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Published by the Arden Hills Newsletter Publication Committee No. 132 December 1979 T ZONING - PUBLIC HEARING ON DECEMBER 13 The Arden Hills City Council will hold a O Public Hearing on the proposed new zoning ordin- ance on Thursday, December 13, at 8:00 PM in 1Wthe Village Hall. This ordinance affects each resident of AH, often very directly, and every - Cone is encouraged to attend this hearing. NSo far, just one resident of AH has been R interested enough about this ordinance to write to the Council and express his concerns. His = feeling is that the one time when a citizen is sure to have direct contact with the Planning Fa Commission and Council is when that citizen applies for a Building Permit for a project for his/her home (a fence, garage, room addition, • • • etc.) And, very often, this citizen will dis- cover that in order to complete the projectthe way he wants to, a Variance is required. (Most generally, a Variance is required because the new room or garage will be closer to the property line than allowed by ordinance.) Since a person's home is usually his biggest financial investment, this Variance request becomes quite important. The letter -writer thinks that the system for asking for a Variance should be laid out more clearly and that getting the Variance should be made easier. He argues that "the people requesting variances are our neighbors..." and that "if the neighbors don't object, and there is no detrimental community impact, and the variance does not alter the essential character of the neighborhood..." then it should be granted. He concludes by suggesting that the Planning Com- mission and Council "approach each variance as a personal problem, not an ab- stract principle, recognizing its individual character. Avoid categorical rigidity." Currently, the only time a Variance is granted is if "practical diffi- culties or unnecessary hardships" would be imposed upon the applicant by not granting it. The financial cost of any project has never been considered to be a "practical difficulty", even though it sometimes might cost more to build according to ordinance than it would with a Variance. At any rate, the new ordinance concerning variances plus a myriad of other items will be up for public discussion on the 13th. Copies of the ordinance may be borrowed from the Village Hall if you want to see exactly what will be voted upon. EDITOR'S COMMENT: I must agree with our concerned letter -writer that the rules for applying for a Building Permit and/or Variance should be set out simply and clearly. To the personnel at the Village Hall, the Planning Commission, and the Council, the procedure is routine. But for someone asking for a Var- iance for the first time, it can be an intimidating and frustrating experience. On the other hand, I don't think a Variance should be granted just because somebody asks for one. Perhaps a clear understanding of why the rules were (' set would help; for instance, why must a residential house have a 40' setback from the road? Come to the Hearing on Dec. 13, and find the answers. I I