HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC80029 - 8/14/80 - 55th & Dupont AvePLANNING COMMISSION FILE CHECKLIST
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Planning Commission Application No.
PROPERTY INFORMATION
Zoning:
PLAN REFERENCE
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FILE REFERENCE
Note: The following documents were purged when this project file became inactive. We
have recorded the information necessary to retrieve the documents.
Document Type Date Range Location
Agenda Cover Sheet: Planning Commission Agenda Book
Minutes: Planning Commission
Minutes: City Council
Resolutions: Planning Commission
Resolutions: City Council
Ordinances: City Council
6111h1164) City Vault
£'1Z5�ev City Vault
City Vault
City Vault
City Vault
Historical Photographs: Planning Commission City Archieve
CITY OF bll () W:l_; i1 Cl w H. k
PLANNING C0II'1ISSION ZOINIIIG, AHILIC/1'10i'
Application No. 80029
Please 'Print Cle7.rr
Street
Location of
Property
55th
and -'-Dupont
Avenue North
Legal
Description
of Property
Lot
6, Block 2,
Littel Addition, Hennepin Co., Mn.
O,,;ner Harron United Methodist Church
Address
55th & Dupont Avenue North
Phone 566-2780
Applicant
Glenna Larson, Board Chairman
P,ddres�
5420 Queen Avenue North
560-8826
Phone No .
Type of Request: Rezon -1 ng
Subd i vi
si. n Approval
Var ian,ce
Sitc &
bld Pail
Special Use Pet . i t
Other
Description of Reques-t:
Variance
of Dreen Strip to
allow parking
of 40 cars versus
25. We are
asking
for a variance of
ten (l0�feet.___
We are also
asking to use existing lilac bushes as screening on two sides with
additional oga ue fencing where needed. If for any reason, the
lilac hedge_ should fail, we would replace with -appropriate_ screenin�._�_
Lee $ 15.00
_.-,. 53912
AP-C'e;NL_ tau.
Datel---% of P.C. Cons ,deration:
X—
ing co''PC.' eons: w
hppI tce.nC'S'S-�ii3
July 28, 1980
-' Date
PLANIN-114G COi^.VT;Z1ZTO r4 RECONf,,ENDijTria
Itis _ day of 19,t]Lsubject- :o Li- �`01 1ot
hn _fit
Chai rti.an
CITY COUNCIL ACTION
Dates 4f CcunCI1 CO, Isic ratio?:
Appi-, e-3 Denied this c� day c>f Qom. 19&, with the fof10-Jll,j -^-
e,nc•n:in�;
6-
11/1 I llt'Ilt 'No 1s (G\%or pl('xJ' )
Planning Commission Information Sheet
Application No. 80029
Applicant: Harron United Methodist Church
Location: 5501 Dupont Avenue North
Request: Variance
The applicant requests a variance from Section 35-700 of the City's Zoning Ordinance in
order to allow for a 12' greenstrip along Dupont Avenue North to the east of the
parking lot proposed in Application No. 80028. The ordinance requirement for all
districts other than Cl and C1A is a 15' greenstrip between off-street parking
and street right-of-way.
The zoning facts which surround this case are rather complex. While the Standards
for a Variance would not seem to be met for the proposed variance if considered in
isolation, we feel there is definite merit to this request when considered along
with the particular facts surrounding the application. There are at least four
deficiencies existing, potential or proposed in the plan for this site:
1. The seating capacity of the church is over 300 persons which
translates into a parking requirement of over 100 stalls.
Average attendance on Sunday morning is roughly 120 implying
that 40 stalls would just about meet the present parking
needs. Technically a deficiency of 60+ parking stalls
remains even if the variance is granted. Without a variance,
the parking deficiency would be approximately 75 stalls.
This is an existing condition which cannot be ameliorated
by withholding a permit.
2. The proposed greenstrip is 12' wide (10' wide if no ordinance
amendment is adopted regarding compact car stalls), but still
provides adequate room to plant or dense shrubrow for effect-
ive screening. The absence of sidewalk within the Dupont
right-of-way means there should be approximately 27' of unbroken
green space as opposed to the normal 30'.
3. While there is no ordinance requirement for a buffer area
between churches and other R1 uses, staff recommend that church
parking areas be kept a minimum of 5' from neighboring
property as in commercial zones. The proposed plan calls for a
separation of 5' on the north and 2.5' on the west. Mitigating
the narrow green area to the west of the parking lot is an
approximate 15' green area between the west property line and a
dense row of Lilacs on the neighboring property. The 2.5'
greenstrip at the property line is a departure from past policy
and is not literally a variance from an ordinance requirement.
It is felt that this is a wide enough area for a fence to be
erected if it becomes necessary to provide required screening.
4. The alternative to reducing the green areas or the number of
parking stalls is to reduce either the length of the parking
stalls on the width of the driving lanes. (This is accomplished
to some extent with a row of compact car stalls on the east side
of the lot). It is staff's judgment that granting a variance
from these requirements would create more problems on the site
than the reduction of the greenstrip and would set a dangerous
precedent that could possibly be used by commercial developers
8-14-80 -1-
Application No. 80029 continued
(Condition 4)
seeking to maximize the use of available land to the point
of overutilization.
The granting of a variance would attempt to minimize the existing and potential
deficiencies of the present use in a manner that optimizes the overall benefits
to the church and to the general public. Implicit in this attempt are a set of
priorities reflecting those benefits:
1. Minimize the existing parking space deficiency and provide,
as far as possible, adequate parking for the church.
2. Maintain ordinance standards for parking and driving lanes
to ensure that the lot functions properly in accommodating
church traffic.
3. Provide screening of off-street parking areas as required
by City Ordinance.
4. Provide adequate green space on the site.
We concur with former Commissioner Engdahl that the primary ordinance objective
is to reduce the existing parking deficiency for the church and that this can
reasonably be accomplished by granting a variance from the greenstrip require-
ment of Section 35-700.
Approval of the application is therefore recommended on the following grounds:
1. Not only the applicant, but the public as well would be adversely
effected from the denial of the variance. (This is based on the
finding that the priorities outlined above accurately reflect
the public interest in this particular case).
2. The conditions upon which the application for a variance is
based are unique in that the parcel in question is to be put to
use to alleviate an existing deficiency in the parking required
for the church and wi 1 not be recognized as grounds for further
expansion.
3. The alleged hardship is related to the requirements of the
Zoning Ordinance which cannot all be met simultaneously in this
case. The hardship was not created by persons presently or
formerly having an interest in the parcel of land in that it was
platted in a size and shape to serve residential as opposed to
institutional needs.
4. The granting of the variance will not be detrimental to the public
welfare or injurious to other land or improvements in the
neighborhood so long as the conditions attaching to the approval
of the site plan are met.
8-14-80 -2-