"OShaughnessy 3rd Addition" Variance and Sketch Plan for four single-family lots at 17201 St. Francis Blvd. NW.

The property at 17201 St. Francis Boulevard consists of two parcels and contains a single-family home with an accessory building.  Access to the house and accessory building comes from St. Francis Boulevard.  An application has been made to subdivide the approximately 34 acres into four lots.  The applicant has provided a sketch plan, the first step in the Major Plat process.  The sketch plan is a high-level review before the preliminary plat submittal is made.  This phase requires more data and plans to be prepared, so any feedback provided early on will save the applicant time and money.  The property is zoned RR--Rural Residential with the eastern portion having the Scenic River Protection Overlay.  All four of the proposed lots meet the minimum required 2.5 acres of lot area.  The following are issues to note:

1.  Trunk Highway 47
St. Francis Boulevard is an arterial roadway owned and maintained by MNDOT as State Trunk Highway 47.  All plats adjacent to State roadways must be sent to MNDOT for review.  City Code requires a minimum 60-foot half right-of-way for arterial roadways.  An additional 27 feet will need to be dedicated to meet this requirement.  This dedication will not significantly impact the proposed lot areas.  MNDOT has been sent the plans and has stated that the 60-foot half is sufficient and that turn lanes are not warranted to be constructed.  The applicant has already applied for and received permits for the two additional driveways. 

2.  Lot Width along St. Francis Boulevard
The western end of the site has frontage for three of the four lots.  This area is only subject to the RR lot standards.  The minimum lot with for RR lots is 200 feet (lot width is measured at the minimum setback line which is 40 feet).  One of the lots, Lot 2, has approximately 109 feet of width while the other two both have approximately 302 feet each.  This narrow "tail" contains the driveway and accessory structure for the existing house. Generally speaking, "flag lots" are not permitted by City Code.  The applicant provided a letter requesting a variance in order to justify the narrow frontage.  Staff does not agree with the applicant's argument, noting that Lot 1 can be greatly narrowed (60-80 feet) with Lot 3 being narrowed slightly (20-30 feet due to the power line easement) so that Lot 2 can obtain the required 200 feet of width.  

3. Eastern Lot Width
The eastern end of the property falls within the Scenic River Protection Overlay due to the Rum River across Germanium Street.  In this area, the required minimum lot width is 300 feet, though the lot width is only 170 feet.  The Department of Natural Resources has been provided the plans and noted that the eastern portion of the property (the frontage and access to Lot 4) is not really changing and that the proposed building area is further west, outside the Overlay, that there is no concern. Currently, this area of land is platted as an outlot--a type of lot that is not buildable.  Unlike the situation described in #2 above, lot lines cannot be adjusted to meet the 300 feet required in the Overlay. 

Based on aerial photographs (see attached), it appears that the neighbor to the south has encroached on this part of the property with a driveway and parking pad.  During the preliminary plat phase where a detailed existing conditions survey is required, it will be determined what the level of encroachment is and what the solution is.  Both of the property owners are aware of the potential situation.  One outcome is that the encroaching neighbor removes all improvements.  The other is the creation of an outlot that can be deeded to that neighbor in order to keep the improvements in place.  Should the latter option be chosen, that will further reduce the width of proposed Lot 4.  Once that is determined, a variance will need to be obtained for the reduced lot width.

Public hearing notices were sent to properties within 700 feet of the site.  "Proposed Development" signs were placed along both the St. Francis Boulevard and the Germanium Street frontages of the property.  A legal notice was placed in the August 15 Anoka Union Herald Newspaper. 

All costs associated with the proposed development are the responsibility of the applicant. 

1.  Staff recommends denial of the lot frontage variance based on there being adequate width in the existing parcel to create conforming lots and that there are no other similarly narrow lots in the vicinity.
2.  Staff recommends directing the applicant to make adjustments to the lot frontages on the proposed plat for the preliminary plat submittal.  

1.  Motion to adopt Resolution #25-194 denying a variance to lot width at 17201 St. Francis Boulevard NW.

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2.  Provide additional direction on the draft sketch plan.