CCP 10-26-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION - OCTOBER 7,1998 ~ 5 . Chair Erickson noted, when looking at the map, all houses line up to meet the 40 foot setback requirement. If this addition is allowed, it would extend 25 feet in front of the adjacent houses. In past variance requests, the Commission has looked at the conditions along the street to determine a general setback. Older houses on the same street, built with different setbacks from the street, are looked at to establish a current setback to assure it is consistent with the rest of the neighborhood. In this situation, all the houses along the street are aligned and have the same setback. Ifthis request is approved to move forward 25 feet, the City would have to allow the other homeowners this same setback. He also noted that if the street is re-aligned this addition could create a problem which doesn't currently exist. He indicated he supports the recommendation made by Staff. Commissioner Nelson asked for explanation of Staffs option of moving the addition back. Ms. Randall referred to the visual reference and explained the addition could be moved back to the middle of the home. This would not allow the full 40 foot setback for the garage but it would change the variance to approximately 26 feet. Staff has determined the option may be a reasonable compromise. She noted that in order to remove the variance, the garage would have to be moved all the way back to line up with the front of the home and this would cause problems with the family room addition gaining access to the existing structure.. Chair Erickson asked how severe the water collection problem is. Ms. Randall explained the land on one side of the home slopes down and water is collected in this area. The area where the . addition is to be built will require some grading but it should not be extensive. Commissioner Baker pointed out a Cottonwood tree on the lot and asked if it is far enough back to allow for the addition. Mr. Brett Dallmann, applicant, stated if the addition is moved back 25 feet, the tree would have to be removed, ifit's only moved back 12 feet, as staff proposed, it can stay. Commissioner Nelson asked if the Council denies the proposal, how long will the applicant have to wait before re-submitting it. Ms. Randall stated it would be six months. Mrs. Dallmann stated that because their lot is pie shaped and the house faces the corner, it does not line up directly with the other houses. She also noted that when the road was originally constructed, trees were planted in the area where the road is proposed to be moved. Two years ago, when the proposal came from the City to relocate the road, the residents in the area fought to keep the trees in place rather than moving the road. Commissioner Baker asked ifthere has been any response from the neighbors regarding this proposal. Ms. Randall stated the neighbors were notified but Staff did not receive any feed back from them. Chair Erickson asked Staff if they are aware of the status of the potential road reconstruction. Ms. Randall stated from her discussions with the Public Works Director, that the plan had been . proposed but that there was a great deal of opposition. At this time, it has not been determined if the plan will move forward or be dropped. Commissioner Galatowitsch asked what the status is ofthe park. Ms. Randall stated that there has been some discussion of whether the park should be expanded with additional facilities, or if the park further down the street should be expanded.