10-19-2015 Planning Commission Packet

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, FILE#15-3769 � October 15,2015 Page 4 of 6 an event when the creek had flooded the rear of the prior garage at an elevation around 932'. The new garage will be located with its floor at 933.5' and would not be expected to flood. Side Setback Variance The proposed side setback of 5 feet is much better located than the prior garage which was within a few inches of the lot line. Moving the garage to meet the 10' side setback would result in an unusable driveway entrance to the garage and require removal of portions of the existing deck. At 21 feet in width, the garage is about as narrow as possible while still remaining functional for storage of two vehicles. Average Lakeshore Setback Variance The Average Lakeshore Setback variance is necessary because each of the adjacent properties abut the 929.4' OHWL contour for Lake Minnetonka at the creek bank. The average setback line runs approximately east-west about 5 feet north of the north wall of the proposed garage, so the entire garage would be an encroachment. The property to the immediate east at 3407 Eastlake Street will have its lower views of Stubbs Bay encroached upon by the proposed garage. While the new garage will encroach lakeward approximately 8 feet less than the garage that was on the property until 2011, the new garage as designed will have a peak height of approximately 15.5 feet, while the old garage had an estimated peak height of 9.5 feet based on photos in City files.The impacts on the neighbor's views of the lake could potentially be reduced by one or more of the following design revisions: - Decrease proposed roof pitch from 6/12 to 4/12 or 3/12; a pitch flatter than 3/12 is not recommended, however; - Re-orient the peak from north-south to east-west; - Change to a hip roof rather than a gable roof; - Reduce the wall height of the garage. Analysis This property is severely limited by the size and shape of the lot, the location and orientation of the existing house, and the limitations imposed by a creek that is considered as lakeshore for zoning purposes. In staff's opinion the proposed garage location would appear to be reasonable for a minimum-sized detached 2-stall garage. Attaching a garage to the east side of the house could eliminate the average setback variance but would likely require significant remodeling of the house, could probably only be 1 or 1-1/2 stalls, and still would likely require a side setback variance. Moving the proposed garage forward and closer to the house would require a variance to the requirement for a 10' separation between structures. There is simply not enough room to place a garage any closer to the street than the existing house. The fact that a 2-stall garage existed on the site for many decades suggests that replacement with a new garage at a location that is not as non-conforming as that of the old garage may be reasonable and justified. The applicants have worked with staff and their surveyor to minimize the extent of the side setback variance and to reduce hardcover. The structural coverage variance is minimal and a reduction of 16 sf may be feasible but perhaps unwarranted. Staff would recommend that the garage design be modified to reduce the magnitude of the view encroachment if possible. This is a discussion Planning Commission should have with the applicants.