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Council revises zoning requests
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
In an effort to maintain the integrity of the city’s zoning codes, the Caledonia City Council approved two zoning applications…but not before making revisions to the original plans. The action was taken during the June 22 council meeting.
Middendorf request
Lincoln Middendorf, 1023 East Grove Street proposed to construct a 28 by 36 foot unattached garage, which would be 1,008 square feet. The size of his lot limits the maximum area of a garage to 900 square feet, requiring a variance of 108 square feet.
The Middendorf home already has an existing tuck-under garage, which Middendorf said he was going to convert into a workshop.
According to City Zoning Administrator Mike Gerardy, the proposal meets all setback requirements, it will not be covering more than 55 percent of the lot with an impervious surface and there have been no objections from neighboring property owners.
“At 108 square feet, this is not a tremendous variation in our zoning code,” Mayor Bob Burns said. “But there are reasons for having the zoning codes we do have.”
Middendorf was then asked it he could make his project work if he cut the depth of the garage by two feet from 28 feet to 26 feet. That change would only require a 36 square foot variance.
Middendorf said that would be workable.
A motion by Burns and seconded by Councilman Bob Lemke to approve a variance for a garage measuring 26 by 36 feet was unanimously approved.
Dolle request
Scott and Angie Dolle, 337 South Sunnyside Drive, requested to put an additional 19 feet 6 inches to the driveway width of an existing driveway that is 20 feet 6 inches. The new driveway width would be 40 feet.
Scott Dolle explained that they expanded their existing garage and with the present driveway they have to make an S turn to get into their garage.
“With a 40 foot wide driveway, I’m concerned this is going to look like a parking lot,” Burns said.
“Many of the driveways in this part of town are a lot wider,” Dolle countered. “My neighbor his a 36 foot wide driveway. And there are others nearly that wide.”
Dolle added that they have graveled the area in front of the new portion of the garage, but felt it would look better if it was all concrete.
City Administrator Bob Nelson said Davy Engineering (the city’s consultant) conducted a study of driveways in Caledonia and recommended the width of a driveway be 24 feet. Nelson said he realizes many of the driveways in the Sunnyside Addition are wider than 24 feet. He added if the Dolle request was approved and a 40 foot wide driveway existed, it would be quite costly to the city if and when the street is ever redone, since a 40 foot wide driveway entrance would have to be replaced.
Gerardy said he did some checking and found most homes built before 1990 had 24 foot wide driveways. In the newer sections of town, the city’s engineer had recommended 30 to 32 feet as a maximum for driveway width.
“When I look around my neighborhood, I really don’t see where my request would adversely affect my neighbors,” Dolle noted.
Burns asked Dolle if he could live with a 34 foot wide driveway. Dolle said that width would not work, since it would not line up with left the garage door.
“I really didn’t need to come here and present this to you. If I didn’t respect city ordinances, I would have just had it done, like other people do,” Dolle said.
Councilman Tom Murphy thanked Dolle for respecting city ordinances and coming to the council. He said the city had to go along with the recommendations made by their consultants and made a motion to approve a driveway that would be 32 feet wide. His motion was seconded by Councilwoman Peggy Perry.
The motion passed by a 3-2 vote with Murphy, Perry and Councilwoman Randi Vick supporting it and Burns and Lemke opposing it.
Music in the Park
Vick, who is in charge of the city’s Music in the Park series, informed the council of a scheduling snafu on Tuesday nights.
Music in the Park is just that…music in the city’s Gazebo Park. The city’s Municipal Auditorium is to serve as a back-up in the event of rain or other weather issues.
The city has been renting the auditorium out on Tuesday nights for a karate class. Vick said she was under the impression the class ended at 7 p.m., just in time to be utilized for the music series if forced inside. But she found out some nights classes are scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m.
“We had rain our first night and had nowhere to go, because the class was scheduled until 8 p.m.,” Vick explained. “A lot of people headed for the auditorium, thinking that’s where we were going to be. We did have some people brave the weather outside, but we had a lot of disappointed people.”
The council decided to only allow the karate class to be held until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays during the seven-week music series.
In other council action:
New computer
The council approved a request made by Tony Klug to get quotes for a new computer and software programs to operate the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The current system is 15 years old.
DSL upgrade
The city will upgrade its DSL system to three megabites, which will help with on-line training for the fire department. The present system isn’t fast enough to accommodate on-line training.
The new system will be installed in city hall/fire hall and the police station. The library, which is hooked up to the SELCO system will not be included.
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