01-12-26-R - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL — NOVEMBER 24, 2025 9 Senior Planner Fransen stated the intent was to meet DNR requirements and to ensure development would not negatively impact the shoreline. Councilmember Monson questioned what the City's intent was with a structure coverage ordinance. Senior Planner Fransen indicated this would ensure the property had landscaped areas and open space on the property versus having the entire property covered with structures. Councilmember Monson reported the requirements she just asked about were in place not for aesthetics, but rather were in place to protect from environmental issues and to protect the lake. Senior Planner Fransen reported this was the case. Councilmember Monson asked what was needed in the three-foot crawlspace. Senior Planner Fransen explained this space would be used for storage. Councilmember Rousseau indicated the neighbors have voiced concerns with how the water quality could be impacted by the proposed permeable pavers and the snow removal. She asked what grade Lake Johanna had from the DNR. Senior Planner Fransen stated she did not have this information in front of her. Councilmember Rousseau commented she recently read that Karth Lake was a B, Round Lake was not mentioned and Lake Johanna was a D grade for water quality. She inquired how snow filters into the lake for new construction homes and questioned how effective the permeable pavers were on properties. Senior Planner Fransen explained the applicant did not provide specific products that would be used for the permeable pavers, but would be working with a civil engineer on this portion of the project. She indicated staff would defer to these professionals to reflect how the permeable pavers can be utilized while also addressing the concerns that have been raised while also ensuring the water body was not impacted. She noted the Council could consider a percentage higher than 5% for the permeable pavers in order to allow for the driveway and patio area to be pavers. Mayor Grant stated after looking at the case he understood the need for the variances, given the lot size. He did not believe the flexibility and variance requests were excessive. He expressed concern with the fact the home would have a crawl space and discussed how water has a way of moving into structures, especially near waterways. He explained he had pavers in his backyard, along with cottonwood trees and indicated his pavers still drained. He encouraged the applicant to fill the gaps between the pavers with sand as this will assist with proper water drainage. He commented he was also concerned about snow storage given how constrained this lot was. Councilmember Holden discussed the variance for the structure setback from the OHWL. She questioned how much of the previous structure was nine feet from the OHWL versus how much of the new structure would be 11.2 from the OHWL.