The Preston City Council sent developer Andy Bunge back to the drawing board at their November 1 meeting.
Bunge had applied for four variances in order to go ahead with his development plans for the construction of two duplexes on the property he owns at 309 North St. NE. Planning and Zoning had held a public hearing on October 27. The commission’s final vote of 2-1-1 to recommend denial of the requests essentially neither was a recommendation to approve or deny the variance requests.
Variance requests included a slight decrease in minimum lot depth, a significant reduction in minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet, a significant reduction in lot width, and a significant reduction in side setbacks.
Councilman Dean Aug, who is a member of the P & Z committee, noted Bunge has done good work in Preston, but in his opinion this plan is too cramped and requires substantial variances.
City Administrator Joe Hoffman said he and Bunge disagree on the interpretation of the required lot size. Hoffman interprets the ordinance as requiring a 5,000-square-foot lot and Bunge reads the ordinance as only requiring a minimum 2,000-square-foot lot size in the R-3 zone.
Bunge added that it is necessary to understand what people are in the market for. Both larger homes and smaller homes are needed to serve the needs of a diverse population. He receives calls from people looking for a townhome or a small apartment. These duplexes will have under 1,000 square feet of living space with a garage incorporated within the unit. Bunge hopes to acquire a permit so he can start construction early in the spring and have the units available by this time next year. The plans can be redesigned to reduce the need for variances. Bunge said he is willing to redraw a better plan.
A motion was made to deny the variances. It passed 3-2 with Mayor Kurt Reicks and councilman Charles Sparks voting against the motion. Hoffman said the council must state its reasons for denying the variance. Reasons included the request isn’t in harmony with the zoning ordinance because of the density issue or lot size. The plan deviates quite a bit with a need for four variances. Bunge concluded, saying the ordinance allows for row houses; he will work to find a way forward. Reicks said Bunge will have to bring a new plan to P & Z and go from there before he can move ahead with the project.
Other business in brief
•The sixth payment request from Alcon Excavating, Inc. in the amount of $494,893.45 was approved. Brett Grabau said all bituminous paving is finished. Broadcast seeding will be done late this week or next week, along with clean-up. There is a little concrete work yet to be completed before the project is done for the winter.
•Gabby Kinneberg explained details regarding the application for a Small Cities Loan from David Schneider. He has purchased the property at 205 St. Paul St. SW. He will renovate the commercial space in the back of the building which is about 114 years old. That space is unusable at this time. He also plans some exterior improvements. The request is for $10,000 from the EDA fund. The total project cost is estimated to be $20,350.The loan was approved as recommended by the EDA.
•A rezoning request submitted by Jeff Bennett for property located at 202 Park St. SE was approved as recommended by P & Z.. Bennett requested the property be rezoned from R-2 (One and Two Family Residential) to R-3 (Multiple Family Residential). Bennett plans to construct a single family home on the property and offer it for short term vacation rentals. This request was heard by P & Z including a public hearing.
•The appointment of Rick Grooters to the Planning and Zoning Commission was approved.
•Approval was given to include dependent coverage with employee life insurance. It was the consensus of the city employees to include dependent coverage. The city will pay $2,300 per year for the life insurance, which is an increase of $1,700 per year, to include dependent coverage. The Utility will pay an additional $970 per year.
•The city council’s next meeting will be on November 15. It will begin with the assessment hearing for the 2021 Street and Utility Project.
Leave a Reply