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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoard of Adjustments and Appeals - 07/09/1998 • UNAPPROVED MINUTES BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS AND APPEALS THURSDAY,JULY 9, 1998 7:30 P.M., CITY CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBER 8080 MITCHELL ROAD BOARD OF APPEALS MEMBERS: Cliff Dunham, William Ford, Louis Giglio, Ismail Ismail, Kathy Nelson, and Michael O'Leary BOARD STAFF: Zoning Administrator,Jean Johnson; Recorder, Dave Hix CALL TO ORDER Vice-Chairperson Dunham called the meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. ROLL CALL Board Member Nelson was absent (excused). I. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Ismail moved, seconded by Giglio to approve the Agenda as published. Motion carried 5-0. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Minutes of June 11, 1998 MOTION: Ford moved, seconded by O`Leary to approve the June 11, 1998 meeting minutes as submitted. Motion carried 5-0. III. VARIANCES A. Request No. 98-15 by Great River Property, Kathy Holschuh, for approval to move the 2-story stucco house at 8430 Eden Prairie Road to 16071 Pioneer Trial. Jim Kelly, representative of Great River Property, P.O. Box 1216, Minnetonka, addressed the Board with the following report: • • BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS AND APPEAL July 9, 1998 Page 2 The applicant was requesting permission to move the Arthur Miller House, built in the 1920s and one of the founding families of Eden Prairie, from 8430 Eden Prairie Road to a vacant lot located at 16071 Pioneer Trail. When moved the house will sit on a new 14 course concrete block basement. The heating, plumbing, and electrical service will all be new and in compliance with City Code. The neighborhood that the home is to be moved into is of mixed homes and styles ranging in age from 50 years old to 10 years old. It was the applicants opinion that the Miller home would fit into its new neighborhood. Bids have been received from several house movers but no contract was to be signed until permission had been obtained from the City. A new half bath will be installed on the main floor. A new asphalt driveway will lead to a detached four- car garage. Landscaping will be installed along both sides of the driveway. All work would be done and the home would be ready for sale or occupancy by the end of August. • Dunham returned the floor to the Board for questions of the applicant. Ismail asked the applicant if the home was currently occupied. Kelly stated the home was currently vacant but it was being shown to prospective buyers who would take occupancy when the move an renovation are complete. Dunham asked for clarifications as to where the house would sit on the new lot. Dunham asked for the stars report. Johnson told the Board the neighborhood that the home is being moved to is zoned R1-22, a minimum of half acre lot size. The proposed location of the house and the garage meet the required setbacks for the district. The neighboring homes have been built from the 1950s-1980s. The home will be connected to City water and it will have a private septic field. City sewer will need to be hooked up when it arrives in the neighborhood. Hennipen County Highway Department has issued a driveway access for the property. There had been some citizen inquiries made about the project. Staff recommended the following conditions if the Board was to approve the project: • • BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS AND APPEAL July 9, 1998 Page 3 1. The City Building Department would need to inspect the home before occupancy and the structure will need to be brought up to code. Dunham returned the floor to the Board for questions of staff. Dunham opened the Public Hearing. No comments were considered from the public, and the Public Hearing was closed. Dunham returned the floor to the Board for its consideration of the item. Giglio expressed his concern that the house would not fit in with the homes that currently exist in the proposed new home location. He stated he would not be in favor of the project based on this fact. Ford and O'Leary stated the house would not be out of character with the current mix of older homes that are in the neighborhood. They both stated they would support the project with the condition as stated by staff and the fact that the mover • would have to meet all City and state regulations for this type of work. O'Leary noted older historic homes occur along Pioneer Trail. Johnson stated the City requires numerous bonds, both for restoring the site where the home is coming from and for the completion of the project at the new site. Kathy Holschuh, Great River Property, stated the mover that may be selected, Larry Staus, has done several house moving projects within the City of Eden Prairie. MOTION: Ford moved, seconded by O`Leary to approve Request No. 98-15 by Great River Property, Kathy Holschuh for approval to move the 2-story stucco house at 8430 Eden Prairie Road to 16071 Pioneer Trail with the conditions as stated by staff. Motion carried 3-1(Giglio)-1(Ismail abstained) B. Request No. 98-16 by Patricia and Harris cooper for 9325 Olympia Drive for approval to construct a garage addition.. There are 2 options applied for, the first option is a 2 stall addition 17 feet from the front property line and 6 feet from the side property line; the second option is a one stall addition 26 feet from the front property line and 6 feet front the side. (Code requires a 30 foot front setback and a 10 foot side setback.) • Diane Johnson, Coldwell Banker/Burnett Reality, gave her report as follows: • BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS AND APPEAL July 9, 1998 Page 4 The home, in its current condition, is for sale by its owners who plan to move out of state when the home is sold. At the time the home was built, due to an architect error, the kitchen pantry was designed to extend out into the garage thus limiting the space available on one side of the two car garage to 14 feet in length. The applicant was requesting permission to build either a two-car tandem garage, making the current garage 44 feet long with the cars parking in front of and behind each other, or a one-car garage situated perpendicular to the home and attached to the front of the existing garage. Entry into this configuration would require a turn- around in the current driveway. The hardship was stated as functional obsolescence, not being in character with the rest of the neighborhood homes in that other homes have three-car garages instead of the two-car garage that the applicant's home has. Ms. Johnson stated the fact that the home does not have a three-car garage is making the home harder to sell. Dunham returned the floor to the Board for questions of the applicant's representative. • Giglio asked if the applicant had hired an architect and if the only reason the applicant wanted to improve the home is so that it could be sold. Ms. Johnson stated that the builder and the developer had been consulted and as soon as the home is sold the Cooper's, the applicants, were going to move to Florida. Giglio expressed concern that the applicant was asking the City for special consideration just so the house could be sold and then they would move out of town. Dunham noted that the real estate marketing brochure referred to the garage as a two-car plus instead of the two-car minus that the variance application seemed to indicate. He also asked if the applicant had considered remodeling the homes entry so that the existing garage could be added on in width and meet code. Ms. Johnson stated that the entry remodel approach had not been considered by the applicant because it would put the homes front view out of balance. Dunham asked for the Staff report. Johnson stated the neighborhood that the applicant's home is located in was built in the mid 1980s. Of the 12 homes in the immediate area of the applicant's home, 9 BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS AND APPEAL July 9, 1998 Page 5 had three car garages. A three-car garage would be in keeping with the character of the surrounding homes. The design of the home is limiting the options that are available to make a garage addition. Dunham returned the floor to the Board and opened the Public Hearing. Bill Pearson, 11727 Sunnybrook, spoke in opposition of the project on the grounds that the home would not be keeping in the character of the setbacks of the existing homes. He stated he wanted to see the house sold so that new neighbors could move in who wanted to live in and contribute to the City. Jack Laukman, 9313 Olympia Drive, spoke in opposition of the project on the grounds that the addition would be too close to their house which is the house adjacent to the Cooper's house. Ed Hoak, 9312 Olympia Drive, spoke in opposition of the project on the grounds that had been stated by the two previous citizens. • Dunham closed the Public Hearing and returned the floor to the Board for their consideration. Ford stated he would not support the proposed project due to a lack of hardship and because of the fact that the owners were asking for special consideration from the City just so they could sell their house and move out of the community. Ismail stated he would not support the project due to a lack of hardship. Giglio stated the neighbors were opposed to it, it wasn't the best project for the City, and the hardship as stated wasn't sufficient to warrant the variance. O'Leary stated his opposition based on the poor design of the addition and the opposition of the neighbors. MOTION: O Leary moved, seconded by Giglio to deny request No. 98-16 by Patricia and Harris Cooper for 9325 Olympia Drive for approval to construct a garage addition. Motion carried 5-0. IV. OLD BUSINESS No old business was considered. • r BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS AND APPEAL July 9, 1998 Page 6 V. NEW BUSINESS No new business was considered VI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Ford moved, seconded by Ismail to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5- 0. There being no further business before the Board of Adjustments and Appeal, Dunham adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m. •