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2917 County Rd H2 CUP Request <br />August 12, 2013 <br />Page 2 <br /> <br /> <br />Discussion: <br />The request for a Conditional Use Permit to construct the 1,140 square foot garage satisfies <br />the requirements as stated in Section 1106.03 and 1106.04, Subdivision 6 of the Mounds <br />View Zoning Code. The proposed garage meets all City setback and accessory building <br />coverage requirements, and the Commission will decide on the height. The City Code limits <br />backyard building coverage to 20% of the yard area. The expanded garage and the <br />additional existing 308 square foot accessory building would total 1,448 square feet which is <br />below the maximum of 1,800 square feet limit, and have approximately 5% coverage of the <br />backyard area. <br /> <br />The applicant wants to expand the existing garage by adding 10 feet to the rear for a <br />workshop. The expansion would not change the appearance of the garage from the front. <br /> <br />CUP Considerations: <br /> <br />Chapter 1125 of the Zoning Code requires that the Planning Commission and City Council <br />review and address any potential adverse effects of a conditional use that include, but are <br />not limited to, the relationship with the Comprehensive Plan, geographical area involved, <br />potential depreciation, the character of the surrounding area and the demonstrated need for <br />such a use. Staff has addressed each of these potential adverse effects below. <br /> <br />Relationship with the Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan designates this <br />property as low-density residential, as well as the surrounding area. The Comp Plan <br />encourages the development and maintenance of residential areas to improve the quality, <br />appearance and attractiveness of housing units and residential property in general. W ith this <br />project, the applicant would be creating a garage workshop. <br /> <br />The Geographical Area Involved. The applicant’s home is located on a large lot in a <br />residential area on County Road H2. <br /> <br />Depreciation. The proposed garage expansion would benefit the subject property both in a <br />practical sense by providing additional indoor storage and workspace, as well as in an <br />economic sense, as the addition would increase the “value” of the property. Increased property <br />values are a benefit to everyone. <br /> <br />The Character of the Surrounding Area. The applicant’s neighborhood is entirely single-family <br />residential. The homes in this area are a variety of styles and ages, but the immediate area <br />properties all have large lots. The garage expansion would be into the backyard and not <br />change the look of the front of the garage. This is a larger property at 106 feet wide and 375 <br />feet deep (0.89 acres), so the total accessory building coverage will only be about 5% of the <br />backyard area. The expansion of 10 more feet to the rear of the existing garage will not be <br />very noticeable. The adjacent property also has a 1,152 square foot oversize garage. <br /> <br />The Demonstrated Need for Such a Use. The applicant is proposing to expand his existing <br />garage into a 1,140 square foot garage by adding a 10 foot addition in the rear to create a <br />workshop. Both the applicant and his wife have hobbies that require a lot of storage space. <br />