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Variance Standards Worksheet A variance cannot be approved unless the Planning Commission and City Council find that the following standards have been met. Please provide a response as to how/why your project will meet these criteria. Use additional sheets if necessary and consult with the Planning Director at your Pre-Application Meeting if you need clarification on the intent of any of the below standards. 1) Practical difficulties Highview Middle School currently has 12 buses that drop-off and pick-up students on a daily basis. With upcoming changes in bus routes for the Mounds View School District and with an increase in the number of students attending the school, there will be 1 to 2 more buses making stops at Highview Middle School starting in the fall of 2018. With these impending changes, more school bus parking is needed at Highview. Additionally, the school site presents a number of practical difficulties (or site constraints) such as the physical location of the existing school building, which is relatively close to 7th Avenue. The close proximity of the school to the roadway makes it difficult to route and park buses in that area, due to their size and large turning radius. Also, the new bus parking cannot be expanded into the athletic track and field area due to its need for school activities. With an increase in the number of buses in 2018 along with the existing site constraints, the School District is requesting a variance in the parking lot setback to the property line. 2) Reasonable use The required setback distance for structures (including parking lots) in accordance with the City’s Code of Ordinances is 30 feet. The proposed setback distance to the curb for the new bus turn-around is 17.5 feet. This requested variance to the parking setback would occur in one location that spans about 65 feet long, at the bus turn-around area. Otherwise, the proposed parking lot setback along the western property line is about 40 feet, which is the same as today. The existing residences to the west are about 60 to 80 feet away from the school’s property line and it is estimated that they are a minimum of 10 feet higher than the parking surface. Given that buses make their trips to the school for brief periods in the mornings and in the afternoons over the course of a school year, the Mounds View School District believes that this variance is within a reasonable use. Also, we do not believe the bus headlights would shine on the neighbor’s houses due to their houses being roughly 10 feet higher. 3) Applying to property The school’s property has many difficulties and constraints coupled with the soon-to-be increase in bus traffic during the fall of 2018. One of the main priority’s for the Mounds View School District’s bus transportation is to deliver and pick-up students and provide the safest environment as possible. In doing so, it is being proposed to separate the school bus traffic and the passenger car traffic so there will be a smooth flow of traffic on the site as well as a safe pedestrian route for students to and from the school building. In order to achieve this goal, the proposed variance request will provide a reasonable use for the existing property.