04-19-2010 Planning Commission Packet

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EXHIBIT C-2 Analysis of Individual Property Change Request 3. Site Location: 3559 Lyric Avenue Property Owner: Thomas Weber Request: Add 3559 Lyric to the mixed use area in order to be able to create two single-family building lots (one 60' wide, one 90' wide) from his existing 150' parcel Analysis The property is a single 0.46-acre tax parcel containing a single-family residence. The property consists of three 50' lots that have been combined. The Navarre Heights neighborhood, located between Shadywood Road and Blaine Avenue and including Lyric Avenue, Livingston Avenue and Crystal Place, is one of the few Orono neighborhoods containing uniformly rectangular city lots and blocks. The original subdivision in 1909 created lots 50' wide and averaging 130'-145' in depth. Over the last century, the development pattern for the neighborhood has resulted in variety of developed lot sizes typically involving one, two, or three lots per building site. The mix of lot sizes currently is 45 single lots; 21 double lots; 6 triple lots; and 2 quadruple lots. Prior Sketch Plan Review Mr. Webber approached the City via a sketch plan review in 2007 seeking approval to split his parcel into two equal 75' lots of 0.23 acres each. The property and the Navarre Heights neighborhood is currently zoned LR-1C Single Family Lakeshore Residential, 0.5-acre minimum. The lots in Navarre Heights as developed are nearly all substandard in area. The result of the sketch plan review in 2007 was an indication to Mr. Webber that the City would not allow subdivision of his already substandard lot into two even- more-substandard lots. Mixed Use Intent The intent of the current re-guiding to mixed use in Navarre is to provide for . new multi-familv options at higher densities. Mr. Webber indicates his goal in requesting addition of his property to the mixed-use area is to accomplish a subdivision to create two smaller single-family lots. That is not the intent of the mixed use guiding in the Navarre azea. Further, with but two exceptions, all properties proposed for reguiding to "mixed use"in Navarre either abut County Road 15 or County Road 19, or are owned in common with a property that abuts 15 or 19. The first exception is further east on Lyric - the second house west of the City parking lot. That property is a single 50' lot with an existing home, sandwiched between two parcels that meet the "abutment" criteria. The second exception is the Hennepin County truck station west of the Fire Station. It�was not the City's intent to allow conversion of the entire south side of Lyric Avenue to multi- family housing. The intent of including some properties abutting Lyric in the mixed use area was to recognize those individual parcels or groups of commonly owned parcels that extend from Lyric to County Road 15 which would be potential candidates for redevelopment for multi- family uses. The property at 3559 Lyric does not extend to the County Road, and reguiding it for mixed use would not accomplish the property owner's goal. Staff Recommendation Staff recommends that the property at 3559 Lyric Avenue not be reguided for mixed use.