05-15-2017 Planning Commission Minutes

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CITY OF ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Monday,May 15,2017 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 Denise Leskinen, Chad Olson, Loren Schoenzeit, and Jon Schwingler. Representing Staff were Community Development Director Jeremy Barnhart, Senior Planner Michael Gaffron, City Planner Melanie Curtis, and Recorder Jackie Young. Council Member Wendy Dankey was present. Chair Thiesse called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. NEW BUSINESS 1. Approval of Planning Commission Minutes of April 17,2017 Leskinen moved, Schwingler seconded,to approve the minutes of the Orono Planning Commission meeting of April 17,2017,as submitted. VOTE: Ayes 5,Nays 0. 2. 17-3925 City of Orono,Text Amendment: Small Lots/Setbacks,6:35 P.M.—7:03 P.M. Barnhart noted the Planning Commission reviewed this item at their April meeting where it was tabled. The issue of setbacks for small lots within the City has been on the ordinance review list for several years. In the Council's goals for 2017, it ranked as the 5th most important issue. In 2016,the City processed 41variances of various types; side or street setbacks were included in 19 of them. This is as a result of a number of properties having been developed prior to the enactment of the regulations, resulting in the property owner having to request a variance of some type for many improvements, depending on where the house is located. At the time the original ordinances were created, property owners were encouraged to combine smaller lots into one bigger lot, which did not occur as often as the City anticipated. There are several areas of the community where the development pattern is inconsistent with the zoning district. Barnhart displayed several maps: Map A shows lots in red that are less than 1/4 acre, with clusters of these lots being located in 1/2 acre, 1 acre, and 2 acre zones. As an example,the LR-1B district has a minimum one acre lot size. A number of lots are a quarter acre or half an acre. The front yard setback is 35 feet,the side yard setback is 10 feet, and the back yard setback is 35 feet. A majority of the lots do not meet those setbacks and are nonconforming. In the nonconforming situation, any property owner who would like to expand would require a variance,which tends to be a 6-week process. The question before the Planning Commission and the City Council is whether the ordinance should be modified in some manner to allow these properties to be improved without the need for so many variances. In the case of a variance,the property owner needs to demonstrate a practical difficulty. Map B shows lots in blue between 1/4 and 1/2 acre, with clusters of these lots being located in 1/2 acre, 1 acre, and 2 acre zones. Each map includes the zoning legend. Approximately 95% of the non- conforming lots are within one of these four zoning districts. Page 1 of 23