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Planning Commission • 8/23/05 ITEM: Variance requests for the 1800 N. Albert Street SUBMITTED BY: Deborah Jones, Zoning and Planning Coordinator REVIEWED BY: Heather Worthington, City Administrator Roger Knutson, City Attorney EXPLANATION: Background/History/Property Description: 1800 North Albert Street is located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Garden Avenue and Albert Street in Falcon Heights. The legal description is "North 68 58/100 feet of the west half of Lot 1, Larpenteur Villas." The original plat was recorded in 1925. The parcel is 68.58 feet wide by 295.4 feet deep, with an area of 20,473.2 square feet. The property is zoned R-1 "Single Family Residential". The property is unusual in that it is one of the series of double deep lots on Albert and Hamline, south of Garden and north of Larpenteur. These properties are at least twice as large as other properties in the neighborhood. 1800 Albert is the second largest of these double lots and one of only two that are on a corner. The property is surrounded by R-1 • properties on the east, south and west; an elementary school occupies the land across Garden to the north. The existing structures are a home and a detached double garage. The detached garage is non- conforming with respect to the required setback from the Garden Avenue right of way, being under 7 feet from the right of way where a setback of 15 feet is required. The existing garage is also very close to the house, less than 2 feet, according to the 2003 aerial photograph. Under the City lot coverage ordinance, this property is allowed 4,940 square feet of impervious covering. The owner of 1800 North Albert has applied for two variances to build a new garage. He wishes to demolish the existing double garage and build a new 24' x 38' garage with space for three cars and a workshop, set 10 feet east of the house. The 38' dimension would face north onto Garden with driveway access from Garden. The proposed height is under the legal maximum of 18 feet from grade. • The proposed new garage is at the same setback as the existing garage, requiring a variance of 8.5 feet on setback from the right of way. According to the City Attorney, the new ordinance on non-conformity does not remove the need for a variance in this case because the proposed structure increases the amount of encroachment into the required side yard. • The proposed new driveway from Garden is 31 feet wide in order to give access to the three bays of the garage. This would require a variance of 7 feet on driveway width because the maximum allowed is 24 feet. Maximum driveway width under City Code is determined by the length of street frontage; this property is eligible for the 24 foot absolute maximum. • Staff Report: 1800 N. Albert Variances August 23, 2005 Page 1 of 4