04-26-1995 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

This constriction would be possible justification for the subdivision variance. Variances may be considered where special conditions create a hardship in complying with the Ordinance requirements. Shallowness of existing parcels of record is an example listed in the Ordinance as a possible special condition. In this case, were the full 50 feet required for Jackson Street right -of -way, buildable areas on the two lots would be reduced by 10 feet to well under 20 feet in depth, far too shallow for minimum building standards. Alternative Street Configurations Although not proposed by the applicant, the alternative to the Jackson Street improvement would be a construction of cul -de -sacs at the terminus of both Australian and Bluwood. The City Council has spent a considerable amount of time discussing this possibility, since it was raised by neighbors complaining about the fact that vehicles were forced to utilise private driveways to turn around. This includes automobiles and service trucks, such as refuse haulers and snow plows. School buses will not travel down either street due to the lack of turnaround area. The cul -de -sac design which has been given the most consideration is known as "Alternative 7 ". This alternative utilises a 30 foot radius paved turnaround in a 35 foot radius right -of -way. As shown on the attached drawing (Exhibit D), the extra width of Bluwood Avenue (90 foot right - of -way) would easily permit construction of the full cul -de -sac within the existing street right -of- way area. Australian Avenue presents more difficulty, since its right -of -way is just 40 feet. As a result, the cul -de -sac would have to be located on what is currently private property. Alternative 7 shows the cul -de -sac location on the Morelan property. Other options which have been studied include various sized cul -de -sac designs on combinations of the Morelan, Tima, Magnuson, and Greger properties (see Exhibit E). The impacts of these options are summarized below: o Morelan Property: The cul -de -sac, as shown in Alternative 7 (Exhibit D), would require a right -of -way dedication from the More lan property. This dedication would affect the setbacks and design of a house which could be constructed if the Morelans were to split their "back lot" on Australian. It is assumed, however, that the current Jackson Street right -of -way would be vacated, save for an easement for trail connection purposes. The More lan property is the assumed beneficiary of such a vacation. o Greger Property: In order to minimize the impact on the More lan property, shifting the cul -de -sac to the north was studied. While the Greger home would continue to meet setbacks, this property has little to gain by accommodating the cul -de -sac. o Magnuson Property: Shifting the cul -de -sac to the west would impact the Magnuson property. The Magnuson driveway has served as the turnaround for many of the vehicles which drive down Australian. The Magnuson property could accommodate a portion of the cul -de -sac without violating setback requirements. However, this would result in the street being located significantly closer to their existing home than otherwise proposed, as much as 20 feet closer. if no Morelan property is utilized 2 Page 10