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• 1 What are the undue hardship factors? The first factor is that the property cannot be put to a reasonable use without the variance. Caution! In June 2010, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued a decision that changed the longstanding interpretation of the first factor. The Court held that the reasonable use factor is not whether-the proposed use is reasonable, but rather whether there is reasonable use in the absence of the variance. This is a much stricter test, which considerably limits variance opportunities. A city will need to work closely with the city attorney to determine if a variance application can satisfy the first factor. The second factor is that the landowner's problem is due to circumstances unique to the property not caused by the landowner. The uniqueness generally relates to the physical characteristics of the particular piece of property,that is,to the land, and not personal characteristics or preferences of the landowner. When considering the variance for a building to encroach or intrude into a setback, the focus of this factor is whether there is anything physically unique about the particular piece of property, such as sloping topography or other natural features like wetlands or trees. The third factor is that the variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the locality. Under this factor consider whether the resulting structure will be out of scale, out of place, or otherwise inconsistent.with the surrounding area. For example, when thinking about the variance for an encroachment into a setback,the focus is how the particular building will look closer to a lot line and if that fits in with the character of the area. What about economic considerations? Sometimes landowners insist that they deserve a variance because they have already incurred substantial costs or argue they will not receive expected revenue without the variance. State 1 statute specifically notes that economic considerations alone cannot create an undue hardship. Rather, an undue hardship exists only when the three statutory factors are met. Can a city grant a use variance? Sometimes a landowner will seek a variance to allow a particular use of their property that would otherwise not be permissible under the zoning ordinance. Such variances are often termed "use variances"as opposed to"area variances"from dimensional standards.: Use variances are not generally allowed in Minnesota—state law prohibits a city from permitting by variance any use that is not permitted under the ordinance for the zoning district where the property is located.For more information, see Minn. Stat. 4 462.357. Is a public hearing required? Minnesota statute does not clearly require a public hearing before a variance is granted or denied, but many practitioners and attorneys agree that the best practice is to hold public hearings on all variance requests. A public hearing allows the-city to establish a record and elicit facts to help determine if the application meets the undue hardship factors. What is the role of neighborhood opinion? Neighborhood opinion alone is not a valid basis for granting or denying a variance request. While city officials may feel their decision should reflect the overall will of the residents,the task in considering a variance request is limited to evaluating how the variance application meets the 2 Administrative Track-2011 Variances:Very Variable?Verifying Variance Variety in the Vernacular-64