06-29-83 agendaCITY OF RICHFIELD, MINNESOTA
Office of City Manager
Council Letter No. 244
Agenda June 29, 1983
The Honorable Mayor
and
Members of the City Council
City of Richfield
Council Members:
Subject: Variance Request at 7333 Colfax Avenue
Mr. Myron Gunderson has applied for a variance to reduce
the minimum lot area required in an R zoning district .from
6,750 to 6,500 square feet, and to reduce the required interior
sideyard setback requirement from five feet to three feet. Mr.
Gunderson has recently purchased this vacant platted lot of record
and now wishes to construct a single family dwelling.on it. The
existing lot does not meet the required minimum lot area standard
of 6,750 square feet and the proposed dwelling which he wishes to
construct on the site would not meet the interior sideyard set-
back requirement of five feet, therefore, the variances are,nec-
essary.
Zoning Ordinance Requirements
Section 3.30, subdivision 4 requires a minimum lot area of
6,750 square feet, Section 3.30, subdivision 5 requires a minimum
interior sideyard setback of five feet, and Section 3.40, subdivision
6 lists the three conditions which must be met before a variance
can be granted.
Staff Review
The staff reviewed the variance request against the three con-
ditions which must be present before a variance can be granted and
found the following:
1. That there are special circumstances or conditions affecting
this land not common to other properties or similar districts.
it is the opinion of the staff that there are special circum-
stances relating to the minimum lot area variance which Mr.
Gunderson has requested. As indicated, the subject lot is a
platted lot.of record which is similar in lot area to the
other lots in the neighborhood. The other property owners
in the area have been allowed to develop their lots with
single family residences. Prior to the passage of the revised
residential zoning ordinance, substandard platted lots of
Council Letter No. 244 -2- June 29, 1983
record could be developed without a variance being re-
quited. To deny this variance would create a hardship
for Mr. Gunderson. _
However,. regarding the requested sideyard variance, it is
the staff's opinion that there are no special circumstances
present.
2. That the granting of the application is necessary for the
preservation and enjoyment of substantial property rights.
It is the opinion of the staff that denial of the lot area
variance would preclude reasonable use of the property. If
this variance is denied, no development on the lot would be
possible because a single family dwelling could not be con-
structed on the lot. The only use at that point would be
for open space which, in the opinion of the staff, would
not be a reasonable use of the property.
It is also the staff's opinion that if the applicant is
allowed to develop a single family home on the lot, denial
of the sideyard variance would not preclude reasonable use
of the property. There are alternatives available where
setback requirements could be met.
3. That the granting of the application will not materially
• and adversely affect the health or safety of persons re-
siding or working in the neighborhood and will.not be
materially detrimental to the public welfare or injuriou
to improvements in the neiqhborhood.
It is the staff's opinion that the proposed construction of
a single family dwelling on the lot would not be detrimental
to the public.welfare. The lot size is similar to other lots
in the area and, therefore, the proposed development would
be in character with other residential properties in the
neighborhood. The proposed reduction of the interior side-
yard would not be detrimental in that the majority of the
construction would have the required five foot setback and
only a small six foot exterior fireplace chase projection
would have a three foot setback.
Staff Recommendation
It is recommended that the minimum lot area variance be
granted because the three conditions for granting a variance have
been met. It is further recommended that the sideyard variance
be denied because the three conditions for granting variances
have not been met.
Planning Commission Recommendation
At their June 28, 1983 meeting, the planning commission
unanimously recommended that the variance to the minimum lot area
Council Letter No. 244 -3- June 29, 1983
be granted. The motion to approve the interior sideyard variance
failed on a 4-4 vote, and is being forwarded to the city council
with no recommendation.
It was the feeling of the commissioners who voted against
the motion that the three conditions for granting a variance
had not been met and that there were alternative fireplace loca-
tions or designs available which would not require a variance
and which would not cause the applicant a hardship.
Respectfully submitted,
A
I
Thomas A. Morgan, Jr.
Acting City Manager
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CITY OF RICHFIELD, MINNESOTA
Office of City Manager
Council Letter No. 243
Agenda June 29, 1983
The Honorable Mayor
and
Members of the City Council'_
City of Richfield
Council Members:
Subject: Variance Request - 7323 Clinton Avenue
Mr. Myron Gunderson has requested a variance to allow him
to construct a house on a platted lot of record which does not
meet the city's current minimum lot area standard of 6,750 square
feet. The existing garage on the site would remain. The proposed
dwelling would meet all city setback requirements.
Zoning Ordinance Requirements
Section 3.30, subdivision 4 requires the minimum lot area of
• 6,750 square feet, and Section 3.40, subdivision 6 lists three con-
ditions which must be met before a variance can be granted.
Staff Review
The staff has reviewed the variance requests against the three
conditions which must be present for a variance to be granted and
found the following:
1. That there are special circumstances or conditions affecting
this land not common to other properties or similar districts.
It is the opinion of the staff that there are special circumstances
affecting this particular lot. The subject lot is a platted lot
of record. Prior to the passage of the revised residential zoning
ordinance, the subject lot could have been developed with a
single family residence without a variance being required. The
lot area requirements were found in the city's subdivision or-
dinance which also stated that lots of record could be developed
even though they did not meet the lot area requirements. The
revised ordinance changed the lot area standards and put them
in the zoning ordinance rather than the subdivision ordinance
and eliminated the lot of record exemption. The subject lot is
similar in size to other lots in that subdivision of the
neighborhood and other property owners have been allowed to
'develop single family dwellings in the area. To deny this
0 variance would create a hardship for Mr. Gunderson.
Council Letter No. 243 -2-
June 29, 1983
2. That the granting of the application is necessary for the
preservation and enjoyment of substantial property rights.
In the staff's.opinion, denial of this variance would pre-
clude reasonable use of the property. If the variance is
denied, there would be no use of the property allowed other
than for open space which in the opinion of the staff is not
reasonable use of the property.
3. That the granting of the application will not materially and
adversely affect the health or safety of persons residing or
working in the neighborhood and will not be materially detri-
mental to the public welfare or injurious to improvements in
the neighborhood.
It is the opinion of the staff that the proposal would not be
detrimental to the public welfare. The proposed dwelling on
the site would meet all city setback requirements and the lot
is similar in size to other lots developed as single family
dwellings in the surrounding area.
0
Staff Recommendation
It is recommended that the variance be granted in that all
three conditions.for granting a variance have been met.
Planning Commission Recommendation
At their meeting of June 28, 1983, the planning commission
unanimously recommended that this variance be approved.
Respectfully submitte ,
?a4 A. 1'14,L,7CX--k I
Thomas A. Morgan, Jr.
Acting City Manager
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IRRY S. JOHNSON COMPANIES, INC.
401 WEST 79TH STREET
BLOOMINGTON. MINNESOTA 55420
PHONE 16121 664.5341
CERTIFICATE OF SURVEY
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I hereby certify that this is a true and correct representation of
a survey of the boundaries of:
Lot 18, Block 3, BLAIRS WOODDALE THIRD ADDITION, Hennepin
County, Minnesota, according to the recorded plat thereof.
and of the location of all buildings thereon, and all visible encroach
ments, if any, from or on said land. It also shows the location of a
proposed house. As surveyed by me thiV 2nd day of June, 1983.
1_
marry 'jo son
Land urve or
Minn. Reg. No. 5065
4t
CITY OF RICHFIELD, MINNESOTA
is Office of City Manager
Council Letter No. 242
Agenda June 29, 1933
The Honorable Mayor
and
Members of the City Council
City of Richfield
Council Members:
Subject: Request for Variance at 7319 Clinton Avenue
Mr. Myron Gunderson has requested a variance to reduce the
minimum lot area from 6,750 feet to 6,370 square feet to allow
him to construct a single family dwelling on a lot in an R dis-
trict. Mr_. Gunderson recently purchased this property, which
is a lot of record, and will remove the existing structures on
the lot. No specific house plan has been submitted as of this
time so the staff is not able to determine if other variances
will be necessary.
• Zoning Ordinance Requirements
Section 3.30, subdivision 4, requires a minimum area of 6,750
square feet in an R residence district, and Section 3.40, sub.
6 lists the three conditions which must be present before a vari-
ance can be granted.
Staff Review
The staff reviewed the variance request against the three
conditions which must be present for a variance to be granted and
found the following:
1. That there are special circumstances or conditions
affecting this land not common to other properties
or similar districts.
It is the staff's opinion that there are special circum-
stances affecting this particular lot. As indicated
above, the subject lot is a platted lot of record which
previously was developed as a single family residence.
Prior to the passage of the revised residential zoning
ordinance, the subject lot could have been developed
with a single family residence without a variance being
required. The lot area requirements were found in the
is city's subdivision ordinance which also stated that lots
of record could be developed even though they did not
Council Letter No. 242 -2-
June 29, 1983
meet the lot area requirements. The revised ordinance
changed the lot area standards and put them in the
41 zoning ordinance rather than the subdivision ordinance
and eliminated the lot of record exemption. The sub-
ject lot is similar in size to other lots-in that sub-
division of the neighborhood and other property owners
have been allowed to develop single family dwellings
in the area. To deny this variance would create a
hardship for Mr. Gunderson.
2.
That the
for
3. That the granting of the application will not materially
and adversely affect the health or safety of persons re-
siding or working in the neighborhood and will not be
materially detrimental to the public welfare or injurious
to improvements in the neighborhood.
It is, the opinion of the staff that-if a single family
• residence is developed on the lot within the ordinance
requirements for single family dwellings, that the prop-
osal would not be detrimental to the public welfare.
As indicated earlier, the surrounding properties have de-
veloped onto similar sized lots so the proposed development
on the subject site would be consistent with the character
of the surrounding area.
Staff Recommendation
It is recommended that the
three conditions for granting a
variance be granted because the
variance have been met.
Planning Commission Recommendation
The planning commission at their meeting of June 28, 1983,
unanimously recommended that this variance be granted.
Respectfully submitt d,
Thomas A. Morgan, Jr.
Acting City Manager
40 TAM/eja
It is the staff's opinion that denial of this variance
would preclude reasonable use of the property. If the
variance is denied there would be no use of the property
allowed other than for open space, which,in the opinion
of the staff, is not reasonable use of the property.
NO. 14'1• $?. BK. K!
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IRRY S. JOHNSON COMPANIES, INC.
401 WEST 79TH STREET
BLOOMINGTON. MINNESOTA 55420
PHONE 16121 894.5341
CERTIFICATE OF SURVEY
FOR MylvoN rauN ?so?1 GoNS7 cd,
er-ALV I''=ad
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct representation of
a survey of the boundaries of:
Lot 19, Block 3, BLAIRS WOODDALE THIRD ADDITION, Hennepin
County, Minnesota, according to the recorded plat thereof.
As surveyed by me or under my direct supe ision this 2nd day of June,
40
1983.
Marry S Jo nson
Land Surveyor
Minn. Reg. No. 5065
Aw Lin