Loading...
Planning Commission - 05/09/2022APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE PLANNING COMMISSION MONDAY, MAY 9, 2022 7:00 PM—CITY CENTER Council Chambers 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: John Kirk, Frank Sherwood, Andrew Pieper, Ed Farr, Rachel Markos, Carole Mette, William Gooding, Robert Taylor, Dan Grote CITY STAFF: Julie Klima, Community Development Director; Carter Schulze, Assistant City Engineer; Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary I. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER Chair Pieper called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – ROLL CALL Absent were commission members Mette, Taylor, Kirk and Markos. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Grote moved, seconded by Sherwood to approve the agenda. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. IV. MINUTES MOTION: Farr moved, seconded by Gooding to approve the minutes of April 25, 2022. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. V. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. VARIANCE #2022-01 Location: 6939 Barberry Ln Request for: • To permit the construction of an accessory garage within a front yard setback Jacob Barker, owner of the property, displayed a PowerPoint and detailed the application. He displayed the school side of his property showing Peterborg Road and explained he had two front yards, the property being on the corner lot. An existing 24-foot by 24-foot garage was on the property. A secondary structure PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES May 9, 2022 Page 2 could not be built with the existing and City Code mandated setback. The proposed layout showed the maximum of the 30-foot by 30-foot footprint. The 13-foot setback would match the existing garage. He displayed a rendering and explained the garage would match the others in the neighborhood and he also assured the commission members he would work with an architect to match the 15-foot roofline requirement. He would work with the City to handle the landscaping and the water runoff. He displayed an elevation view showing a potential concept of the garage with rock materials and the attached office. A surveyor would mark all property lines to ensure his garage was properly located. Farr asked if there was a rear door to the garage, and Baker replied there would not be. The architect would produce a more accurate blueprint. Both the garage and the office would not be attached to the deck or the house, making it a secondary structure similar to what a nearby neighbor had. Farr asked if he had communicated with his neighbors, and Barker replied he had. Klima presented the staff report. The application was for a variance for a front yard setback. City Code required 30 feet, whereas the applicant requested 13 feet. At the time of construction there was a different requirement, so the 13-foot setback was a legal nonconforming setback The proposed variance met the three- part test required by State Statute. The architectural renderings were not under approval at this hearing; only the variance required action. Other Code requirements would be reviewed at the time of the building permit application. Staff recommended approval. Farr asked if there was a limit on the number of multiple accessory buildings allowed on a residential lot in Eden Prairie. He also asked if there were any potential changes to the Zoning Ordinance for accessory structures because more people are working from home. Klima replied City Code did not have a specific maximum number of accessory structures but had a maximum 7.5 percent of a residential lot being occupied by accessory structures (approximately 1730 square feet in this case). The City allowed home occupations but they had to be carried out in the primary structure. The applicant would use the office for his own personal use, but not for his primary occupation. Sandra Davis, a neighbor to the north of the property, expressed concern that this 900-square foot structure was industrial sized and would obscure her view of the water as she walked by. She viewed it as almost another house that would be out of place in the neighborhood. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES May 9, 2022 Page 3 MOTION: Sherwood moved, seconded by Farr to close the public hearing. Motion carried 5-0. Farr noted this was a corner lot and there was a variety of front yard frontage in the neighborhood that offered gaps between homes and sideyards. MOTION: Grote moved, seconded by Farr approval of Variance #2022-01 based on the conditions in the staff report dated May 9 2022, and the findings and conditions of the Final Order 2022-01. Motion carried 5-0. PLANNERS’ REPORT MEMBERS’ REPORTS VI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Grote moved, seconded by Gooding to adjourn. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:16 p.m.