05-09-2005 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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We are coming to you with this request in hopes that you will see the hardship for a garage on our property that can actually house vehicles. Because the size of our lot we are limited to building restrictions. We are asking for a 171 sq ft structural variance to add a detached garage. We initially requested a 22’ x 24’ garage. Staff recommendations returned with a 20’ x 20’ garage with the removal of hardcover. We took the staff ’s recommendations. Our neighbor Mike Mischke just built this size garage and is very disappointed in the size of it and the fact that his truck barely fits (see Pictures) but we are willing to deal with the size just to actually have a garage to parte our vehicles. We are asking for the bare minimum size garage. , f .* I i / As you all know, living in MN, a garage is a necessity throughout the winters for not only our vehicles but for our Emilies. The term "Hardship ” is defined as •something hard to endure ”, ”e state of misfortune” or ”Something that causes or entails sufidrtng” The dictionary gives the example of "the severity of northern winters". This is a prime example of the need of a garage on our property. The most important reason for needing a garage is the desire to start a family. It is difficult and dangerous to be carrying infants or small children across a slippery driveway to the house in the winter. With a garage to pull the vehicle into, it would be a much safer way of getting into the house. It is in the plan to give up hardcover with the construction of the new garage. We have a large amount of blacktop for our driveway that the garage would be built in place of and we would remove as much of the remaining as possible with keeping only a sidewalk to the house. If a goal of the city is to reduce runoff into the lake, it would be environmentally safer to store the vehicles in a garage, which would prevent gas, salt, oil and other hazardous materials from draining down to the lake.