Zoning Board of Appeals

City Hall City of Northfield 801 Washington Street Northfield, MN 55057 ci.northfield.mn.us Meeting Minutes - Final Zoning Board of Appeals Thursday, August 17, 2017 7:00 PM Council Chambers Rollcall Present: 5- Joe Gasior, Tracy Heisler, Russell Halverson, William Schroeer and Kate Stuart Absent: 1- Jay Jasnoch I. Call to Order and Approval of Agenda Chair Gasior called the meeting to order at 7:01pm. Also present: City Planner Scott Tempel, Youth Representative Paul Wehling, Youth Representative Anna Weber and several citizens. A motion was made by Davis Heisler, seconded by Halverson, to approve the agenda. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5- Chair Gasior, Heisler, Halverson, Vice Chair Schroeer and Stuart II. New Business Items 2. ZBA Res. Consideration of Resolution for a Variance at 1114 Water St. S. 2017-001 Attachments: 1 - Resolution 2 - Area Map 3 - Site Plan Drawings 4 - Contour Map 5 - Picture 1 6 - Picture 2 7 - Picture 3 9 - Picture 4 10 - Picture 5 Tempel reviewed his staff report on the variance request for 1114 Water St. S. Discussion was held between the commissioners and Tempel. Chair Gasior opened the public hearing at 7:11pm and invited the applicant to speak. Rhonda Witmer, 1114 Water St. S., spoke to the commissioners about her variance request, improvements she has made to the property (including gutters, rain barrels, and trees) and the hardships she faces. She stated on the south side of the property there City of Northfield Page 1 Printed on 1/19/2018 Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting Minutes - Final August 17, 2017 are two trees, a retaining wall and her driveway is very narrow which are the basis of her hardship and why she is requesting the variance. Chair Gasior invited others from the public to speak. Hannah Winter, 1112 Water St. S., introduced her boyfriend Trevor and spoke about her concerns of Ms. Witmer's request for a variance. Ms. Winter felt her basement would get wet, the mature tree near the garage could be compromised, it would affect their view out their dining room window, and she is concerned about her homes property value. Pat Winter, expressed that setbacks, fire and rescue emergency services accessing the rear yard, maintenance for the property owner and utilities, drainage, the mature tree and view are his main concerns for his daughter's property at 1112 Water St. S. Roberta Persons, 1123 Spring St. S., feels it is less expensive to go straight in on the driveway to remove trees to make a new area, so that is what she is objecting to. Mark Etzell, 907 St. Lawrence Dr., is helping Ms. Witmer with her garage. He recognized Ms. Winter's concerns for potential water in her basement and proposed to mediate runoff from the garage with gutters. Mr. Etzell made note that 1112 Water St. S. does not have gutters. Mr. Etzell stated they will be careful around the tree as to not damage the roots. The commissioners and Tempel then discussed setbacks, grading and other questions regarding the variance. A motion was made by Davis Heisler, seconded by Schroeer, to close the public hearing. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5- Chair Gasior, Heisler, Halverson, Vice Chair Schroeer and Stuart The motion failed based on Criterion (d) for the variance request not being fully met. Criterion (d) which relates to the plight of the landowner due to circumstances unique to the property not created by the landowner. In this instance, the majority of the commissioners felt the land did not cause just plight to approve a variance allowing the garage to be placed 3 feet from the property line when 5 feet is the setback. A motion was made by Halverson, seconded by Davis Heisler, to approve the ZBA Resolution. The motion failed by the following vote: Yes: 1- Heisler No: 4- Chair Gasior, Halverson, Vice Chair Schroeer and Stuart 1. ZBA Res. Consideration of a Resolution for a Variance at 1203 Hwy 3 South. 2017-002 City of Northfield Page 2 Printed on 1/19/2018 Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting Minutes - Final August 17, 2017 Attachments: 1 - Resolution 2 - Area Map 3 - Site Map 4 - Picture 1 5 - Picture 2 6 - Rendering 7 - Applicant Letter 8 - Owner Letter Chair Gasior opened the public hearing at 8:17pm. Tempel reviewed his staff report on the 1203 Hwy 3 South variance request. There was no public comment. A motion was made by Schroeer, seconded by Davis Heisler, to close the public hearing at 8:23pm. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5- Chair Gasior, Heisler, Halverson, Vice Chair Schroeer and Stuart A motion was made by Schroeer, seconded by Davis Heisler, to approve the variance request to allow outdoor storage between the principle building and the property line in the C2 zone and allow the outdoor storage of goods. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5- Chair Gasior, Heisler, Halverson, Vice Chair Schroeer and Stuart III. Adjournment A motion was made by Davis Heisler, seconded by Halverson, to adjourn the meeting at 8:33pm. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 5- Chair Gasior, Heisler, Halverson, Vice Chair Schroeer and Stuart City of Northfield Page 3 Printed on 1/19/2018