02-18-2025 Planning Commission Packet

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Date Application Received: 12/03/2024 Date Application Considered as Complete: 12/23/2024 120-Day Review Period Expires: 04/22/2025 To: Chair Bollis and Planning Commission Members Adam Edwards, City Administrator From: Matthew Karney, Planner Date: 18 February 2025 Subject: #LA24-000066, Dean & Susan Thomson, 430 East Long Lake Road Conditional Use Permit & Variances – Public Hearing Background The subject property is a nonconforming-sized property located in the LR-1A zoning district. It is 0.77-acre lot where a 2.0-acre minimum lot size is required. The property has one neighbor to the north and one neighbor across East Long Lake Road; and is surrounded on the east and south by the wooded area intended to be combined into Wood-Rill SNA (Wood-Rill Scientific and Natural Area). The applicants request a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for farm animals and Variances from the CUP standards outlined in Section 78-303(3) where it states, in order to keep farm animals, the property must have the following: 1) At least one (1) acre for the dwelling; and 2) At least one (1) additional acre for each animal unit; and 3) Separation of at least seventy-five (75) feet between the building associated with the animals and the nearest lot line; and 4) Separation of at least one-hundred-and-fifty (150) feet between the building associated with the animals and adjacent residences. The applicants are the property owners and have made the request on behalf of their tenants. Their property does not meet the first three (3) of the above CUP standards and they have requested relief from these standards. All other lot and building standards, including LR-1A setbacks, lot width, hardcover, structural coverage, and lot size will be met. The applicants’ proposal is for up to thirty (30) pigeons to be kept on the property. The pigeons will be kept in an enclosed coop (54 square feet) in the southeast corner of the property, approximately 35 feet from the eastern property line and 55 feet from the southern property line. According to the applicants, the pigeons to be kept are show pigeons, which can tolerate the cold and dark as the proposed coop will not be heated or lit. The pigeons are to be kept in the coop and will not be free to fly. The applicants state the noise generated from the pigeons would be minimal, and the coop would be cleaned regularly to reduce potential odors. The applicants’ tenants intend to involve themselves with local pigeon breeding associations and can reasonably stay within the thirty (30) pigeon threshold requested. Conditional Use Permit Analysis: The applicants have provided a narrative, proposed coop location, a rendering of the proposed coop, hardcover calculations, and details on the pigeons. The CUP standards for LR-1A district, and further, the Animals chapter in Title V (Public Protection) of the City Code, do not specifically list pigeons as Application Summary: The applicants request a conditional use permit for the keeping of farm animals in the LR-1A zoning district and variances from the conditional use permit standards. Staff Recommendation: Planning Staff recommends denial of the application as submitted. 200