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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL – JUNE 27, 2016 12 Councilmember Wicklund agreed. He stated he walked around this property and found the site to be very unique given the location of the home. He supported the three-foot six-inch variance. Councilmember Holden believed the Mayor was ill-advised to assume that the neighboring properties would not be impacted by the encroachment. She stated she visited the property prior to this meeting and was surprised by the lack of vegetation on the side yard. It was her opinion the proposed deck and three season porch would change the neighborhood. In addition, she did not believe this was a unique lot and stated the homeowners were fully aware of the home location when the built. Mayor Grant discussed the orientation of the neighboring townhouse. He commented the door on the west side would view the three season porch. However, there was a fair amount of distance between the two properties. He stated he would be willing to support the three-foot variance to allow homeowners to have a three season porch that was usable. Councilmember McClung indicated he visited the site and walked the trail in this neighborhood frequently. He was concerned with the placement of the house but understood the wetland had impacted this. He did not believe the property was unique enough for him to offer his support to the variance. In addition, he was concerned with how close the encroaching three season porch would be to the adjacent trail. He wished the initial placement of the house had differed. Councilmember Wicklund recommended the Council take a step back and put themselves into the shoes of the homeowner. He discussed the complications of applying for a variance. He believed the three-foot six-inch encroachment was reasonable. He fully supported the request of the homeowners. Councilmember Holmes had concern with how the trail would be impacted. She discussed another variance request in the Venus neighborhood where a three car garage had been denied. She understood the opinions of the homeowner had to be weighed along with the needs of residents. For this reason, she stated she would not be able to support the variance. Mr. Jittila commented he was told that Arden Hills was really big in trying to build community. He asked if this was true. He believed that if the Council were to oppose his variance, that this would be a step back from community building. He stated he was trying to build a useable porch and deck that would allow him to further engage with his residents and walkers on the trail, many of which were his neighbors. Mayor Grant asked if a wraparound deck would be allowed by the City. City Planner Streff reported this was the case. Mrs. Jittila reiterated that no trees would be lost through the proposed deck and three season porch addition. She noted the walking trails were important to her family and she believed she was being penalized because the trails ran adjacent to her property. Councilmember McClung agreed with Councilmember Wicklund’s assessment and stated he had taken into consideration the homeowners viewpoint. However, he believed Pulte made a