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<br />MEMORANDUM <br />DATE: <br />May 16, 2011 <br /> <br />TO: <br /> Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers <br /> Patrick Klaers, City Administrator <br />FROM: <br />Meagan Beekman, City Planner <br />SUBJECT: Planning Case #11-009 <br /> Zoning Code Amendment <br /> Detached Garages <br />City of Arden Hills <br />Background <br />At the February 22, 2011, Joint Planning Commission and City Council work session, a number <br />of possible zoning code amendments were discussed. One of the possible amendments listed <br />was a change to the Zoning Code to allow detached garages in the front yards of riparian lots. At <br />the time of the work session, the City Council and the Planning Commission gave Staff direction <br />to move forward with drafting possible language that would allow lakeshore lot owners to <br />construct detached garages in their front yards under certain circumstances. <br />The allowance of detached garages in front yards of lakeshore lots has come up several times <br />recently, as lakeshore lot values continue to increase and demand grows to continue improving <br />these properties. Lakeshore lots tend to be narrower and deeper than non-riparian lots, and it is <br />often not practical to add garage and storage space in the side yard of these properties. <br />Furthermore, the definition of “front yard” often differs between the homeowners, who see the <br />lakeside as their front yards; and the City, which views the street side of the home as the front <br />yard. A solution to this problem would be to provide a mechanism within the Zoning Code to <br />allow lakeshore lot owners to have detached garages under certain circumstances between their <br />home and the street. <br />Staff conducted research on other communities’ regulations pertaining to front yard accessory <br />structures and found that most communities provide some provision to allow lakeshore lot <br />owners to construct detached structures on the street side of their properties. Staff looked at the <br />City of Arden Hills <br />City Council Work Session for May 16, 2011 <br />\\Metro-inet.us\ardenhills\Planning\Planning Cases\2011\11-009 - Garages - Zoning Code Amendment (Pending)\05-16-11 - CC WS Report - <br />Garage Amendment.doc <br />Page 1 of 2 <br /> <br />