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• Planning Commission Workshop: Chapter 9 of the Falcon Heights City Code <br />February 22, 2005 <br />Discussion Summary: <br />• It is interesting that the code of Plymouth makes a distinction between "major" and <br />"minor" variances, to provide for administrative handling of "minor" variances. <br />Commissioners expressed reservations about introducing any similar provision in <br />Falcon Heights, citing the added complication of distinguishing between major and <br />minor variances when the case does not obviously fall into one category or the other. <br />Commissioners like the idea of limiting variances to "the minimum variance that <br />would alleviate hardship." For example, if a hardship could be alleviated with a two <br />foot encroachment into a setback, application for a variance of, say, 10 feet would not <br />be considered and the application for such a variance would not be accepted. <br />• Other municipalities impose atime-limit on variances. If the variance is not acted <br />upon within the time limit (usually one year), the variance becomes void. Falcon <br />Heights does not have such a time limit. The consensus of Commissioners was that it <br />is a good idea and should also apply to Conditional Use Permits and Planned Unit <br />Developments. A property owner should not be able to be granted a variance (or <br />CUP or PUD) and then "sit on it" for an indefinite period of time without making the <br />• proposed improvements or changes to the property. <br /> <br />Planning Commission Workshop on Zoning Code: February 22, 2005 <br />