05-21-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item No: 5A Meeting Date: May 21, 2008 Type of Business: Commission Business City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Mounds View Planning Commission From: Heidi Heller, Planning Associate Item Title/Subject: Final Approval of an Administrative Variance for a Reduced Driveway Setback at 5414 Jackson Drive; Planning Case AV2008-001 The applicant, Matt Eenigenburg, is proposing to replace the bottom half of his driveway with concrete (the top half was replaced in 2004). The entire driveway is currently the same width and has a one foot setback from the north property line. Up until 2004, the applicant and his neighbor to the north had a shared driveway. That year the neighbor decided to reroute his driveway to the other side of the house and removed his half of the old driveway. When the shared driveway was removed, Mr. Eenigenburg was given permission by the City to allow his existing driveway to remain on the property line, since this was a special situation. The driveway was actually cut to give the application about a one foot setback, which the City Code allowed at the time with permission from the adjacent property owner. The applicant is now ready to replace the bottom half of his driveway and would prefer the entire driveway to remain the same width, instead of the bottom half being four feet narrower in order to meet the current setback requirement of five feet. Mr. Eenigenburg would typically be required to bring the section of the driveway that is being replaced into compliance with a five foot setback. The requested four foot variance would allow the applicant to keep the whole driveway the same width. Discussion: Staff reviewed this request and determined that it qualified for an administrative variance, as it is a pre-existing, non-conforming driveway. Administrative Variances were added as an option a few years ago to make the process faster and easier for residents when their request was not excessively beyond what the code allows. Staff reviewed the proposed driveway replacement and spoke with the applicant about his hardship claim. Staff feels that the situation is sufficient to warrant a variance. Staff also considered any negative affects that the proposed addition might have on the surrounding area and found that the driveway replacement would not negatively impact the neighborhood as the width would be remaining the same. The Community Development Director granted preliminary approval. The five adjacent property owners have been notified of the variance request. At the time this report was written, Staff had received no feedback from the adjacent property owners.