05-16-2016 Planning Commission Packet

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FILE#16-3814 March 15,2016 Page 4 of 5 7. The granting of the proposed variances will not in any way impair health, safety, comfort or morals, or in any other respect be contrary to the intent of this chapter. In the opinion of staff, granting of the area, width and setback variances would not impair health, safety, comfort or morals and would be in keeping with the intent of the zoning code. 8. The granting of such variances will not merely serve as a convenience to the applicant, but is necessary to alleviate demonstrable difficulty. In the opinion of staff, granting of the area and width variance is necessary to solve an obvious practical difficulty. Granting of some magnitude of setback variances is also necessary in order to allow construction of a home that is commensurate with the surrounding neighborhood, which contains a wide variety of homes in terms of size, shape, etc. The magnitude of the setback variances requested is a function of the lot shape, topography, and desired home style and orientation. The Commission may recomil�end and tl�e Couilcil inay impose conditions i❑ grantin�: oi� ��ariances. Any conditions imposed must be directly related to and must bear a rough proportionality to the i�npact ci•eated by the variance. No variance shall be gi-anted or changed beyond t11e use permitted in this chapter in the disti-ict where such land is located. Analysis—Lot Area and Width Variances Within the Minnetonka Bluffs neighborhood, bounded by Orono Orchard Road, Dickenson Street, Russell Avenue and The Dakota Trail, there are 23 developed lots. The breakdown in lot sizes is: 13 lots at 0-0.5 acres: 8 lots at 0.51-1.0 ac; and 2 lots larger than 1.0 acre. While only 3 developed lots are smaller than applicant's lot, the fact that it contained a residence, was assessed for and connected to sewer, and is proposed to meet the hardcover and lot coverage standards, all suggest that the lot should be considered buildable. The developed lot to the immediate south at 1.02 acres is one of the largest in the neighborhood, while the lot to the immediate west is the same size as applicant's lot. Analysis - Setback Variances Absent setback variances, the allowable building envelope for this lot is 20' wide and 35' long, which would likely result in a narrow, tall, boxy residence of 700 s.f. footprint with a detached garage (possibly larger than the house) tucked into the southwest corner of the site—see Exhibit K. Applicant is proposing to meet the required 50' rear yard setback. The proposed 30' stoop/35' house front setback is consistent with the street setbacks of the newer homes directly to the south and across Keene Avenue. The 14' setback from the south side lot line is more typical of a setback that would be found in a neighborhood of similar-sized 1/3-1/2 acre lots. Note that the proposed house plans (Exhibit D) depict a walkout design along the south side lot line; the applicant will be revising that to a lookout design in order to establish the lowest level as a basement and avoid a variance for the house being defined as three stories where only 2-1/2 stories are allowed. Analysis—Structural Lot Coverage Variance The proposed 14'xl5' deck extending from the main floor has a railing height of approximately 6.5-7.5 feet above existing grade and therefore counts toward the lot coverage limit of 15%. With the deck, lot coverage is proposed at 2240 s.f or 16.6%. Without the deck included, the lot coverage is right at the 15% mark. Options to avoid a