09/19/2011 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING CONIMISSION MEETING Monday,September 19,2011 6:30 o'clock p.m. The applicant is requesting a variance to allow 29.9 percent hardcover within the 75-250 foot zone where 25 percent is normally allowed. Within the 0-75 foot zone,the existing lake access stair system is proposed to remain,resulting in 2 percent hardcover. The applicant is proposing to construct a detached garage with street facing doors 15 feet from Tonkawa Road where a 30-foot setback is required. The plan was designed with a 15-foot setback to allow for more open space between the home and garage,to reduce the proposed hardcover and to avoid importing excessive amounts of dirt fill to the site to move the garage further from the road. The narrowness of the lot makes it difficult to face the doors away from the street and have an adequate and functional driveway to serve the property. City Code requires that a turnaround be provided on site for a driveway with direct access to collector roadways. Tonkawa Road is a collector road. The Code also provides direction for the minimum dimensions of a turnaround to be eight feet wide by 12 feet deep. A portion of the existing off-site curb cut is wider than normal,which may currently function as a turnaround. However,in the future at Hennepin County's discretion,Tonkawa Road wilUmay be repaved and this existing paved area could be eliminated. The applicant has also provided an alternate plan which reflects the detached garage at the required 30- foot setback to illustrate the level of hardcover necessary to meet the setback requirement. Within the 75- 250 foot zone and a conforming detached garage setback, a variance to allow 2,586 square feet or 33.7 percent hardcover would be required. This plan results in 287 square feet more than needed for the garage at a 15-foot setback. Staff finds practical difficulties exist which support the granting of hardcover variances for the property. At 50 feet,the lot is narrow and the topography adds to the difficulty of locating a home and garage on the lot. The steepness of the property from the road to the lake creates an issue with regard to storm water drainage and the location of the existing homes on either side tend to bring the proposed home closer to the lake requiring either a longer driveway or sidewalks to access the home. However, adequate space should be provided on the subject property for the parking of vehicles as well as a safe turnaround so that bacldng out on Tonkawa Road isn't the only option. The request to locate the garage at 15 feet provides for neither the adequate turn around nor the space to park additional vehicles on the property. The necessary increase in hardcover to allow the additional 15 feet of driveway and a small bump out in the driveway to function as a turnaround is supported by the practice difficulties listed for the hardcover variance above and further supported by the property's need to access off the county road. Issues for consideration: 1. Does the Planning Commission find that the property owner proposes to use the property in a reasonable manner which is not permitted by an official control? 2. Does the Planning Commission find that the hardcover and setback variances,if granted,will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood? 3. Does the Commission�nd it necessary to impose conditions in order to mitigate the impacts created by the granting of the requested variances? Page 5