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<br />Date: April 30, 2020 <br />To: Planning Commission Chair and Commissioners of the City of Arden Hills, MN <br />Subject: Concerns Regarding Planning Case #20-008: 3244 Sandeen Road Variance Request <br />From: Stephen and Susan Campbell, 3248 Sandeen Road, Arden Hills, MN (adjacent to the North) <br />Jim and Faye Day, 3242 Sandeen Road, Arden Hills, MN (adjacent to the South) <br />Paul and Amy Wallin, 3254 Sandeen Road, Arden Hills, MN <br />Mark Montillon, 3249 Sandeen Road, Arden Hills, MN <br /> Paul and Eugenie Rolvaag, 3260 Sandeen Road, Arden Hills, MN <br /> Kim and Kathy Klawiter, 3262 Sandeen Road, Arden Hills, MN <br /> <br /> <br />We have serious concerns about the proposed variance. Here we briefly summarize some of these: <br />1) We are concerned about how the space is being measured for the FAR calculation. <br />The property owners are looking for a variance of 396 sf above the FAR limit of 0.30. At the December <br />2019 planning meeting, the last time the proposed construction was reviewed, Joe Hartman emphasized <br />that the house would not be larger than some others in the neighborhood and that the house could be <br />built if the lot were larger. While true, the argument sidesteps the point that this is a nonconforming lot <br />and there is a code for this size lot which is a .30 FAR equaling 2970 sf. (.30 x 9900 sf lot = 2970 sf). <br />Furthermore, it seemed from the discussion at the November 6th, 2019 meeting they were not including <br />all of the basement level in the FAR calculation. We are concerned that this miscalculation continues <br />and this is why they are making this variance request for basement space. <br />DETERMINING FAR <br />Perhaps we could say: The manner in which the FAR is calculated varies. The Metropolitan Council FAR information, which exempts basements in the calculation, seems to speak mostly to commercial <br />development projects. Indeed, they go on to say that “Your community may choose to measure floor area <br />and land area differently based upon local standards, policies, and other considerations. <br /> <br />The Arden Hills website explains Floor Area Ratio (FAR) as “The sum of the gross horizontal area of all <br />floors of a building as measured in square feet from the exterior sides of the exterior walls. The ratio is <br />obtained by dividing the sum of a building's floor area by the amount of lot area. Not including covered <br />porches that meet the requirements in Section 1325.03 Subd 2.D; decks; any space where the average <br />floor-to-ceiling height is less than six feet; attached or detached garages; and other detached accessory <br />structures.” Note that basements are not excluded.