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Item No. SG Staff Report No. Meeting Date: July 13, 1998 Type of Business: CB WK: Work Session;PH:Public Hearing; CA:Consent Agenda;CB:Council Business City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: James Ericson, Planning Associate Item Title/Subject: Introduction (First Reading) of Ordinance 620, an Ordinance Amending Various Chapters of the Mounds View Municipal Code Relating to Driveways, Parking Areas and Accessory Buildings. Special Planning Case No. SP-063-98 Date of Report: July 2, 1998 Background: Staff has drafted Ordinance No. 620 to address some of the inconsistencies and confusion in the City Code regarding driveways, parking areas and accessory buildings (i.e., garages and sheds.) The Council has in the past indicated that in terms of garages, there should be some element of proportionality. That is, the size of the garage should be proportionate to the size of the house and to a lesser extent, to the size of the lot. This ordinance puts in place proportional guidelines and permits larger garages based on those guidelines. The ordinance also addresses driveway surfaces, requiring permanent improved surfaces such as concrete, asphalt or brick for all new construction, but does not require improved driveways where currently there is not unless a permit is pulled for a new garage or garage expansion. The Planning Commission, at its meeting on June 17, 1998, reviewed this ordinance and recommended its adoption. At that meeting, the issue of requiring that all driveways be improved "across the board" by a certain date was discussed. The prevailing thought was that this would not be appropriate and would present a hardship for many property owners. Requiring that driveways be improved with a permanent surface would, however, be appropriate for new construction and in conjunction with garage expansions or construction. A public hearing will be held for this proposed ordinance on July 27, 1998 at 7:05 p.m. Discussion: The pertinent changes of this ordinance and have been outlined below. 1. All new and reconstructed driveways, from this point forward, shall be improved with a permanent surface, defined as concrete, asphalt or brick. Existing unimproved driveways may remain as such, but cannot be expanded without making the necessary improvements.