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City of Arden Hills City Council Meeting for November 24, 2014 P:\Planning\Planning Cases\2014\PC 14-027 - Variance - Transwestern 1160 Grey Fox Road\Memos_Reports_14-027 Page 5 of 7 8. That after completion of the parking lot expansion project the property will contain 181 parking spaces. 9. That the new parking area will have access from the adjoining property to the west along with access from the existing parking lot. 10. That a variance is being requested to further reduce the amount of landscaping coverage from 24.06% to 20.32% and to increase the impervious coverage from 75.94% to 79.68%. 11. That a variance is being requested to permit 100% of the parking within the in the side yard of the property. Variance Findings: 12. That when compared to other properties in the direct vicinity this parcel may not be considered unique to the surrounding area because of similar nonconforming site conditions. It is unclear if the proposal is in harmony with the purpose and intent of the Zoning Ordinance as the Ordinance generally allows flexibility for unique parcels and situations when impacts to surrounding properties are minimized. 13. That the proposal is consistent with the Arden Hills Comprehensive Plan as it allows for the reasonable use of property within the B-3 Service Business Zoning District. 14. That surface parking lots are permitted within the B-3 Service Business Zoning District. 15. That the lot is currently fully developed making an expansion of the surface parking lot to other areas on the property very limited due to the size of the current building and existing parking area. 16. That the proposed parking area would be visible from neighboring properties; however, increased landscaping and tree plantings will help soften the impact of the additional parking area on surrounding property owners. 17. That the proposed parking area is unlikely to have negative impacts to the property or to the neighborhood as a whole. 18. That the proposed plans and requested variance for the additional parking area does not appear to be based on economic considerations alone. Recommendation The Findings of Fact for this Site Plan Review and Variance do not directly support a recommendation for approval or denial. However, if the City Council chooses to make a recommendation for either approval or denial, the Findings of Fact would need to be amended to reflect these reasons. During their meeting on November 5, 2014, the Planning Commission did not approve, deny or table this request. Both the motion to approve and the motion to table resulted in a split vote (3- 3). Therefore, the Planning Commission forwarded this Site Plan Review and Variance request to the City Council with no recommendation. If the City Council recommends approval of the Site Plan Review and Variance, staff has offered the following eight (8) conditions: