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,~ r ~~ <br />ITEM <br />_ MEMORANDUM <br />pity of ~/ <br />lk ~ TO: Planning Commission <br />River <br />FROM: Gary Schmitz <br />Planning Assistant <br />DATE: July 25, 1995 <br />SUBJECT: Ordinance Amendment request by <br />the City of Elk River, Public Hearing <br />Case No. OA 95-12. <br />Reauest <br />The City of Elk River has requested an Ordinance Amendment, which would <br />allow attached garages to be located within 5 feet of side property boundaries <br />in city-sewered single-family residential zoning districts. <br />Analvsis <br />The City of Elk River currently requires that attached garages meet a 10-foot <br />side-yard setback in all single-family city-sewered residential zoning <br />districts.. However, detached accessory buildings in city-sewered areas are <br />allowed within 5 feet of a side lot line. In several PUD .subdivisions (ie. <br />Deerfield 3rd & 4th, and Hillside Estates) side-yard setbacks for attached <br />.garages are allowed to extend within 5 feet of the side property line. The <br />rationale on why this was allowed in these subdivisions, is that a 5-foot side- <br />yard setback for attached garages would allow a homeowner flexibility when <br />locating a home on a wooded parcel, so that an effort can be made to save as <br />many existing trees as possible. Staff would like to implement this same <br />reasoning on all single-family city-sewered properties. This Amendment <br />. would allow future and existing homeowners the flexibility to locate their <br />home on the best possible location on the lot. It is important to remember <br />that this amendment would only allow the attached garage to encroach to <br />within 5 feet of the lot line. Habitable space of a home would still be required <br />to meet a 10-foot setback. <br />Attached/Detached <br />The existing Ordinance currently allows a detached accessory structure to be <br />placed within 5 feet of the side property line. Attached garages, however, <br />have to meet a 10-foot side-yard setback. An argument can be made that the <br />land-use impact of a detached garage versus an attached garage are very <br />• similar. It is staffs opinion, that a 5-foot attached garage setback would <br />S: Planning/OA95-12 <br />N0. 5.7. <br />13065 Orono Parkway • P.O. Box 490 • Elk River, MN 55330 • (612) 441-7420 • Fax: (612) 441-7425 <br />