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driveway collectors extending off of the public street. With the adoption of a public/private road policy for use within townhouse subdivision, many of the driveway accesses within a townhouse plat will be onto public streets. In order to accommodate the 60-foot right-of-way, the Planning Commission and City Council has previously recognized the need to allow for lesser front-yard setbacks. The recently adopted public/private policy does not address setbacks for townhome units along public streets. Staff feels that this is an oversight and should be addressed. Staff will be recommending, as part of the Chapter 9 rewrite, that the setback for townhouse units along public streets should be 25 feet from the back of curb of the public street. This will ensure a 25- foot driveway and will give a land owner the potential to reach the density prescribed for the land. Having a larger front-yard setback will hamper a land owners ability to develop the parcel to a reasonable density as prescribed by the Comprehensive Plan, and may potentially put the City in a difficult position to defend their policies and actions. Staff also feels that the different setback requirements along private and public streets will give the development a visible inconsistency in design by having some units setback farther than others. Also, the shape of the parcel and location of wetlands have dictated that more of the development be served by public streets than would normally be expected. Since more public right-of-way is needed, adhering to the required setbacks significantly impacts the amount of units that can be located on the parcel given the current requirements for setbacks, which is counter to the medium density land use designation of the parcel. Staff Recommendation: City Staff recommends approval of the variance. Board Action: Motion to adopt Resolution #02-04- Development's request for a variance. adopting Findings of Fact # relating to Edina -and- Motion to approve Edina Development's request for a variance to front yard setbacks in the R3- U Zoning District and adopt Resolution #02-04- __ declaring terms of the variance. -or- Motion to deny the request for a variance from Edina Development based on the findings of fact. Reviewed By: Community Development Director Associate Planner CC: City Attorney BOA: 04/04/02