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Mounds View Planning Commission June 18, 2008 Regular Meeting Page 2 ________________________________________________________________________ 3. Approval of Minutes May 7, 2008. MOTION/SECOND: Walsh - Kaczmarek/Cramblit. To approve the Minutes of the May 7, 2008 regular Planning Commission meeting as slightly amended. Ayes – 7 Nays – 0 Motion carried. _____________________________________________________________________________ 4. Citizens Requests and Comments on Items Not on the Agenda None. ______________________________________________________________________________ 5. Planning Cases A. VR2008-003 Consideration of a Variance for reduced driveway setbacks At 5352/5354 Raymond Avenue (duplex) Planning Associate Heller reported the applicant, Bob Yentsch, Kinyon Properties, has requested a variance for reduced driveway setbacks at 5352/5354 Raymond Avenue. She explained this is a side-by-side duplex located on the east side of the city. This side of Raymond Avenue has entirely identical side-by-side duplexes on 100-foot wide lots. The applicant would like to build new attached garages onto the existing duplexes. Currently, the property doesn’t have any garage but they do have a one-car width gravel driveway. The applicant wants to improve the properties by adding single car garages with paved driveways. The garages are within the setbacks but the applicant would like to make the paved driveways two-car width. Because they only have 24 feet to the setback, city code only allows for a one-car width driveway. The applicant has found many of their tenants have more than one vehicle and are juggling cars around in order to get out of the driveway. In the past they have had tenants park at the end of the driveway, which causes visibility issues when backing out. Sometimes there are cars parked on the grass. In order to have the two car width driveways, the applicant would need a one-foot variance to the setback. She stated the extraordinary circumstance is that these lots are too narrow for this type of a duplex. The city has approved variances of this nature before. Most property owners within the city have at least a one car width driveway and but since it is a duplex it makes it more complicated. The applicant purchased the existing duplexes and all of the duplexes on this side of the street are identical. Granting the variance request would not give the applicant any special privileges and anyone can apply for a variance. Granting this variance would not diminish the value of the property. She indicated public hearing notices were sent to all property owners within 350 feet of the property and staff did not receive any response. Bob Yentsch, representing the property owner is present for any questions.