Agenda - Planning Commission - 11/30/2023

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Regular Planning Commission Meeting Date: 11/30/2023 Primary Strategic Plan Initiative: 6. 1. Create a positive image for residential neighborhoods, business districts and key corridors. Information Title: PUBLIC HEARING: Consider a Variance Request Related to Accessory Structure Setback Regulations (Project 23-120); Case of Nick Larson Purpose/Background: The City has received an application from Nick Larson (the "Applicant") for a Variance to the required front yard setback for accessory structures on the property located at 6070 143rd Lane NW (the "Subject Property"). Notification: Staff attempted to notify property owners within 350 feet of the Subject Property, as reflected in the Anoka County Property Records, of the request for Home Occupation Permit consideration and the Public Hearing to be held by the Planning Commission. A notice of the Public Hearing was published in the Anoka County UnionHerald, the City's official newspaper. A proposed development sign was placed on the property. Time Frame/Observations/Alternatives: Subject Property The Subject Property is located at the southeast side of the bend of 143rd Lane NW and Tungsten Street NW and is immediately adjacent to the northwest comer of Emerald Pond Park. The Subject Property is zoned R-1A, Single Family Residential District, on the newly -adopted zoning map, and is guided for low -density residential land use in the City's 2040 Comprehensive Plan. It is 0.25 acres in size and accesses 143rd Lane NW to the north. Surrounding properties are similar in size and are also zoned and guided for low -density residential land uses. However, the Subject Property is unique in shape, as the lot is roughly pie -shaped with the widest end to the north, along 143rd Lane NW, and the narrowest end abutting Emerald Pond Park to the southeast. Additionally, the side yards and rear yard slopes downward from the street to a retention pond located in Emerald Pond Park. Contour information obtained from Anoka County's Interactive GIS Map indicates the elevation in the front yard to be around 872 feet, compared to an elevation of 860 feet in the rear yard. Additionally, the Subject Property is surrounded on all sides by a drainage and utility easement; the easement along 143rd Avenue NW is 10 feet wide, and the easement is 5 feet wide on all other sides of the property. Due to the unique shape, slope, and drainage patterns of the Subject Property, an accessory structure would not be able to fit in the rear or side yards of the property. Summary The Applicant constructed an eight foot by ten foot (8' x 10') shed on the Subject Property earlier in 2023. The shed is located 15 feet from the front property line. The Zoning Code requires accessory structures in the R-1A zoning district to be no closer to the street than the edge of the principal structure. In this case, the shed is closer to the front property line than the principal structure. Thus, the shed needs a variance to reduce the minimum front yard setback to 15 feet. This 15-foot setback would accommodate the existing 10-foot-wide drainage and utility easement along the front of the property. The Applicant has painted the shed the same color as the existing house and the shed uses similar materials to the house. The shed is intended to provide enclosed storage space for the Applicant's yard equipment. The shed meets the minimum 5-foot setback from the side property line and it meets all other applicable zoning requirements. The