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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />~ <br />~~HILLS <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />DATE: <br /> <br />April 18, 2006 <br /> <br />Agenda Item 7.F <br /> <br />TO: Mayor & City Council <br /> <br />.FROM: James Lehnhoff, City Plarillcll <br /> <br />SUBJECT: PC #06-012 <br />Front Porch Encroachmcnt <br /> <br />Back2round <br /> <br />In May 2005, the City Council adopted an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance that allowed <br />covered front porches to encroach into the front setback under certain conditions without a <br />variance (Section 6.C.2.d of the Zoning Ordinance). One of the conditions for approval was <br />that the covered front porch could not be any closer than 30 feet to the fi-ont lot line. <br />However, in certain parts ofthe City (e.g. Chatham neighborhood), many of the homes were <br />built 30 feet or less from the front lot line, which precludes many of dwellings from <br />constmcting a front porch under the current front porch encroachment ordinance. Although <br />the 2005 amendment did increase flexibility for many of the dwellings in the City, entire <br />ncighborhoods were still unable to construct a front porch. <br /> <br />In September 2005, the Planning Commission reviewed a Zoning Ordinance amendment <br />proposal to allow the construction of a front porch for homes that are closer than 40 feet to <br />the front lot line in the Chatham Subdivision. Based on a review of the minutcs from that <br />meeting, the Planning Commission was concerned with the proposal because it singled out a <br />specific neighborhood and may not have resolved the issue for most of the dwellings in <br />Arden Hills. At that time, Staff was requestcd to revise the proposed amendment with the <br />intent of resolving the issue for as many dwellings as practical in the City instead of an <br />ordinance for a specific neighborhood. <br /> <br />Discussion <br /> <br />Staff proposed an ordinance amendment to the Planning Commission that addressed the front <br />porch encroachment issue for most of the dwellings in the City in a consistent manner. The <br />basic idea of the amendment is to ehange from the current standard that states covered front <br />porches cannot be closcr than 30 fcet to the front lot line to a morc flexible but consistcnt <br />standard. <br /> <br />l,',MelrO-inel.usl,ardenhills1P/QlTningPlanning Cases';}006W6-0/2 Front Porch Ordil1onn Amel/(Ime}]{ (PENDf:VG)i()41706 - CC Report - Fron! <br />Porch Ordinance_doc <br /> <br />Page 1 of3 <br />