway width to allow a 34-foot driveway with where 20-foot is the maximum.The applicant is also requesting a variance from overall hardcover. They are proposing to remove hardcover primarily through the removal of the existing driveway to bring the total down from 35 percent to 32 percent which is still over 25 percent. The applicant has identified the significant topographical changes on the property as a practical difficulty. There is a steep grade change from the street to the house making the current driveway unsafe, especially in the winter months. Constructing a new detached garage closer to the street alleviates those issues. Staff is in agreement with the listed practical difficulties and is supportive of the overall hardcover reduction. Staff recommends approval, however,would like the Planning Commission to discuss the need for a three-bay garage versus a two-bay garage.A two-bay garage could further reduce hardcover and reduce the requested variance for the driveway. The applicant is available to answer questions. Dan Demeules with Murphy and CO Design, 235 Lake St. East Wayzata, spoke as the applicant. The goal of the clients is to keep the house in its existing location reusing the foundation and the main floor. They will be adding a new story to create enough bedrooms for the family. The existing garage is closer to the house than is allowed by current code and has a very steep driveway.Moving the garage will make a safer driveway and entrance to the road,he said, adding there is a lot of precedent for garages right up to the street including a closer one just to the south. We are trying to reduce hardcover as much as possible. Page 7 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. There is a lot of paving on the property right now. So we're reducing that and replacing it with green space. Libby asked if the applicant had discussed the changes with the immediate adjoining neighbors. Mr. Demeules said his client has been in contact with them but both are out of town for the winter and were not comfortable signing any support of it until they were able to see the property in person this spring. Chair Bollis opened the public hearing at 7:16 p.m. Bruce Lee. 740 Tonkawa, said he and his wife own the property to the north. We have a shared driveway easement that would be completely encroached upon if this retaining wall goes up the way it's proposed. That's a mutually-shared easement. It looks like we still would have access to my property,however, when we back out of my garage,we back into that northerly easterly portion of that easement. So we're going to be greatly affected by a wide garage and then a retaining wall that chews up probably two thirds of that easement. He said the driveway does come down at a steep angle.And a lot of that top angle is the only way to get to my property I don't have access because of that eight-foot drop directly into my driveway. Karen Weathers,750 Tonkawa,the property to the south, said we've got no issues with it. We've not talked to them. But looks like it's conforming from our point of view,and we don't have any issues. Chair Bollis closed the public hearing at 7:20 p.m. Bollis asked if there had been any analysis done on the easement by staff. Nye said staff was not aware of it and thought the neighbor still had adequate access to their property. They are just learning it would impact their turn-around. Kirchner said it appears there is an easement there and I would struggle to support something that would encroach upon an easement. Todd Irvine,Keenan and Sveiven,the applicant's landscape architect and contractor on the project, said if there needs to be additional pavement left in the lower right-hand corner of the easement area for backout space we could certainly look at doing that. McCutcheon noted the elevation drop and asked if any consideration had been given to rotating the garage 90 degrees so that instead of backing out into the street they would be backing out into the other neighbor's driveway..I don't know if there's enough room. Mr. Demeules said it was considered but would have required pushing the garage to the north side.Again, there's a lot of great change there. So what we would have had to do is push the garage to the north side Page 8 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. and make it extend almost to where that existing garage is.And we felt like that would just be a really big impediment on the neighboring property because you'd have two full stories. McCutcheon said he would support additional hardcover for the sake of safety but added that since it's a partially shared driveway the hardcover could really be split between two neighbors. Bollis said he did not like the idea that we're affecting the neighbor's safety and turn-around ability.He also pointed out the exhibits depicted a regular passenger car,not a truck or delivery vehicle. Kirchner said that is exactly what he was going to say.It appears a passenger vehicle can be turned around.But what about a larger vehicle? Libby said he felt that there needs to be additional discussions with neighboring property owners. He asked if the easement was recorded. McCutcheon said he would be interested in seeing if it could be made to work to satisfy the neighbor's easement and concerns. He also asked if there was enough data to give guidance on a three-car garage versus a two-car garage. Kirchner said he couldn't see how changing the size of the garage would change its proximity to the roadway. Bollis said he thought a three-car garage was fine. The piece that's missing to me is that easement piece with the neighbor. So I'm not in favor of it,the way it's presented. Bollis moved,Libby seconded,to table LA23-000017,746 Tonkawa Road,variances as applied. VOTE: Ayes: 6,Nays 0. 7. LA23-000019 AS DESIGNS, 1940 SHADYWOOD ROAD,VARIANCE Curtis said the property is located along the Coffee Channel and is completely within the 75-foot lake setback.The applicant is requesting variances in order to construct a new home on the existing foundation with a full two-story design including variances for side lot setback,hardcover, 75-foot and average lakeshore setbacks. The applicant has identified the existing home location,the lot's orientation to the channel, its small size and the mature oak and maple trees near the channel as practical difficulties supporting their requested variances. Curtis said the lot has no buildable envelope for conforming development. The small lot size and the owner's desire to preserve the mature trees along the channel also create development obstacles. A lot area variance is also required in order to develop the property consistent with other existing developed properties in the neighborhood.The plan will increase the hardcover from 27.9%to 28.9. Staff recommends the planning commission discuss whether it is reasonable to permit the further expansion for a second story so close to the property line and whether the second story should be required to be pushed slightly to the south in order to align with the majority of the homes. The applicant is here. Page 9 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Libby said he had received a note from the adjoining property owner concerned about the possible loss of the large trees along the channel. He asked if they had had an arborist look at them. William Moline,1940 Shadywood, Orono,the applicant, said the professional opinion of people who have looked at the construction was that if we move the house any further,that that would impact the root structure and that could have a catastrophic effect on the trees.And that's why we were recommended to build on the existing foundation.He said he would be willing to have a tree professional look at them as well before any construction. McCutcheon said he saw a lot of advantages to the property owner and the neighborhood of protecting the trees,so I appreciate you trying to keep those trees where they are during the construction process. Chair Bollis opened the public hearing at 7:45 p.m. There were no public comments. Chair Bollis closed the public hearing at 7:45 p.m. McCutcheon noted other homes in that area had been expanded by building vertically. Alethia Sadowski with A Sadowski Designs said when she saw the trees her goal was to design a home that was modest enough to accommodate the owner's needs and still maintain the existing conditions. She said she thought the trees probably contributed to the stability of the entire channel at that point. She indicated they found out about all the other nonconforming issues along the way. She also said the house is currently not even a full story and a half. Bollis said in his opinion the applicant has demonstrated what we'd like to see in a lot of these applications where you're building on the foundation. It's pretty modest design,and I'm personally for this one. Kirchner said in looking at the floor plan and design he didn't have an issue with building up. They're not trying to put a monstrous house here.The floor plans are very modest. I feel like there is a good-faith effort from the applicant here to truly make this work as closely as possible within the confines there and I feel like they've done a really good job with that. Kraemer said he would agree. Kirchner moved,Kraemer seconded,to approve LA23-000019, 1940 Shadywood Road,variances as applied. Bollis asked to amend the motion to require silt fencing protection for the large trees during construction.Kirchner and Kraemer accepted the amendment.VOTE: Ayes: 6,Nays 0. OTHER BUSINESS 8. LA22-000058 SHOREWOOD PROPERTIES-MATTHEW TIERNEY,2305 BAYVIEW PLACE, SKETCH PLAN Page 10 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Curtis said this applicant is unable to be present this evening but has a representative in attendance. The applicant would like to rearrange the lot lines of the subject properties in order to create two regular rectangular-shaped lots.As the lots exists today they are substandard and the L shape of the one lot is not very functional. The resulting lots would still be non-conforming but of a more usual shape.Due to the new nonconformity,the boundary line adjustment does not qualify for administrative approval without prior approval of a variance.No formal action is required this evening,Curtis said,but the Commission should discuss potential issues to be addressed prior to submission of a formal application. She said the proposal could be accomplished in one of two ways and the applicant should be provided the Commission's preferred direction. Bollis summarized that there are two existing lots today accessed primarily off Bayview. This would not change the number of lots but it would make the existing lots more usable and move one access from Bayview to Navarre Lane. Kirchner said he is familiar with the property and is concerned about a possible steep grade for one lot sloping to Navarre Lane. I just worry about are we creating the best possible lot.Any development onto that is going to have some significant retaining walls. Curtis said the home at 3320 Navarre Lane was constructed within the last five years and has a similar grade. Jacob Conklin, a friend of the applicant,said he would attempt to answer questions from the Commission. My understanding from being there,the elevation change is mostly from the line that is drawn for the new division. That is the most change right there. I don't feel there's much elevation change on that lot. Bollis said he appreciates what Commissioner Kirchner pointed out about the elevation. That's something we should definitely look at and make sure we're not creating a problem with this lot line adjustment. But if that is met by the applicant, I don't see a reason why I wouldn't approve something like this. He noted this proposal takes two non-conforming lots and rearranges them into two non-conforming lots that are more suitable for use. McCutcheon said Orono doesn't like flag-shaped lots and the proposal makes sense. To me, it seems like a better situation. Libby asked if it would be possible to create one conforming lot from the two lots. Curtis said that could be done but the applicant cannot be required to combine them. Kraemer said it makes sense to do it like this, it just cleans it up. It does not create any new non- conforming lots. Page 11 of 12 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION April 17,2023 6:00 o'clock p.m. Bollis noted there was no official vote on the proposal at this time it sounds like we're mostly in favor and could approve something like this. I think the sticking point and something they might want to articulate better would be how and where a house could fit on that lot with the typography. Curtis reminded the Commission the application could be handled in two ways. The applicant can make a formal variance application for the non-conformities that have been listed, and then proceed,if approved, with an administrative boundary line adjustment,or they can be directed to make a formal preliminary plat application so they would be re-platting the lots rather than rearranging the lot lines with variances. Commissioners said they thought the variance process would be simpler and the best approach. 9. PLANNING COMMISSION LIASION FOR CITY COUNCIL SCHEDULE Oakden explained the Commission annually approves assignments for Commissioners to attend City Council meetings in case there are questions or concerns. She said a schedule was included in the packet. Staff is asking for a motion to adopt the schedule through March of 2024. Commissioners discussed a conflict on the schedule and agreed to exchange assigned dates. Libby moved,Kirchner seconded,to adopt the planning commission liaison schedule as amended. VOTE: Ayes: 6,Nays 0. 10. UPDATE ON APRIL 10,2023 CITY COUNCIL MEETING Oakden updated the Commissioners that there was one item at the April 10,2023 meeting and that was a conditional use permit for a golf club parking lot project. The City Council adopted that on their consent agenda. She also said a resident had applied for a planning commission and will be interviewed for the open alternate position at an upcoming planning City Council work session. ADJOURNMENT Kraemer moved,McCutcheon seconded,to adjourn the Planning Commission Meeting.VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. The Orono Planning Commission meeting adjourned at 8:11 p.m. ATTEST: �.�----- C istopher Bollis,Chair Page 12 of 12