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Planning Commission Resolution No. 485-96 • November 6, 1996 Page 3 e. That the variance requested is the minimum variance which would alleviate the hardship. Economic conditions alone shall not be considered a hardship. The parking ratios for retail square footage in the Mounds View Zoning Code create an excessive requirement for shopping centers of this size. The City's parking ratio at one space per 100 feet is more than twice the ratio used in other nearby jurisdictions, and when applied to a shopping center of over 100,000 square feet, creates a burdensome requirement. The more typical requirement is 4.0 - 5.0 spaces per 1000 square feet. Allowing the use of 4.5 spaces per 1000 square feet for retail space is the minimum variance needed to address the hardship. The parking ratios for restaurants also create an excessive requirement for dinner house style restaurants, since these restaurants have a slower turnover of customers. The minimum adjustment needed in parking ratios for dinner house style restaurants is to require one parking space for each 80 square feet of gross floor area. b. The literal interpretation of the provisions of this Title would deprive the applicant of rights commonly enjoyed by other properties in the same district under the terms of this Title. d. That granting the variance requested will not confer on the applicant any special privilege • that is denied by this Title to owners of other lands,structures or buildings in the same district. Owners of shopping centers similar in size to Mounds View Square and of dinner house style restaurants would face the same difficulty that the applicant is experiencing due to the higher-than-typical parking ratio for these uses in the Zoning Code. Using a ratio of 10 spaces per 1000 square feet for retail space, and 1 space per 40 square feet for dining space requires an excessive investment in parking which is especially acute with the shopping center of this size. f. The variance would not be materially detrimental to the purpose of this Title or to other property in the same zone. g. The proposed variance will not impair an adequate supply of light and air to adjacent property or substantially increase the congestion of the public streets or increase the danger of fire or endanger the public safety or substantially diminish or impair property values. The existing shopping center contains 102,035 square feet and has 477 parking spaces, or a ratio of 4.67 parking spaces per 1000 square feet. The applicant has nine shopping centers, of which four are in the same size range as Mounds View Square. The average parking ratio for these four centers is 4.72 parking spaces per 1000 gross square feet regardless of use. The successful operation of these centers illustrates the fact that using a • ratio of 4.5 spaces per 1000 square feet for retail space is an appropriate ratio and will not be detrimental to the purposes of the Zoning Code. Use of a ratio of 10 spaces per 1000