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City of Arden Hills City Council Meeting for May 26, 2020 P:\Planning\Planning Cases\2020\20-008 3244 Sandeen Road Variance\CC Packet Page 3 of 6 Calculating FAR is an effective way to manage the bulk or mass of building volume on a development site. The FAR is obtained by dividing the sum of a building's floor area by the amount of lot area. Floor area is defined in City Code Section 1305.04 to mean the sum of the area of all floors of a building measured from the exterior faces of the exterior walls (for habitable spaces). According to our Zoning code, this definition excluding decks, garages, covered porches, attics, crawl spaces and basements that do not meet the minimum ceiling height per Minnesota State Building Code requirement. The maximum permitted FAR in the R-2 District is 0.3. The table below show proposed FAR with and without the variance. Without Variance With Variance Proposed Building Area 2,970 Sq. Ft. 3,366 Sq. Ft. Lot Area 9,900 Sq. Ft. 9,900 Sq. Ft. Proposed FAR 0.30 0.34 Following the decision by Planning Commission, the Applicant provided City Staff with additional plans shown above (attachment E) and information in light of the comments received from the Planning Commission and their neighbors regarding their FAR request that better highlights where the proposed extra livable space would be situated within the envelope of the house. At their May 6, 2020 meeting, the Planning Commission heard testimony from the Applicants and neighbors regarding their request. Upon hearing the testimony, the Planning Commission motioned to recommend to approve the request (7-0). The staff report to the Planning Commission on this case is provided in Attachment F. The draft minutes from the May 6th, 2020 meeting are included in Attachment I. Variance Requirements – Section 1355.04, Subd. 4 1. Purpose and Intent. The variance request shall comply with the purpose and intent of the provisions of the City’s Zoning Regulations and with the policies of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The variance request for 3244 Sandeen Road is consistent with the purpose and intent of the R-2 Zoning District and with the policies within the City’s Comprehensive Plan; 2. Practical Difficulties. The Applicant for a variance shall establish that there are practical difficulties in complying with the provisions of the Arden Hills Zoning Regulations. The term “Practical Difficulties” as used in the granting of a variance means: a. Reasonable Use. The property owner proposes to use the property in a reasonable manner not permitted by the Zoning Ordinance. According to the Applicants’ application, additional living space for a single family home is a reasonable use of the Subject Property in the R-2 Zoning District as the proposed home can be constructed by right and was designed in such a way that it can capture the