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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – January 10, 2018 6 Chair Thompson commented this was a non-conforming lot. She agreed with the neighbors that having two structures, even if painted the same, was not in alignment with the neighborhood. She supported the structures being combined into one. She commented further on the fire and building code requirements that had to be met for accessory structures. She noted all accessory structures had to have the same appearance as the house, in order to create consistency. She recommended the Commission add a condition for approval requiring the applicant to combine the garage structures. Commissioner Bartel anticipated that a large number of conditions would have to be added to this request in order to make it workable. He feared all of the “what ifs” that would be involved in trying to combine the two structures. Commissioner Gehrig agreed stating the combination of the buildings may be beyond the scope of the Planning Case’s original intent. He did not want to set a precedent with this request that it was easier to receive a variance after the fact. Chair Thompson anticipated much of these “what ifs” would be addressed through the building permit phase and if the structures could not be combined to meet City and building code requirements, the applicant would have to come before the City with a new request. Commissioner Bartel reviewed the number of variances the applicant was requesting. He asked if the buildings currently had the same roofline. City Planner Bachler indicated the rooflines were generally in line with one another, but he was uncertain as to the roof pitches. He provided further comments on the City’s requirements for accessory structures. Commissioner Lambeth reported he visited the site prior to the meeting and he believed all of the rooflines were a 4/12 pitch. He stated his main concern with this request was getting a foundation under the new garage. Chair Thompson explained this would be covered through the building permit process. Commissioner Jones indicated if the garages were combined the site would have 960 square feet in garage space. He stated he would rather see the original garage added onto than to have two separate buildings. Chair Thompson agreed with this comment. Commissioner Bartel stated the subject property was recently purchased and the owners were well aware of the setbacks on this odd shaped lot. City Planner Bachler stated the maximum allowed square footage for accessory structures was 728 square feet. He noted the City had a provision in place that allows for up to 1,458 square feet without the need for a variance if there are unusual circumstances that justify the deviation. This would require a Site Plan Review and not a variance. He explained if the structures were to be combined and did not exceed 1,458 square feet a Site Plan Review process could be followed going forward.