Agenda - Planning Commission - 02/26/2026

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6. 1. Regular Planning Commission Meeting Date:02/26/2026 Primary Strategic Plan Initiative: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 26-102); Case of Cory DeLuca Purpose/Background: The City has received an application from Cory DeLuca (the "Applicant") for a Variance to the required front yard setback for accessory structures at 9050 160th 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 Variance request and the Public Hearing to be held by Planning Commission. A notice of the Public Hearing was published in the Anoka County Union Herald, 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 within the Northfork Point subdivision, which is part of the overall Northfork neighborhood. The Subject Property is 1.06 acres in size and is zoned PUD, Planned Unit Development. This PUD does not include any specific standards that deviate from base zoning standards, so Staff considers this property to be similar to those within the RR, Rural Residential zoning district. It is believed that the Northfork PUD was created to allow for lot sizes to deviate from the minimum area allowed at the time of platting. The Subject Property, along with all other properties located in the Northfork PUD, is guided for Rural Developing land uses. Summary The Applicant is proposing to construct a 30-foot by 24-foot detached garage on the Subject Property. The detached garage is proposed to be built closer to 160th Lane NW than the existing house due to constraints with the well located west of the attached garage, the septic system located east of the attached garage, and the steep slopes along the east and south sides of the property to accommodate storm water flow from 160th Lane NW toward a wetland south of the property. Since the Subject Property is less than 2 acres in area, this creates the need for a Variance. The Zoning Code requires accessory structures on properties less than 2 acres to be no closer to the street right-of-way than the front edge of the principal structure. The Applicant is proposing a front yard setback of 84.7 feet, which greatly exceeds the minimum front yard setback of 40 feet for principal structures. The shortest setback from the proposed garage to any property line is the west side yard setback of 14.2 feet, which exceeds the minimum 5-foot setback from the side and rear property lines. The garage meets all other applicable zoning requirements. When reviewing Variances, it is the Applicant's responsibility to prove practical difficulty in meeting all standards of the Zoning Code. Practical difficulties, as used in connection with the granting of a Variance, are defined in Section 106-220(c) of Ramsey City Code. The Applicant submitted a written description of the Variance request, providing the following justifications of practical difficulty (as extracted from the Applicant's narrative): The variance is requested for the forward placement of a detached garage, due to the unique circumstances related to our lot and the Northfork development. The lot has a unique shape and size requiring a City