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Landscaped Area —Meets Requirements In the R-1 District, the minimum landscaped area required without a variance is 65% of the property or 8,936.85 square feet. The Subject Property has an existing landscaped area of 10,421 square feet or 75.79%. The proposal, including the garage addition, would decrease the total landscaped area by 321 square feet to 10,100 square feet, or 73.46% percent of the property. Structure Coverage — Meets Requirements The R-1 District allows for a maximum structure coverage of 25% or 3,437.25 square feet of the Subject Property. The existing structure coverage is 2,136 square feet or 16%. The proposed addition would increase the total structure coverage by 321 square feet for a total of 2,457 square feet, or 18% of the Subject Property. 2. Variance Review The role of the Planning Commission is to determine and consider how the facts presented to them compare with the city's articulated standards. The Commission should base their decision on the facts presented and then apply those facts to the legal standards contained in city ordinances and relevant state law. Neighborhood opinion alone is not a valid basis for granting or denying a variance request. While the Planning Commission may feel their decision should reflect the overall will of the residents, the task in considering a variance request is limited to evaluating how the variance application meets the statutory practical difficulties factors. Residents can often provide important facts that may help in addressing these factors, however, unsubstantiated opinions and reactions to a request do not form a legitimate basis for a variance decision. The Planning Commission may impose conditions when granting variances as long as the conditions are directly related and bear a rough proportionality to the impact created by the variance. For instance, if a variance is granted to exceed the front setback limit, any conditions attached should presumably relate to mitigating the effect of the encroachment. 3. Variance Requirements — Section 1355.04, Subs. 4 The Applicant requests a variance to construct an attached garage addition to the west elevation of their existing attached garage that would impede on the required side yard setback on a corner lot in the R-1, Single Family Residential District. The Planning Commission will need to make a determination utilizing the following variance findings and criteria on whether there are practical difficulties with complying with the zoning regulations. If the Applicant does not meet all the factors of the statutory test, then a variance should not be granted. Variances are only permitted when they are in harmony with the general purposes and intent of the ordinance. 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 1784 Gramsie Road is for a proposed attached garage addition. The Subject Property is zoned R-1, Single Family Residential District and is guided as Low Density Residential on the Land Use Plan. Page 4 of 7