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Mounds View Planning Commission December 16, 2009 <br />Regular Meeting Page 2 <br />4. Citizens Requests and Comments on Items Not on the Agenda <br />None. <br />5. Planning Cases <br />A. VR2009-003; Variance Request to Allow a Zero -Foot Driveway Setback at <br />"The Station's" new Car Wash <br />Planning Associate Heller stated the applicant Leon Theis, owner of The Station gas at 2280 <br />County Road I, is requesting a variance to permit the entrance driveway at his new car wash to <br />have a zero -foot setback from the west property line. She indicated the Planning Commission <br />recommended approval of a development review for a new car wash at The Station earlier this <br />year. When the architect brought in the site plan drawing for the car wash, staff reviewed it and <br />noticed the entrance driveway only had a very small setback from the west property line. This is <br />the property line that runs between the car wash and the neighbor, the Alano Society's, garage. <br />When staff brought the setback amount to the architect's attention, he changed the setback <br />amount to the required five feet on the site plan. Staff is guessing that the setback error was <br />made due to inaccurate measurements, and that the change on the site plan was not <br />communicated to the contractor, who just used all the space available for the driveway in order <br />to make it function better. <br />For the Planning Commission to act favorably toward this application, there must be a <br />demonstrated hardship or practical difficulty associated with the property that makes a literal <br />interpretation of the code overly burdensome or restrictive to a property owner. <br />Chair Stevenson stated he wasn't in favor of approving a project after it has already been done. <br />Chair Stevenson opened the public hearing at 7:12 p.m. <br />Leon Theis, applicant, indicated he is very surprised to be in front of the Planning Commission <br />tonight. He indicated he had researched the car wash for over a year and he thought he had <br />covered all issues. He was surprised about the property line issue. <br />John Risgaard, member of the Alano Society at 2284 County Road I, indicated the driveway had <br />originally been built five feet onto the Alano's property. He talked with Mr. Theis who was very <br />cooperative and removed five feet of the driveway so that it was only on his property. He <br />discussed with Mr. Theis about adding the posts to protect the garage and Mr. Theis was very <br />cooperative with this also. Mr. Risgaard expressed that the Alano Society Board is satisfied with <br />the current driveway layout. He added he hoped the Planning Commission would approve the <br />variance. <br />Commissioner Lang questioned the site plan and the credibility of the architect that provided the <br />information to the applicant. <br />