Planning Commission approves setback variances for proposed fourplex at 1031 First Avenue SE

The City of Watertown Planning Commission unanimously approved a request to reduce setback requirements for a proposed fourplex at 1031 First Avenue Southeast, allowing the developer to place a 36-foot-wide building on a 50-foot-wide, legally platted lot.

The commission voted to grant variances that reduce the west side-yard setback from 10 feet to 5 feet and the south front-yard setback from 30 feet to 20 feet so the project can meet building-code separation and provide required off-street parking. Commissioners voted yes on the motion in a roll call; the motion passed with all members present voting in favor.

The variance matter matters because the lot, at 8,337 square feet, is substantially narrower than the current R-3 minimum lot-width standard cited in the discussion, which commissioners said is now 100 feet. Planning staff said the lot is an existing platted parcel with buildable rights under the…