12-05-07-WS/PC - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Minnesota Building Code requires six feet eight inches. As a result of the substandard garage, the applicants cannot park their vehicles in their garage and must store them on the driveway. The proposed addition would be constructed adjacent to the existing garage to the south of the property and remain in line with the front and rear of the existing structure. The addition would replace the existing garage, bringing it up to building code, and provide two new garage stalls and a small addition to the dwelling. The current footprint of the structure is 1,497 square feet. The existing home is a walkout with a tuck under garage facing the back of the property. The driveway enters the property from the south and curves to the west to access the existing garage. The property is unique in that it has three front yard setbacks to the south, east, and west. This is due to the property's location along the curve of Skiles Lane and adjacency to Snelling A venue. The extreme grade shifts from the front to the back yard would permit most of this addition to be located below grade and thus not be visible from Skiles Lane. Because ofthis lot configuration, alternative locations for a two car garage that meets building code are extremely limited. The only other alternative would be a detached garage located in the rear ofthe property; however, this configuration would also require the garage to meet a forty foot setback to Snelling A venue, thus requiring that it be placed within a few feet of the existing dwelling and be above grade. Along Skiles Lane, the existing structure encroaches ten feet into the 40 foot front yard setback (Attachment 3A-l and 2). The applicant is proposing to step back the above grade addition in line with the curve of Skiles Lane and to maintain the architectural lines and continuity ofthe structure. The below grade garage would remain in line with the front and rear of the existing structure. The cantilevered deck would extend into the rear ofthe property over the proposed new garage. In total, approximately 480 square feet of the proposed addition would encroach in to the front yard setback, ofthis only 96 square feet would be above grade and visible from Skiles Lane. There are no previous variances on file for this property. The applicant has submitted a description of the proposed addition, a response to the variance evaluation criteria, a letter describing the landscaping plan, and a site plan of the property (Attachment 3A-l). 2. Site Data Low Density Residential Single Detached Home R-l: Single-Family residential district .32 acres (13,939 square feet) The property drops approximately eight to ten feet from the west to the east City of Arden Hills Planning Commission Meetingfor December 5, 2007 \\AhdocslIAHlAHdata\Planning\Planning Cases\2007\07-029 Wessberg Variance (PENDING)\120507 - PC Report - Wessberg Variance. doc Page 2 of9