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Commission splits on Korma Knoll two‑lot preliminary plat at 14705 Glendale Road; no recommendation to council
Summary
A proposal to subdivide 0.99 acres at 14705 Glendale Road into two lots and associated variances failed to win a majority recommendation either way at the Planning Commission; staff had recommended denial on neighborhood‑character grounds. The proposal will proceed to City Council on July 14 without a planning commission recommendation.
The Minnetonka Planning Commission on June 26 considered a preliminary plat and associated variance requests for a two‑lot subdivision at 14705 Glendale Road but did not produce a majority recommendation for approval or denial. The matter will appear on the City Council agenda on July 14 together with the hearing record and commission discussion.
Staff recommended denial of the plat and variances because the proposed lots would fall short of the city’s minimum lot area standard of 22,000 square feet (both proposed lots were roughly 340 square feet under the minimum) and, in staff’s view, the proposal would be inconsistent with neighborhood character. Staff’s analysis measured neighborhood conformity across several radii and found that in the defined comparison areas a majority of lots met the minimum lot size, so approving the variance would not align with the surrounding pattern.
The applicant argued the neighborhood definition differed from staff’s calculation, contending that when measured along Chastec Way and Glendale Road a majority of adjacent properties are already nonconforming; the applicant also noted that pending county and city right‑of‑way dedications (the county requested approximately seven feet and the city about ten feet in staff’s summary) would reduce the lot sizes further and that purchasing additional land from neighboring parcels had been explored but would not solve the need for a variance because right‑of‑way dedications would still apply.
Other details in staff’s report: the site is approximately 0.99 acres with most existing trees along the perimeter (45 regulated trees total, of which 37 are high-priority and 8 are significant). Staff noted proposed tree removals would meet the maximum allowed for high-priority trees and included one significant tree removal.
Commissioners were split. Several commissioners said the lot split and new homes would be reasonable infill, pointed to the 2040 comprehensive-plan language encouraging infill and efficient use of underutilized parcels, and noted the proposed street frontages would be comparable to many lots along Glendale. Other commissioners endorsed staff’s neighborhood‑character analysis, stressing that a majority of lots in the relevant comparison areas met the 22,000-square-foot minimum and that the subdivision would change the area’s long-term pattern.
The commission first voted on a motion to deny (motion by Commissioner Hansen, second by Commissioner Henry); that motion failed 4–2. A subsequent motion to recommend approval (made by Commissioner Waterman and seconded by Commissioner Hansen) also failed on a 3–3 split. With no majority recommendation from the planning commission, the item will be transmitted to the City Council for decision on July 14 with the full hearing record and the commission’s comments.
