Planning commission backs recommended edits to Ordinance No. 69 on standalone garages

The Fergus Falls Planning Commission on a voice vote approved a package of recommendations to send to the city council on Ordinance No. 69, which would amend city code Section 154.031 to regulate standalone residential garages.

Commissioners said the revisions are intended to allow limited standalone garages while protecting neighborhood character and ease enforcement. The commission’s recap of changes endorsed changing lot-size references to square footage rather than dimensional minimums, restoring a numeric height cap of 19 feet while preventing garages from exceeding the height of adjacent primary residential structures, retaining the city council’s direction that outside storage not be allowed, and requiring applicants to provide a site plan and exterior-materials description as part of a conditional use permit (CUP) application.

Why it matters: commissioners said numeric limits give property owners and reviewers certainty and uniformity, while CUP conditions and required renditions would let neighbors review placement and exterior finishes at a public hearing. The changes aim to provide a clear path for homeowners or small developers who want to build standalone garages without creating loopholes that would allow speculative or neglected storage parcels.

Several commissioners noted practical enforcement concerns. One commissioner said an absolute bar on outside storage is difficult to police in some lot configurations (for example, corner lots where the 'front' is ambiguous), while others argued that allowing screened storage would undermine the ordinance’s purpose. The commission ultimately recommended keeping the council’s prohibition on outside storage as written but adding clearer CUP submittal requirements to make enforcement and public review more feasible.

Public input included a brief comment from Jason Burns, who identified himself and his address, urging the commission to clarify the existing application language (section 8k) rather than duplicate requirements elsewhere. City council member Layton spoke as an individual and urged flexibility for out-of-town property owners and heirs; the chair responded that the draft originated with the council and encouraged Layton to raise substantive changes when the ordinance is before that body.

The motion to approve the commission’s set of edits and forward the revised redline to the council was offered by a commissioner and adopted by voice vote; the chair announced the motion carries. The commission directed staff to compile the agreed changes into an edited redline and to send that to the council for its next consideration.

Next steps: staff will prepare the revised redline and/or memo capturing the commission’s comments for transmission to the city council. Any final ordinance language and formal adoption will be decided by the council at a later meeting.