Commission denies request to allow metal siding on East Point Douglas accessory building

The Cottage Grove Planning and Zoning Commission on June 22 recommended denial of a variance (case V2026-019) that would have permitted metal exterior siding on a new 30-by-40 accessory building at 10590 East Point Douglas Road.

Senior Planner Sam Prett summarized the application and the code background: city code requires accessory buildings in residential districts to use materials such as wood, split-face block, vinyl or cement board, and a 2023 comprehensive code update removed agricultural-style metal exteriors from the R1 district to ensure consistency across residential zones. Prett noted state statute requires variance applicants to demonstrate a practical difficulty not created by the landowner and that economic hardship alone is not usually a sufficient basis.

Applicant Colleen Mard told the commission she and her husband want the new building to match an existing metal pole building on their property and said the parcel is heavily treed and not visible from neighbors. “I’m hoping that you give us a variance… the cost to put up what you’re recommending would be $10 to $15,000 more. And my husband and we’re older. We couldn’t afford it,” she said.

Commissioners discussed past similar requests and whether granting a variance would undercut the recently adopted material standards; staff said there have been no approvals of this type since the code update. Commissioners expressed that financial cost alone did not meet the statutory practical-difficulty standard. A motion to recommend denial was made and seconded; the chair announced the application was denied. The meeting transcript does not include a roll-call tally for this vote.

The applicant was advised of the commission’s recommendation. The record indicates the commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the city council for final action.