Item 10 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

AUG Q 6John Oliver &Associates Inc. Civil Engineering 580 Dodge Avenue,Elk River,MN 55330 Land Surveying (763)441-2072 •Fax(763)441-5665 • Land Planning eriver@joliverassoc.com August 3, 2001 Michele McPherson City of Elk River 13065 Orono Parkway Elk River, MN 55330 Re: Draft of the Townhome Ordinance Dear Michele: Thank you for the opportunity to read your proposed ordinance. The document looks great but there are a few items that I need to comment on and they are as follows: A.iv. Is there another section that covers multi-story condominiums? C.i. Seventeen kids sounds like quite a few for a townhome daycare center. • D.i.a. How large a lot does a detached townhome need? D.iii.a. Most townhome ordinances have this 20,000 square foot number. Most communities ignore this measure an handle the development as a P.U.D. I have always thought this was an inappropriate measure for a townhome and appropriate measure for a condominium exceeding four units. D.iii.b. Lot width of 28 feet. This means that an internal unit in a row or back-to-back townhome must be 28 feet wide. We find that most builders use 24 to 26 feet for the internal units with the end units somewhat wider. I feel 28 feet is excessive. There may be a desire to make the townhomes larger but the market will dictate the size that sells. D.iii.d. In most Cities, 20 feet between buildings is adequate regardless of building height. Single family detached townhomes are usually set at a minimum of 15 feet apart. The theory is that in most standard single family areas the side yard setbacks are 5 feet for the garage and 10 feet for the house therefore the closest two houses can be built together is 15 feet. I also suggest the minimum setback from the back of curb be 25 feet for private drives or right of ways. The setback from guest parking should be 20 feet. I believe that the open space should be in • concentrated in larger open areas rather than between the buildings and in