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Mounds View Planning Commission June 16, 2010 Regular Meeting Page 2 ____________________________________________________________________________ 5. Planning Cases A. VR2010-002 Consideration of a Variance for Reduced Lot Widths in a Wetland District Applicant: Eichi, Inc. represented by Paul Harstad Planning Associate Heller stated the applicant and property owner, Eichi, Inc. wants 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 properties 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 properties in non-wetland districts. The applicant is requesting a variance to allow for reduced lot widths in order to subdivide the frontage on Longview Drive into 10 lots. Without the variance, the owner could subdivide the property into a maximum of eight lots fronting Longview Drive. She stated the city has wetland zoning regulations with density standards that include minimum lot size, minimum lot width, and building setbacks. This is the fourth request by the applicant for a subdivision of this parcel. The City denied the first two proposals but the City approved the last request for a 15-lot subdivision in 2003. This approval has since expired because the applicant did not complete the final plat process. She stated the new subdivision with the variance request would only have driveways along Longview Drive. The applicant has received approval from the Rice Creek Watershed District for the current plan. She stated with any variance request the applicant needs to demonstrate substantial hardship or practical difficulties associated with the property. The property is located entirely on a wetland district, the applicant could not control that it is a wetland district, granting the variance would not confer upon the property owner a special privilege, and approval of this variance request would not be materially detrimental to the code or other property in the area. Chair Stevenson asked when the variance was approved in 2003 how many lots were along Longview Drive and how many were on Silver Lake Road Planning Associate Heller stated there were eight lots on Longview and seven lots on Silver Lake Road with the 2003 plan. Chair Stevenson asked if there has been a hydrology study of the impact of putting eight to ten single family homes on the wetland. Paul Harstad, applicant, stated the watershed district is strongly concerned with the water quality of the wetland. He indicated with the new plan it is very beneficial to have houses only on one side. The new proposal does not have a storm water holding pond. The new plan has biofiltration basins instead. This design would filter the water running off driveways and would push it through engineered soil. He added soil borings were performed in the early 1970’s, and should be adequate with the biofiltration basins. Chair Stevenson opened the public hearing at 7:27 p.m. Dave Tillman, 5166 Longview Drive, stated there are ordinances in place for a reason and as city representatives these ordinances should be upheld.