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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes May 18, 1999 Page 2 1 2 VII. PUBLIC HEARINGS. 3 A. 99-02 Sunset Memorial Cemetery, Sideyard Variance for Sidewalk around Mausoleum. 4 Bergstrom opened the public hearing at 7:07 PM. 5 6 Ms. Moore-Sykes stated that representatives from Sunset Memorial Park, Ted Dickman and 7 Dennis Bridges, are requesting a five-foot variance to allow Sunset to construct a five-foot 8 sidewalk in the setbacks on the northeast and northwest sides of the recently constructed 9 mausoleum. Staff had noted the lack of sidewalks when the original plans were reviewed with 10 the architect and construction company representatives. At the time, the representatives 11 indicated that sidewalks would not be necessary because the grounds of the mausoleum were 12 going to be sodded. 13 14 As Mr. Dirkman stated in his application letter, he was under the impression that these sidewalks 15 had been planned for and approved at the original approval process. In meeting with.Staff; he 16 was surprised to learn that sidewalks had not been planed for all around the building. Mr. 17 Dirkman states in his application letter that having no sidewalks makes it very difficult to clear 18 the area of snow and ice in the winter, it can be muddy in the spring or after a rain, and it 19 becomes a safety issue for employees interring caskets into exterior vaults located higher up in 20 the mausoleum. 21 22 This variance request would not alter the essential character of the area and strict enforcement 23 would cause undue hardship to employees in the performance of their job and to those people 24 visiting the mausoleum. As such,this property could not be put to a reasonable use without the 25 variance because the nature of a mausoleum requires most visitors to be outside. Economic 26 considerations do not appear to be an issue with this variance application. 27 28 Bergstrom welcomed Dennis Bridges and invited him to address the Commission. Mr. Bridges 29 stated the building permit process was not completed correctly and no provision was made for 30 -sidewalks which are necessary for the operation of an hydraulic lift which lifts.caskets up to 18 31 feet in the air and weights in excess of 1,000 pounds. He stated the lack of a sidewalk presents 32 accessibility problems for families visiting the mausoleum. 33 34 Stille asked whether the facility could have been built on the site with proper setbacks if the 35 owners had originally tried. Mr. Bridges stated that it was anticipated that the 5'-foot setbacks 36 included a sidewalk. 37 38 Horst asked whether the owners had been under the impression that sidewalks were not part of 39 the structure and therefore not subject to the ordinance. Mr. Bridges confirmed this, stating that 40 some municipalities do not consider this an encroachment. He added that much consideration