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Agenda Item 5 <br />• City of Falcon Heights <br />Planning Commission <br />September 25, 1995 <br />ITEM: Request for a variance to Chapter 9-2.06 of the zoning code for <br />additional fence height at 1710 St. Mary's Street <br />SUBMITTED BY: Dale Huff and Linda Fite,. Property Owners <br />REVIEWED BY: Carla Asleson, Administrative Assistant/Planner <br />EXPLANATION/DESCRIPTION: <br />Mr. Huff and Ms. Fite are requesting a variance to construct an eight foot fence along <br />their rear property line. The zoning code permits fences up to six feet high in rear and <br />side yards and three feet in the front yards. The request is being made to screen the <br />rear of the property from the adjacent commercial parking lot at Warner's Stellian. <br />The zoning code limits the height of fences to keep front yards open and to maintain <br />consistency in side and rear yards. A six foot high side and rear yard maximum is <br />ordinarily a reasonable regulation to maintain throughout the city. However, this <br />particular property abuts a commercial property that is used to for loading of <br />appliances and for refuse disposal. Therefore, an adequate screen or buffer between <br />the residential zone and the adjacent commercial use is desirable. <br />A fence height variance was granted in 1992 to the property to the south (1700 St. <br />Mary's Street- for similar reasons. The proposed fence at 1710 would continue the <br />line of the existing fence on the 1700 property. The eight foot fence would only run <br />along the rear of their property which borders Warner's Stellian and not along the <br />northern or southern side lot lines. While the approval of the previous variance does <br />not require approval of a variance for this property, Mr. Huff and Ms. Fite cite similar <br />hardship statements as the owners of the 1700 property, namely the noise and visual <br />unattractiveness associated with their proximity to commercial property. <br />This property is unique in that it borders a commercial property and the property <br />owner has shown a hardship associated with this location. An eight foot high fence <br />can be considered the minimum height needed to alleviate this hardship, as such a <br />height is needed to screen the property when people are using the rear yard. <br />LETTERS TO NEIGHBORS <br />Letters were sent to the three properties abutting 1710 St. Mary's Street. As of this <br />writing, no comments have been received regarding the proposed fence. <br />• <br />