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7. COMMISSION BUSINESS <br />7.01: Driveway Discussion <br />Presentation <br />Planning Manager Larson presented the Staff Report stating that at the July 23rd City Council <br />meeting, the Council discussed the side yard setback requirements of residential driveways and <br />the process for applying for a variance, should a property owner request one. The City Council <br />requested that the Commission review the regulations and determine if a variance process could <br />be simplified. He stated that staff recommends leaving the existing driveway rules and variance <br />procedures in place. <br />Commission Business <br />Chairperson Gengler asked if the Commission is being asked to consider the five-foot side yard <br />setback, the variance process, or both. <br />Planning Manager Larson replied that would be both. He explained that the Council was interested <br />in making the variance process easier for applicants, but that must be done through a public hearing <br />process, therefore the option then would be to change the regulation if that were desired. <br />Chairperson Gengler referenced the side yard setbacks for other communities and received <br />confirmation that those were all for single-family homes. She referenced the communities where <br />the setback is a range and states depending and asked for clarification. <br />Planning Manager Larson replied that Blaine has a few different single-family zoning districts and <br />Columbia Heights it depends on the year the lot was platted. <br />Chairperson Gengler referenced cities that have a zero setback and asked if both structures could <br />be built to the property line. <br />Planning Manager Larson clarified that these setbacks are just for driveways, not for structures. <br />Commissioner Bauer recognized the concerns within the staff report about reduced setbacks to be <br />legitimate. He referenced a comment of a Councilmember that perhaps neighbors just work it out <br />together and noted that while that would seem to be an ideal situation, that is not always possible. <br />He stated that one neighbor may agree to the situation, but the next neighbor/owner may not agree <br />to that situation. He also commented that snow removal is an issue without a setback. He stated <br />that he would prefer to leave the setback as is and the variance process can be used for those <br />desiring a lesser setback. <br />Commissioner Peters stated that perhaps the initial construction of the driveway would be five feet <br />but if adjustments need to be made, it could be reduced to three feet. <br />Planning Commission/ August 22, 2024 <br />Page 7 of 9 <br />