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Planning Commission Meeting – Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Revisions – Work Session #1 – February 5, 2025 8 An FAR of 1 could be represented in a few different ways. It could be a one story building that covers the entire lot (a 1:1 ratio), a two story building that covers half the lot (a 2:1/2 ratio which equals 1), etc. An FAR of 2 means there is twice as much floor area as lot area – a two story building that covers the entire lot is an example of this ratio. See the Met Council’s example graphic below: Because there is a great deal of variability between building shape and size with the same FAR, regulating the form may be better served by using a combination of three other standards already in the zoning code: setbacks, height, and lot coverage. Corner Side Yard Setbacks Staff and the City Council have indicated a desire to examine the current standard for corner side yard setbacks in residential districts, due to the number of variances that have been requested (and granted) in recent years. Corner lots have two yards that face streets. In Arden Hills, the shorter of the two street lot lines is determined to be the front yard, while the longer of the two street lines is determined to be the corner side yard. For all residential districts, the setback requirement for the corner side yard currently matches that of the front yard at 40 feet. Variance requests to reduce the corner side yard setback generally come as property owners look to expand their homes into this area. An examination of a number of other communities in the metro area shows that most of those researched have a reduced corner yard setback in relation to the front yard – though this is not the case for three communities immediately adjacent to Arden Hills. The reduced corner side yard is anywhere from 1/3 to 2/3 the size of the front yard setback, as shown in the table below: