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Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes May 17, 2022 Page 5 1 lot. He stated that has been done in his neighborhood and they look nice and have been great 2 additions. 3 4 Chair Socha stated that she is torn on the proposals as she does have the attitude that she 5 should be able to do what she wants on her property and not be impacted by a restrictive 6 setback. She noted that many times additions come with related improvements such as 7 residing the entire home, with also provides benefit to the neighborhood. She stated that she 8 also does not want Saint Anthony to feel like Minneapolis or Saint Paul. She commented that 9 changing setbacks make it seem more urban than suburban. She noted that she is torn as she 10 pros and cons to each option. She believed that if changes are made, they should not be 11 drastic but also realized that may not accomplish the desired outcome. 12 13 William Risse, 29th Avenue and Silver Lake Road, commented that he has a corner lot and 14 even though they are a younger generation they enjoy gardening and taking care of their yard. 15 He stated that they have been meeting with staff to discuss options for expanding their home, 16 noting that any of the options would require a variance. He stated that their neighbors have 17 five-foot side yard setbacks, but they are required to have a 30-foot setback. He commented 18 that it is not practical to use the side yard and would prefer to place an addition nearer to the 19 road to maintain their usable backyard space. He stated that they would support a 15-foot 20 setback for corner lots. 21 22 Commissioner Hendrickson commented that she is supportive of doing something because she 23 agrees that household needs are changing, and the housing stock does not necessarily reflect 24 people’s lifestyles. She stated that they would need to determine which of these changes 25 would add the value people are looking for. She believed that some changes would allow the 26 community to remain marketable and better fit the lives of residents. 27 28 Chair Socha commented that it is not ideal to have people come in to request repeated 29 variances and therefore if something makes sense it would make sense to change the 30 ordinance and remove the costly step of residents having to request a variance. She agreed 31 that it does make sense to do something but was still unsure as to what should be done. She 32 noted that she does want to maintain the feeling of a suburb rather than an urban area. She 33 confirmed the consensus of the Commission to continue discussing this topic. She found it 34 helpful to know that the impervious surface limits would not be changing. 35 36 Commissioner Erickson believed that it would be wise to move slowly on this topic and 37 therefore suggested that it would be helpful to have some of the requested information for 38 comparison and review before suggesting language. He stated that there seems to be some 39 agreement that changing the rear setback would be the most supported. 40 41 Mr. Grittman appreciated the input and felt that he had sufficient input to move forward and 42 bring information back to the Commission. 43 44 Chair Socha commented that it would also be helpful to have a summary of past requests that 45 have been approved by the Commission through variance. Mr. Grittman commented that he