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June 1,2004 Roseville City Council and Roseville Planning Commission Roseville City Hall 2660 Civic Center Drive Roseville, MN 55113 RE: Lot Split and Variance Request— Edward Trudeau, E'I.annin� �� Dear Planning Commission and City Council: -�� 51 y �� •�� I •�'••, �� ; �� , �, ��.,y , t �, � ti � ��'�'�� , � �' � ,, � � � � �� ' ��. �, ,., llt� �-� � '�� .�.� ' ��S fe4�� We are writing to encourage denial of Mr. Trudeau's request to create two substandard lots at 2485 Pascal Street. Our neighborhood is a well kept community of mostly larger ramblers on generously sized lots. The lot at 2485 Transit is comparably sized to many surrounding lots and is a desirable property in its current configuration. No hardship exists to support variances to the standards outlined in the City Code. Please consider the following points regarding Planning File 3571: + Pro�osed lots are excessivel,��a1L• The two lots will become the smallest lots in the entire r neighborhood. These lots will be immediately adj acent to some of the larger existing lots. Comnarable lot splits have not been a�roved: Section 5.2 ofthe staffreport compares the proposed lot split to lots created at 2452 Simpson (13,939 sq. ft.), 2445 Pascal Street (14,374 sq. ft.), 2420 Simpson Street (11,761 sq. ft) and 2419 Pascal Street (11,761 sq. ft.). While these lots were created from double fronting lots, they all meet, or significantlyexceed, the minimum lot standards in the City Code. Therefore, they are not comparable to the proposed lot splits that would create two lots significantly less than the minimum. * Approval would set a negative precedent: Numerous lots similar in size to the current Trudeau lot exist in the neighborhood that could be split if substandard lot sizes and dimensions are allowed. The erosion of neighborhood character caused by this proposed split and amplified by potential future splits would have a strong negative effect on one of Roseville's signature neighborhoods. Proposed home would likelv be smaller than existin� homes: While it is possible, as outlined in section 53 of the staff report, to construct a home on the new lot, setbacks and impervious requirements will only allow a modest home to be built. Subtracting area for driveways, sidewalks, patios and garages, as required by City Code, it is likely that a new home would be in the range of 2,000 sq. ft. in finished size — much smaller than the 3,000 to 4,000 sq. ft, typical home in the immediate neighborhood. The existing home and lot at 2485 Pascal Street does not present a practical difficulty or an unusual hardship as required by City Code to support a variance. The creation of two significantly substandard lots would stand in stark contrast to others in the neighborhood which is marked by larger than standard lots. Planning File 3571 should not be approved. Thank you for your consideration and support in protecting our neighborhood. Sincerely, Mary and Karl Keel 1475 Transit Avenue CC: Thomas Paschke