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Planning Commission Staff Report <br />10/04/2023 — Eklund, Administrative Variance, 8421 Spring Lake Road <br />Page 4 <br />Findings of Fact for Approval <br />1) Bruce and Joy Eklund own the home at 8421 Spring Lake Road in the R-1 zoning district. <br />2) The required side setback for a driveway in the R-1 district is 10 feet. <br />3) Members of the Eklund household use a wheelchair and a cane and require easy access <br />to vehicles from the driveway. <br />4) The home has an existing asphalt driveway about 27 feet wide that is paved out to the <br />north lot line, within the required setback. There is a notch of unpaved area near the north <br />side of the garage, making access difficult to and from vehicles, the house, and garage for <br />a wheelchair and walking with a cane. The applicants want to square off the paved area <br />for easier access, requiring a variance. The applicants did not create this non -conforming <br />condition. <br />5) The modification adds paved area that does not meet the setback but removes some <br />asphalt that is closer to the lot line, improving the situation in that area. <br />6) The proposed driveway modification is a reasonable solution, with dimensions and a <br />shape conducive to easy and safe access. <br />7) The request meets the criteria for granting an Administrative Variance in Section 160.470 <br />and for variances generally in Section 160.466. <br />Denial <br />The Planning Commission could overrule the Community Development Director's approval of the <br />Administrative Variance, which would require the applicants to either apply for a standard <br />variance or withdraw the request. <br />Findings of Fact for Denial <br />1) Bruce and Joy Eklund own the home at 8421 Spring Lake Road in the R-1 zoning district. <br />2) The required side setback for a driveway in the R-1 district is 10 feet. <br />3) The home has an existing asphalt driveway about 27 feet wide that is paved out to the <br />north lot line, within the required setback. There is a notch of unpaved area near the north <br />side of the garage. The applicants want to square off the paved area for easier access, <br />requiring a variance. The applicants did not create this non -conforming condition. <br />4) While the existing paved area of the driveway is somewhat awkward, the applicants have <br />reasonable use of the property now. <br />5) The request does not meet the criteria for granting variances generally in Section 160.466. <br />Design with community in mind <br />