I think we can go ahead and call the August 19th Board of Zoning Appeals meeting in session. So first up is our roll call. >> Jim Beneke >> Here. >> Mia Devecia >> Here. >> Christopher Cayton >> Here. >> Sarah Strain >> Here. >> Tom Weber >> Here. >> John Flanagan >> Here. >> Estelle Hughes Tess >> You said here. You said Estelle Hughes. >> That's what I got here. Maybe this is old. Matt Edcom >> Here. >> All right, next on the agenda is the approval of the August 6th, 2025 minutes. I do want to note that my name is spelled wrong on the members present. I have an H at the end of Sarah. But other than that I have no comments. >> I will just note that reading the minutes from the August 6th, 2025 meeting Estelle Hughes was the youth member at the time. So I believe that's where the the confusion was. >> I move we approve the minutes with that one change. >> We have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor of approving the minutes say I. >> I. >> All those opposed? All right, motion carries. And then tonight we have a hearing for a variance application at 4000 Cedarwood Road. Gary, would you be able to walk us through that variance request, please? >> Yes, thank you, Chair. Members of the Board, my name is Gary I'm the Zoning Administrator for the city, and I'll be presenting the application for you tonight. Uh the application before you tonight is a request for a variance to allow the front lot line to be along Cedarwood Road in- instead of France Avenue. So, in essence, France Avenue becomes the side yard abutting the street. This application is submitted by Ron Sonnic on behalf of Ari and Lilly Bylin, who live at 4000 Cedarwood Road. The property as indicated on the aerial photo here is on the northwest corner of France and Cedarwood Road. It is zone N1, neighborhood one. And the section of code that we're looking at today is 36-4. And the highlighted portion on the screen in front of you is actually the section that we're requesting the variance from. This is a definition of the front lot line. And for corner lots, it says, "It shall be the shortest dimension on a public street." So, in this case, uh France Avenue property line is the shortest, and Cedarwood Road property line is longer. So, therefore, uh France Avenue, the lot line along France Avenue is considered to be the front lot line. So, as you look at the property, this is an excerpt from the survey that was submitted. Again, France Avenue is to the east, the right side of the screen. And to the bottom of the screen to the south is Cedarwood Road. Again, front lot line is along France Avenue. That makes the property line along Cedarwood Road the side lot line. And then the rear lot line is always opposite of the front lot line, so that's the west lot line is the rear lot line. And then that leaves the north south uh side lot line, the north lot line as the side lot line. So, our yard definitions are based off of our lot lines. So, if the front lot line is along France, that means the front yard requirements are off of France. And front yards are basically another another name for setbacks, right? So, setbacks are measured the front yard setbacks are measured off of France. The side set yard The side yard side setback is measured off of Cedarwood Road. And then, because the front yard is off of France, that makes the rear yard off of off of um the west lot line. And as we look at the area on this on this uh aerial photo in front of us, we see that as you go down Cedarwood Road, all the front yards are of course off of Cedarwood Road. And to go further north off of Forest Road, all the front yards are off of Forest Road, and the France Avenue is the only one with a front yard. So, it's a little out of place. Technically, when this house was built in 1940, the code at the time said that for corner lots, the front yard shall be on the side with the internal lots. So, in that this case, it was Cedarwood Road. So, therefore, when the house was built, the front yard was actually off of Cedarwood Road. The code changed to the language you just saw in 1959. And that made some nonconformities on the lot. So, as we look at what's being proposed for an addition, we have again the front face of the house is to the south facing Cedarwood Road, so towards the bottom of the page. Off the back of the structure, we have I can wake up the pointer. We have the addition that's being proposed. The depiction on the left is the existing home. The depiction on the right shows the addition that's non-highlighted or non-shaded. And basically, what they're proposing to add on to the northwest corner of the house is a bedroom and then an expanded bathroom. And then just some elevations of that side of the house that's facing the neighbor to the west. Not much of a change, but really the addition is right down here towards the bottom left of each part of the house. And just a little bump out. It doesn't really show on the elevation, but it's a one-story addition. So, looking at the findings, they're all spelled out in the packet that's before you. And in the resolutions, I just kind of picked a couple of them to summarize them. But basically, what we find is that this request does not adversely affect the health, safety, and welfare of the community because this house faces Cedarwood Road. The front yard has always been Cedarwood Road since it was built in 1940. It functions that way. Always has. Fits in the neighborhood that way. So, changing the code to formally make it the front yard once again uh doesn't change the community, the area at all. There's no impact on the area. The variance is in harmony with the general purpose and intent of the zoning ordinance. Again, the house faces Cedarwood Road. That is the front yard. So, this is coming in line with the actual uh built environment of the home. Pract- A practical difficulty exists because again the homeowner didn't create the situation. It's built in 1940. It's existed this way ever since. And the character of the vari- of the neighborhood will not change as a result. So, based on those findings, um staff is recommending that the chair open the public hearing, take testimony, and close the public hearing. And also recommending that a motion be made to approve the application for variance to section 36-4 as recommended by staff. And I'm available to answer any questions, as is uh Mr. Ron Sonic, the president of Scura Design Build, and Aryan Lilly Byland, the homeowners. >> Thank you. Uh Commissioners, are there any questions for staff before I open the public hearing? Seeing none, I open the public hearing for the variance application for 4000 Cedarwood Road. If anyone in the audience is wishing to speak, they can come up here to the podium and state their name and address for the record uh and provide any comments they wish to share. All right, seeing no one wishing to speak on the public hearing, I close the move to close the public hearing. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Um this is Commissioner Weber. I just wanted to thank you for being here. Uh um this is a quirky thing that happens in cities everywhere. So, you won the lottery. Uh so, congratulations. Uh it's not meant to make It's not meant to be a moment of government making your life more difficult. But, in this case, it did require you to make a few phone calls and come to a meeting and I appreciate you doing that. This is a very easy change to make, but um uh you know, as I'm sure you learned from Gary who has an obscene knowledge of all of the properties of this city. Um nothing was done. Uh you know, it just was those one of those things. So, thank you for going through the process and we appreciate that. >> [clears throat] >> Mr. Meneghetti? >> I'll just say uh seems like a easy decision. It just kind of lines up the house with all the other houses along Cedarwood and along Forest. Along Forest are back-to-back, so they they're they're the odd one right now. So, just change it to match and and seems like I had support of uh almost all the neighbors, so uh seems like an easy decision for me, anyway. >> Yeah, I Yeah, same same here. No no question. I will just just for the record, the fact that the other There are houses that face that who front on France, for sure. To me the the piece that's very clear is that the house the front of the house as constructed is not on France. So, that to me is the rationale for it, not so much that the other houses around them are in the same way. It's that the the way that they inherited the house is is that it's facing this way. >> I move to um approve the variance at 4000 Cedarwood Road as presented uh by staff. >> Second. >> All right. Uh all those in favor of approving the variance for 4000 Cedarwood Road as presented by staff, say I. >> I. >> I. >> All those opposed? Motion carries. Uh next on the agenda is um the rescinding of two variances for 2625 Louisiana Avenue. >> Thank you. This request comes from the city of St. Louis Park. Um it is a request to rescind the resolutions number 2401 and 2402 pertaining to a development that was approved at 2625 Louisiana Avenue South. This property is located on the east side of Louisiana, south of Cedar Lake Road and north of Minnetonka, and actually just in the southeast quadrant of Louisiana and the railroad crossing there. So, a little timeline. In July 6th, 2022, uh two variances were approved for this development. It is a multi-story mixed-use development located right on Louisiana. Our resolution 2201 was a variance to reduce the minimum lot line coverage from 80% to 66% and resolution number 22-02 was a variance to reduce the total width of a parking drive aisle from 24 to 22 ft. Now, as a condition of these variances, we do require that uh activity development activity occur within 22 years. Uh they weren't able to make it through the first two years, so they asked for an extension in June 26th of 2024. And that extension was written into the resolution to expire on July 6th, 2026. Um they did not begin construction of this project, and they have not requested an extension. So, technically, that um those variance requests have expired. And so, what we're asking for right now is kind of a little bookkeeping, just to pass the resolution to formalize their um expiration and to resend them. So, staff is recommending that the Board of Zoning Appeals adopt this draft resolution resending both resolutions number 2401 and 2402 pertaining to the development at 2625 Louisiana Avenue South. >> Thank you. Are there any questions on the proposed rescinding of the resolutions? >> I just wanted to um um thank the city staff. This has been a little bit of a journey um with this uh property. It was a very ambitious idea for a very awkward piece of land. Um I'm sorry it's not going to happen, but um I uh I appreciate all the work the city did. There was actually a third variance, if people remember the history, but we rejected that third variance. So, it's just these two. But anyway, um every time I've driven by this property, I've always been rooting for them, but we'll see. We'll see what We'll see what the future holds. So, thank you, Gary. >> Thank you, Commissioner Webber. >> [clears throat] >> Yeah, I'm just I mean, I'm just curious if you can share any context, like what's the narrative of why they weren't able to move forward with the project? >> We don't always get the full story, I'm sure, um but it sounds like it's financially motivated, just not able to get finances secured. >> So, I have a question about um like when in when we were if we were sent the um the variances there like a possibility for reapplication or is that like door closed? >> Yeah, no. Good question. Um there's always the opportunity with a new proposal to request variances. Absolutely. >> Good question. >> Do we have anyone wanting to make a motion? >> I'll make a motion. Good luck by the way. Hope to have you back up. I I move that we adopt the draft resolution rescinding the resolutions pertaining to 2625 Louisiana Avenue South and hope for the best for uh the developers and for that that piece of property in the future. >> Second. >> All right, all those in favor of rescinding the variances uh say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Uh are there any communications from staff? >> There are no communications. >> All right, thank you. Um are there any communications from commissioners for the Board of Zoning Appeals? Hearing none, um we can adjourn the Boza portion of this meeting and