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0Item No: 5A ne 16, 2010 Item No: 7C Meeting Date: August 9, 2010 Type of Business: Public Hearing Administrator Review: _________ City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: Heidi Heller, Planning Associate Item Title/Subject: Public Hearing to Consider Appeal of Planning Commission Denial of a Variance for Reduced Lot Sizes in a Wetland District at Longview Estates, PIN 07-30-23-42-0066; Planning Case VR2010-0003 Introduction: The applicants and property owner, Eichi, Inc. (represented by Marty & Paul Harstad), want to subdivide a 7.14-acre parcel into single-family lots that would all front Longview Drive. This property is located in a wetland district. The City requires single-family lots in wetland districts to be a minimum of 125 feet wide and 20,000 square feet in area. These standards are larger than the lot size requirements for single-family lots in non-wetland districts. The Harstads are requesting a variance to allow for reduced lot widths in order to subdivide the property facing Longview Drive into 10 single-family lots. Without a variance, the owner could subdivide the property into a maximum of eight lots fronting Longview Drive. They have not yet applied for the major subdivision as they want to see the outcome of their variance request first. On June 16, 2010, the Planning Commission voted 5-0 (2 Commissioners absent) to deny the variance for reduced lot widths within the proposed Longview Estates subdivision. The Commission did not find sufficient hardship to warrant granting the variance and as such approved Resolution 927-10 denying the variance request. Mr. Harstad has appealed the Planning Commission’s decision to the City Council. Discussion: City Code Chapter 1010 has the Mounds View Wetlands Zoning Regulations: Chapter 1010.07 a. Rationale for Density Standards: The following regulations are required to control the density of development in wetland zoning districts. The purpose of controlling development density is to reduce the financial burdens imposed on the community through rescue and relief efforts occasioned by the occupancy or use of areas subject to periodic flooding, to minimize loss of life, property damage and the losses and risks associated with flood conditions and to minimize the detrimental effects of urbanization on the wildlife habitat, water quality enhancement, recreational and aesthetic values of wetlands. (1) Minimum Lot Size: Twenty thousand (20,000) square feet. (2) Minimum Lot Width: One hundred twenty five feet (125') as measured at the building setback line. (3) Building Setback: (a) All buildings, including accessory buildings, as defined in Title 1100 of this Code, shall be set back at least one hundred feet (100') from the wetland, except as allowed by an approved wetland alteration permit or approved wetland buffer permit as provided in Section 1010.08. (Ord. 602, 8-25-97)