Commission recommends variances for city-owned townhouse lot at 2357 7th Ave E after neighbor safety concerns

The North St. Paul Planning Commission on April 2 recommended that City Council approve variance requests related to an administrative minor subdivision of a city-owned two-unit project at 2357 7th Avenue East, with staff noting the variances are needed because the lot is irregularly shaped and the building/driveways are attached.

Community Development Director Roberts explained the request: the property is within the R2 mixed-residential district and staff seek a lot-width variance (about 9.07 feet for the eastern lot) and a driveway setback variance (1.5 feet) to allow two separate lots to be created where the building footprint and shared garage configuration make a code-compliant subdivision impractical. Staff told the commission the proposed subdivision would not change the building’s appearance, that the minimum lot sizes would be met, and that in R2 the allowed impervious surface is 50% (staff said this differs from the R1 district). Staff recommended recommending approval to Council with findings of fact.

Neighbor Joseph Florian spoke at the public hearing, saying he believed portions of the foundation and eaves are closer than permitted to his lot line, that calculations of impervious surface should be checked, and that the nearby five-way intersection (Third Street, 7th Avenue, South Avenue) has a history of crashes and is hard to egress. He asked why a variance was sought after construction began and argued construction had proceeded without complete adherence to setback expectations.

Commissioners and staff discussed the project timeline (it was originally permitted as one lot and later re-evaluated to allow separate sale of two units), survey verification of footings at six feet from the lot line, and competing concerns over precedent for granting variances after construction. Some commissioners emphasized the project’s role as a city-sponsored student-build and the practical difficulty of reversing a nearly completed building; others said the need for a variance may have been avoidable if the project had been planned differently.

The commission moved to recommend approval of the variances to the City Council. The transcript records multiple commissioners voting in favor and at least one commissioner expressing reluctance; transcripts also show commissioners recording reservations on the public record and requesting that the council understand the concerns. Commissioners requested staff provide any prior studies and relevant information about a previously discussed roundabout at the intersection and to coordinate with Ramsey County and the city engineer on safety considerations.

Next steps: the Planning Commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for final action; staff will also provide follow-up information on prior roundabout studies and coordinate with county staff and the city engineer as requested by commissioners.