Minutes - Council - 07/23/2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Planning Manager Larson shared that there are a few properties in the City that are legal non- conforming properties. He noted that there are people who complain about some of these driveways; however, they are legal. Councilmember Musgrove said she is interested in looking at this further to see if there is a way to accommodate for these situations without residents having to pay for a variance. Planning Manager Larson explained that if someone in this situation came to the City, Staff would be able to offer a few different options which would be dependent on each individual situation. Councilmember Specht asked what the cost is to the City for an extended driveway scenario. Planning Manager Larson explained that the $1,000 variance fee is for the land use application fee and review escrow, each at $500. He shared that the escrow is used to pay for the public hearing notices in the newspaper and mailed notices to property owners in the area. He noted that in the more rural areas, the mailing list is a lot smaller. He added that there is also Staff time taken to write up a report; however, this is minimal time. Councilmember Howell shared that this is a very enlightening discussion. She noted that variances are only given due to hardships and some of these driveways have been in place for many years and have never been an issue; however, they likely are not where they are because of a hardship. She said she would like to find a viable alternative option that works for people. She asked Staff and the Planning Commission to come up with some alternative options for these situations. Councilmember Specht shared that there is a resident in attendance tonight who came to the City before laying their driveway and they were under the impression that they had all of the approvals that they needed to place their driveway where it is. He noted that many of these scenarios may be the residents trying to do the right thing so he would like to see these things be sorted out. Mayor Kuzma noted that there is a process in the City that takes these things into consideration. He suggested sending this back to the Planning Commission and if they deem that there is an opportunity for another solution to this issue, then the Council can entertain it. Councilmember Howell asked if the Council is open to Staff coming up with the solutions and presenting them to the Planning Commission for feedback. Mayor Kuzma said he would not be opposed to this. He added that the City is growing and there are many pieces of City ordinances that could be challenged. He said they need to be careful with this as they have ordinances and codes in place. He noted that Code Enforcement is not out looking for non-compliance, but they are responding on a complaint basis. The Council directed Staff to come up with alternatives for the driveway variances to be presented for Planning Commission feedback. City Council/July 23, 2024 Page 8 of 10