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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 15, 2002 Page 4 Chair Melsha indicated he was torn on this item, as this company is an asset to St. 2 Anthony. He noted the difficulty is whether or not there is an undue hardship and 3 whether or not the property can be put to good use without the variance. 4 5 Commissioner Steeves agreed stating he felt a building could be built on this site to meet 6 the City ordinances but may not meet the most efficient cost structure for the applicants. 7 8 Chair Melsha stated the side yard setback does show some hardship with the shape of the 9 side yard due to the railroad easement. 10 11 Commissioner Hanson asked if this building could be built without a retention pond and 12 asked if this was a requirement. Mr. White stated this would then need approval from the 13 Rice Creek Watershed District as a drainage pond is needed for this site. He noted he 14 doesn't see them approving that type of development. 15 16 Commissioner Hanson noted he was more in favor of the height variance but not the side 17 yard setback. 18 19 Commissioner Hoska concurred adding that the height should not be a problem for the 20 fire department. He indicated this is an established business in the community asking for 21 assistance in keeping their business viable. Commissioner Hoska stated they are restricted to the north with the railroad easement and retention pond thus creating a hardship. 24 25 Commissioner Tillman stated the easement does create a hardship. She explained from 26 an aesthetic point of view, it would be nice to keep the parking to the interior of the 27 building complex. 28 29 Chair Melsha stated he feels this is an economic issue and that the building could be 30 scaled back to have this still remain reasonable. 31 32 Commissioner Tillman questioned if a small building was a reasonable use to the 33 applicant. 34 35 Commissioner Steeves stated a larger building would be more desirable for the applicant. 36 He questioned why the loading docks were not considered along Macalaster and not 37 within the site parking lot. Mr. White stated most cities require that trucks maneuver on 38 site property and not on City streets. 39 40 Commissioner Steeves stated he felt all the options were not yet looked at. 41 42 Commissioner Hanson stated he would like to see the site put to better use, but noted 43 there was not an undue hardship at this time stating a height variance would be more favorable than both the height and side setbacks. He indicated this proposal was purely economical and could not be approved for that reason alone. 46 47 Motion by Commissioner Steeves, second by Commissioner Hanson, to recommend