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HomeMy WebLinkAbout18-4000 Garcia (1335 Arbor St) Exhibit B PC MinutesMINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Tuesday, January 16, 2018 6:30 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ ROLL CALL The Orono Planning Commission met on the above-mentioned date with the following members present: Chair John Thiesse, Commissioners Kevin Landgraver, Bruce Lemke, Denise Leskinen, and Jon Schwingler. Representing Staff were Community Development Director Jeremy Barnhart, City Planners Melanie Curtis and Laura Oakden, and Recorder Jackie Young. Chair Thiesse called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. 7. #18-4000 JEFF MARTINEAU ON BEHALF OF BARBARA GARCIA, 1335 ARBOR STREET, VARIANCES, 7:24 P.M. – 7:55 P.M. Jeff Martineau, Applicant, was present. Oakden stated the applicant is requesting multiple variances for lot area, lot width, front setback, side street setback, interior side setback and structural coverage to exceed 2,000 square feet. The applicant is looking to construct a new home on the property that will be more centered on the lot. The property is a corner and through lot with streets on three of the four sides. The applicant proposes to build a full basement rambler style home with a two-stall garage and a deck. The property is located in the RR-1B 2-acre zoning district, with 0.20 acres in a zone requiring two acres. The applicant is requesting a 40-foot front yard setback where 50 feet is required and a 7.5 interior side yard setback where 10 feet is required. In addition, the applicants are requesting an 8.5 side street setback where 30 feet is required. City Code allows lots of less than 10,000 square feet in area to have a total footprint of 2,000 square feet. The applicants are requesting a structural coverage variance to allow 348 additional square feet of coverage over what is permitted per City Code. The single-family home is consistent with the neighborhood. MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Tuesday, January 16, 2018 6:30 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ The applicants should submit a proposed grading plan for review with the building permit. Depending on the roofline, roof overhang or small areas for drainage, water may be able to be mitigated with a gutter system. Staff finds there are practical difficulties inherent to the lot area, lot width, proposed setbacks and structural coverage. Due to the size of the lot located within the 2-acre RR-1B zoning district. The lot is also unique in that it has street abutting three sides of the lot. The Planning Commission should discuss and ask the applicant about the visual impacts of allowing an 8.5’ side street setback, placement of window wells for the basement bedrooms if they can create adequate drainage within the side setback space for the lot. To date, no public comments have been received. Staff would recommend approval of the requested variances. The Planning Commission had no questions for Staff. Jeff Martineau, Applicant, stated he represents both the seller and potential purchaser of the property and that he has submitted a rendering of the exterior, but that he has a photograph of an identical house that was built in another development. Martineau indicated they considered a number of different options for the home. This potential purchaser would like to live in this neighborhood. Martineau stated they initially looked at a house that would front on Prospect but the house would need to be two stories, with the back of the house facing the neighbor to the south. In order to reduce the impact on the neighbors, a one-story house has been proposed facing Arbor and fits the character of the neighborhood. The home will be constructed without any major grading. The main floor of the house consists of approximately 1500 square feet. Martineau indicated they will need to redesign the window wells to be on the back, which is fairly easy to do according to the builder. Landscaping is planned for along Prospect and no trees will be removed as part of this project. MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Tuesday, January 16, 2018 6:30 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Martineau displayed a picture of the existing house and indicated the stake depicts the front corner of the new house. Additional stakes were placed to illustrate where the new house will be and a line was spray painted connecting the stakes so the neighbors can see where the new house will be located. It is a one-story house and should fit into the neighborhood really well. Thiesse asked if there is any living area in the upper portion of the house. Martineau indicated there is not and that it is all aesthetics. Landgraver asked if he has looked at the drainage between the two homes at all. Martineau indicated there might be a need for drain tile or some type of swale along the property line and that he is willing to work with staff on that. Lemke asked if the proposed house is a mirror image of the photograph. Martineau stated the garage will be located on the other side of the house but otherwise it would be identical. Chair Thiesse opened the public hearing at 7:37 p.m. There were no public comments relating to this application. Chair Thiesse continued the public hearing to February 12. Lemke commented the drainage is a concern between the homes. Thiesse asked if there are any concerns with the street setbacks. Thiesse stated it is a quiet neighborhood and the setbacks do not bother him. MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Tuesday, January 16, 2018 6:30 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Landgraver stated if this was a busy street, the setbacks would be an issue. Leskinen indicated she does not have any concerns given the quietness of the street. Thiesse stated the structural coverage is an issue and that in his view this lot might not be able to accommodate this type of house. Leskinen stated the question is what is the practical difficulty for going over 2,000 square feet. Thiesse stated the rationale for the overage was so it could be kept as a one-story story. Thiesse noted this is a clean sheet design and that the applicant could get rid of 348 square feet but someone could argue that it is hardly worth redesigning. Landgraver stated the City recently increased the structural coverage to 20 percent and the main reason why the City has those constraints is to keep things in scale. Landgraver indicated he is hesitant to approve that much of an increase over the allowable structural coverage and that he has not been persuaded to approve that. Thiesse noted the Planning Commission recommended the increase in the structural coverage be denied. Thiesse asked whether the applicant would be able to reduce the structural coverage. Martineau stated this is a very unusual lot given the street on three sides and that the proposed house is 36 feet wide, including the garage. Martineau stated he is not sure if that includes the deck. Oakden indicated it would be the house and the covered stoop. Martineau stated it would be very difficult to reduce it without reducing the size of the rooms to the point where it does not make sense. Martineau stated he understands citizens have to be good stewards of the MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Tuesday, January 16, 2018 6:30 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ property and that it is his belief it is in the best interest of the neighborhood not to make this a two-story house, especially given the street on three sides of the house. Thiesse stated he is looking at the floor plan and he sees a sunroom and a study. Thiesse commented those are wonderful to have but that the applicant might have to decrease the size. Martineau noted the plan was originally at 38 feet wide and they reduced it to 36 feet wide. Lemke asked whether a two-story would be preferable. Thiesse indicated it would not be preferable but it would be allowed. Leskinen stated having the road on three sides makes the lot more challenging and noted the new home would be more centered on the lot. Leskinen questioned whether having a two-story house or having a one-story that is 348 square feet over the allowed structural coverage is really the lesser of two evils. Thiesse noted the home on one side is two stories and the other homes in the neighborhood are a story and a half. Landgraver stated the City thoroughly vetted the new structural coverage ratios and that he is not inclined to approve the increase in structural coverage. Landgraver stated he is willing to approve a two-story home since that is an efficient use of land. Landgraver stated if everything else were single story, he might make an exception, but that he has a feeling that some of the other neighbors in the future may want a two-story. Oakden stated because the proposed house encroaches the setback, if those setbacks continue to be proposed with a two-story home, they would require a variance since the second story would be a new encroachment in height in the setback areas. Landgraver moved, Schwingler seconded, to recommend denial of Application No. 18-4000, MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Tuesday, January 16, 2018 6:30 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Jeff Martineau on behalf of Barbara Garcia, 1335 Arbor Street, based on the structural coverage exceeding the 2,000 square feet. VOTE: Ayes 5, Nays 0.