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Motion carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson Nixt, Board Members Johnson, Watson, Kociscak, Reeves, and Sweet. Voting No: None. Case #3: Request for a Variance to Height Restrictions for an Apartment Building; Case of Royal Oaks Realty, Inc, Chairperson Nixt closed the regular portion of the Board of Adjustment meeting at 7:09 p.m. in order to conduct the public hearing. Public Hearing Chairperson Nixt called the public hearing to order at 7:09 p.m. Presentation Principal Planner Trudgeon stated that Royal Oaks Realty has submitted an application to receive a variance fi'om the height restrictions in order to construct an apartment building along Dysprosium St. as part of The Ponds subdivision. City Code restricts the height of structures to 35 feet. The applicant has proposed to construct an apartment building that will reach a height of about 52 feet at the peak of the roof. The apartment building proposed to be constructed will be a three-story, 82-unit apartment building designed for senior citizens. Royal Oaks Realty will need a seventeen (17) foot variance to be able to construct the apartment building as designed. The Fire Chief indicates that the maximum reach capability of the Fire Department for fire suppression and rescue operations is 35 feet. The Fire Chief has concerns regarding the possible impairment of fire suppression activities resulting from equipment that cannot reach the roofline and the difficulty in rescuing tenants on the third floor of the apartment building. Ramsey does have a joint powers agreement with the Anoka and Andover Fire Departments for emergency assistance and those departments do have aerial ladder trucks with reach capabilities in excess of 52 feet. The Fire Chief also notes that the City Administrator will recommend to the City Council that an aerial ladder truck is in Ramsey's 2002 capital equipment plan. The applicant has provided staff with information regarding the height of the third story windows. In all locations on the building, the bottom of the third story window is below 35 feet. The lowest point of the third story windows range from 23' 10" to 28' 7". The top of the third story windows range from 27' 8" to 32' 6". The difference in heights is due to different elevations on each side of the apartment building. The applicant has revised the site plan for the apartment building to allow for better access to the rear of the apartment building for the fire department. The applicant will construct a path around the rear of the building to allow for fire equipment to be set up to fight any potential fires. The Board of Adjustment did grant a structure height variance of 9.5 feet to a 3~story motel in the commercial district and a 3-story senior apartment building in a residential district that was 44.25 feet in height. On May 1, 2001, the Board of Adjustment denied a variance for Amcor Precast to construct a structure reaching 44 feet in height. On appeal, the City Council granted the variance to Amcor Precast. City staff recommended denial of the variance based on the Ramsey Fire Department's comments. Board of Adjustment/June 5, 2001 Page 5 of 11