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Mounds View City Council December 10, 2001 <br />Regular Meeting Page 17 <br /> <br />the utilities installed prior to the City’s adoption of the more restrictive wetland zoning <br />regulations in 1992. <br /> <br />2. The literal interpretation of the provisions of this Title would deprive the applicant of rights <br />commonly enjoyed by other properties under the terms of this Title. <br /> <br /> If the code requirements in Section 1010 are taken literally, the applicant would lose the <br />potential to develop three lots. Other property owners within this wetland zoning district <br />would face similar requirements. However, few if any other property owners would have a <br />preexisting vested interest in their undeveloped property as in this case. <br /> <br />3. That the special conditions or circumstances do not result from the actions of the applicant. <br /> <br />The land was originally platted in 1963 and the utilities were installed not too long thereafter. <br />The utilities were installed with the expectations of future development. While the applicant <br />was fully aware of the development constraints of the site, the applicant did not cause the <br />special conditions or circumstances (the wetlands and the wetlands ordinance of 1992.) <br /> <br />4. That granting the variance requested will not confer on the applicant any special privilege <br />that is denied by this Title to owners of other lands, structures or buildings in the same <br />district. <br /> <br /> The parcel is zoned R-1, single family residential. The applicant is proposing a <br />development consisting of single-family homes. Granting a variance in this case would not <br />confer a special privilege denied to other property owners. All other platting requirements <br />would be met by this proposal. <br /> <br />5. That the variance requested is the minimum variance which would alleviate the hardship. <br />Economic conditions alone shall not be considered a hardship. <br /> <br />The variance requested would be considered the minimum necessary to alleviate the <br />hardship if one were to make the assumption that the subdivision less the wetland zoning <br />district overlay requirements would constitute the standard by which the hardship was <br />measured. <br /> <br />6. The variance would not be materially detrimental to the purpose of this Title or to other <br />property in the same zone. <br /> <br /> The intent of the wetlands ordinance and the resulting subdivision requirements is to <br />protect the integrity of the hydrological system and the City’s surface water management <br />system. In addition, wetlands preservation and sensible land use management are critical <br />to the present and future health, safety and general welfare of the land, animals and people <br />within the City. That being said, such preservation and conservation efforts need to be <br />balanced with the right to develop one’s property. Because Rice Creek Watershed District, <br />the local regulatory agency governing wetlands development, has approved the plat and