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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – MARCH 6, 2013 2 City Planner Meagan Beekman continued the applicants own the property that is zoned R-1. The existing home encroaches 9 feet into the required 40 foot front yard setback. The existing structure is a one-story walk-out facing Skiles Lane towards the west. The topography drops towards the east and rear of the home. Skiles Lane curves to the east, wrapping around two sides of the parcel, which also abuts Snelling Avenue to the east. The Code requires a 40-foot front yard setback on three sides of the property, as it is wrapped on three sides by roadway. Currently the dwelling has a two car tuck under garage that faces the rear of the property. The existing driveway enters the property from the south and curves to the west to access the existing garage. City Planner Meagan Beekman provided an aerial photograph of the property and indicated the current driveway location. City Planner Meagan Beekman reviewed the property owner is proposing to construct a new 576 square foot, two-stall, garage adjacent to the existing garage to the south of the property. The new garage would be oriented to the south of the property, as opposed to the existing garage, which is oriented to the east. The addition would remain in line with the front and rear of the existing structure. The new garage would encroach 24 feet into the required 40-foot side yard setback. Because the property is a walk-out that drops to the east and rear of the property, the garage addition would not be visible from the front of the home, and would only be partially visible from the side of the property. The applicant is also proposing to construct a 192 square foot addition and deck at-grade, on top of the new garage. The at-grade addition would encroach nine feet at its nearest point in the required 40-foot side yard setback, and would remain in line with the existing home’s setbacks. The applicant is proposing to step back the at-grade addition in line with the curve of Skiles Lane and to maintain the architectural lines and continuity of the structure. Some trees may be lost but the applicants will be required to comply with the City’s tree preservation guidelines. City Planner Meagan Beekman showed photographs of the existing conditions. Sketches of the new garage and addition were shown. City Planner Meagan Beekman summarized in total approximately 480 square feet of the proposed addition would encroach into the front yard setback; of this only 96 square feet would be visible from Skiles Lane. A substantially similar variance request was submitted in 2007, which was approved by the City. The project was never built and the variance approval expired. City Planner Meagan Beekman reviewed the surrounding area, the Plan Evaluation and the Variance Evaluation Criteria. City Planner Meagan Beekman provided the Findings of Fact for review: General Findings 1.The lot depth and width exceed the minimum R-1 requirements. The lot size of 13,939 square feet is nonconforming in the R-1 Zone. 2.The existing structure encroaches nine feet into the 40-foot front yard setback along Skiles Lane. The structure meets all other R-1 setback requirements.