Based on the context of the meeting and the names mentioned in the dialogue, here is the formatted transcript with speaker identifications. **Note on Planning Commission Members:** While the provided context list mentioned Brian Douglas and Isaac Naatz, the 2021 transcript identifies the active members as Michael Duncan (Chair), Bruce Hemme, Glenn Lundell, Mr. Christensen, and John Madsen. *** **[3:41] Michael Duncan:** Good evening. Let's call the Planning Commission meeting Monday, May 10th, 2021, to order. Roll call: myself, Mr. Duncan, here. Mr. Hemme? **[3:55] Bruce Hemme:** Here. **[3:56] Michael Duncan:** Mr. Lundell? **[3:57] Glenn Lundell:** Here. **[3:58] Michael Duncan:** Mr. Christensen? **[3:59] Mr. Christensen:** Here. **[4:00] Michael Duncan:** Mr. Madsen? **[4:01] John Madsen:** Here. **[4:02] Michael Duncan:** Oh, here. Approve the agenda. Looking for a motion. **[4:05] Glenn Lundell:** I move to approve the agenda. **[4:07] Bruce Hemme:** I'll second it. **[4:08] Michael Duncan:** Motion has been made by Mr. Lundell and seconded by Mr. Hemme. All in favor? (Chorus of Ayes). All right. Let's have a motion, if not some corrections or additions, to the approval of the minutes from the April 12, 2021 meeting. **[4:29] Michael Duncan:** Any additions or corrections? **[4:31] Glenn Lundell:** Yeah, i think so. I'll make—I'll make a motion to approve the minutes. **[4:36] Michael Duncan:** Motion's been made by Mr. Lundell. A second? **[4:38] Bruce Hemme:** Okay. **[4:40] Michael Duncan:** Seconded by Mr. Hemme. All in favor? (Chorus of Ayes). All right. Opposed? Hearing none. Let's get right into number five: Public Hearing. Public input—citizens may speak to the issue not on the agenda. Is there anyone here to speak on any agenda—anything that is not on the agenda? Going, going, gone. Okay. We have a public hearing this evening. Public hearing: Variance for Erica and Juno Nygaam. **[5:15] Michael Duncan:** Did I get that close? Excuse me. Property at 717 State Street West. This hearing is in regards to fencing. It is—might would be a two-flat, two-foot high variance has been requested by the homeowners to allow the homeowners to extend to a six-foot high maintenance-free privacy fence into the side yards on the east and west side of the property. Any questions on the commission? Looks good. Well, I'd like—would you like to come forward and tell us what your proposal is? Speak up please, if you could. **[6:10] Erica Nygaam:** Is the...? **[6:12] Michael Duncan:** There's the button way down on the bottom. **[6:14] Erica Nygaam:** Okay. We would like to extend our six-foot high—well, we're installing a privacy fence in the rear yard and we would like to extend it at six-foot high past the rear points of the home. I think it's about 15 to 20 feet. One side is a little further in the back side yards. We want to keep it at six foot for privacy and for security. It is obscured from the street along the one side where there's woods, and on the other side, it's actually down at the bottom—we have a walk-out basement, so it's down at the bottom of the hill. It's going to be minimally visible from the street, and so that's basically our desire. **[7:02] Michael Duncan:** Okay. Any questions by the commission? **[7:04] Bruce Hemme:** I just—I was just curious why you needed six feet versus, you know, the code says four feet? **[7:12] Erica Nygaam:** So, it's for security and visibility. We have windows at least, you know, at the rear ends of the house there that we would like to have within the fencing, because the neighbors can see right into our bedroom window and our basement window on the other side. So we would like to have those within the fencing. And we also would like to have the shed that you can see in the photo—we would like to have that within the fencing. **[7:51] Glenn Lundell:** Okay. Oh yeah, this one. Yeah, I can see that of the depth into your rear yard. **[7:58] Erica Nygaam:** Yeah. So it will be behind that retaining wall. Behind the fence or behind the shed, there is space that the retaining wall would come in front, or the fence would come in front of the retaining wall behind the shed, so it would just enclose the shed there. And then on the other side along the woods, we just would like to bring it up because our bedroom and bathroom window are there, and when there's not tree cover, you can look right into our windows. **[8:21] Michael Duncan:** So, yeah, I had drove by and looked at the site yesterday. Yeah, didn't see any issues with it. Any other questions? Nobody here to speak against? Closing the public hearing. Thank you. **[8:40] Erica Nygaam:** Thank you. **[8:41] Michael Duncan:** Thank you very much. Let's move on to discussion items, which (A) would be what we just spoke of. Any input from the commission? Hearing none, is there a motion to accept or deny? **[9:02] Glenn Lundell:** I'll make a motion to accept their request for the two-foot variance. **[9:08] Michael Duncan:** Go ahead. Mr. Lundell has made the motion. Who's seconding? **[9:13] Bruce Hemme:** Second. **[9:14] Michael Duncan:** Mr. Hemme. All in favor? (Chorus of Ayes). Anyone opposed? Motion passes. All right, let's go to (B): Habitat for Humanity, Lot 1200 on Sixth Street. Is everyone on the commission familiar of this site? The old USB corner? **[9:36] Glenn Lundell:** Yep. **[9:37] Michael Duncan:** Someone from the public? **[9:39] John Parks:** This is John Parks from Habitat for Humanity. Okay, the green light will be on and now it's on. Gotcha. Hello everyone. So, as you may know, land is a premium in Cannon Falls and buildable lots are hard to come by. And we have a family that wants to live in Cannon Falls currently, and that is the only way we start a project is when we already have the family—we don't build on speculation. So we have to have a family. So the next thing is we have to have a lot, and we have a Habitat homeowner who has graciously offered to sell us a portion of their lot so that we can build on their lot in a subdivided [way]. So that's what we're proposing. They've offered us a very good purchase price for this parcel of land and they came up with the idea—we did not. So they approached us and said, "How would you like to build on the back half of our property?" And the size of this lot is very amenable to the size of our homes, and we often build on a very small lot and this one seems to work just fine. The only issue that we have is that the sewer and water—sewer particularly—is 12 feet deep there, 12 maybe 12 and a half. So it's going to cost us some money to get that sewer into the lot. And of course, we're going to have to disturb the right-of-way, make a curb cut, and we might be able to come in through the alley so maybe we don't make a curb cut, but in any event, we're going to tear things up a little bit just like anybody does when they build a house. So, what we're really wondering is, is this worth pursuing? And that's what we want to hear from you. **[11:34] Michael Duncan:** Easy question: What do the neighbors across the alley think of this idea? **[11:39] John Parks:** Um, there hasn't been any discussion with those neighbors as of yet. **[11:43] Bruce Hemme:** In the whole neighborhood? Have it...? No, don't you need to go around and talk to everybody? **[11:49] John Parks:** Uh, for a variance we would. If—if we apply for a variance then we do have to go and talk to folks. I mean, you know, we have a hard enough time sometimes just building a Habitat house in a neighborhood. **[12:00] Bruce Hemme:** Uh, I don't think that's going to be the issue here because there's already one there and she's been a great—she takes care of her home, she keeps it looking great. **[12:08] Michael Duncan:** So, but the usual considerations would have to be followed there is whether there's any neighbors that would object. I assume that's part of a public hearing, correct? **[12:18] Bruce Hemme:** I believe this evening is just whether we could follow through on splitting a lot. **[12:22] Michael Duncan:** Correct. I didn't hear you... what? Tonight is just whether or not the lot can be split. If you split the lot, can you meet all the variances or all the setbacks? **[12:35] John Parks:** Yeah, that's a—that's a good question and we don't—we don't know all the answers to that. I haven't seen the size of the house yet. **[12:43] Michael Duncan:** John, are there any plans? **[12:45] John Parks:** So that's... I'd be speculating on that one. But if you look at the other neighboring lots that's around it, they're all—yeah, they're all about that size. It fits according to the other one. **[12:57] Glenn Lundell:** It does, yeah. **[12:59] Mr. Christensen:** Would you enter this home off from St. Clair Street into the garage that way? **[13:04] John Parks:** We would... I would propose that we come in through the alley for the garage. **[13:10] Mr. Christensen:** That may be a problem coming in from the alley. **[13:13] John Parks:** Because...? What would be your concern there? I didn't hear that. **[13:17] Mr. Christensen:** Well, um, does not the home have to face—I could be wrong—face a street? **[13:24] Michael Duncan:** You... I think you're right on that, John. **[13:26] John Parks:** Yes. It could face—there's no reason it couldn't face Sinclair. The house could face Sinclair but then the garage would be offset. I mean, the ridges would run perpendicular. That's typically the way we attach a garage. Um, hers isn't done that way, but this is a plan that... what I've drawn there is kind of been our favorite lately because it gives you access where you can walk right in from the garage right into the kitchen. So I mean, the—the—the footprint you see on the drawing is just there as a placeholder just to give you some idea, right. **[14:13] Glenn Lundell:** I—I agree with John. If the size definitely fits the neighborhood. **[14:18] Mr. Christensen:** Yeah, so that's—that's a one excellent thing there. Yeah, my question will be when you—you submit plans, will you meet the setbacks or will there have to be variances? **[14:30] Bruce Hemme:** Right. Yeah, I was always wondering why when you guys built the other one that you didn't split that right away, you know? I mean, because that's a big area. **[14:40] John Parks:** It is, and that's before my time and so I can't answer. Yeah, you know, maybe—maybe they didn't want to pursue the, you know, the logistics of that at the time. You know, we're often put in a position where, you know, we're volunteer-run organization in many ways, and so our family selection committee might not tell the building committee where they're going to build until April. So now you've got to scramble and buy a piece of land because we don't want to sit on land for five years—the holding costs are too much. **[15:15] Michael Duncan:** So, well, it seems to me you'd have to do some development on that alleyway because if I'm not mistaken, it's all grass, is it not, at this point? Other than on the very north end that Bill Hansen's old entryway into his... background. **[15:32] John Parks:** It looks like you're right on that one, Mike. We can double check that one. 616 come in on a common drive with 1215, is that what I'm seeing? **[15:43] Michael Duncan:** So if I'm not mistaken, that's grass all the way through. Yeah, yeah, that's what it looks like. Well, it's not—I—I don't know if I have to uh dismiss myself, but I sold this to Habitat to Humanity. Okay. So, but I have no problems with what you're going to do as long as everything meets. But that road goes up and that home on 616 accesses his garage from that alley and then from there on back is all grass and they've cut it off. **[16:21] John Parks:** Yeah, he enters that from the alley, yeah. **[16:24] Michael Duncan:** So—so do you think there would be problems with entering it from Sinclair Street and just turning, you know, having the garage face Sinclair as long as—as well as a house? **[16:35] John Parks:** Well, if you could—if you could get that to fit, I think that would be the wisest. **[16:40] Michael Duncan:** Oh, we could make it fit. Would it—would it not...? How does the city feel about this? Engineering—has it gone that far? **[16:48] John Parks:** No, it has not gone that way and like I said, it's really hard until we get the plans to know, yeah. **[16:55] Bruce Hemme:** Right. Yeah, with no measurements as to how this is going to reside within the lot. **[17:00] John Parks:** So it sounds like we're being asked more or less just to approve the concept of your building here. Getting out of this sort of green light, red light, or yellow light kind of thing is what we're asking for. I mean, then we—if we knew that there was... if people were open to the idea, then we'd get a set of plans here right away because we do have this homeowner that wants to live here and so timing is of the essence. We don't like to put siding on in November, do we Glenn? **[17:35] Glenn Lundell:** No. **[17:36] Michael Duncan:** No. I—I—I think everything else being equal, I—I'm fine with what's doing it there. Any negative feelings from the commission that we should discuss or...? **[17:50] Mr. Christensen:** I'm okay with it too as long as you can meet the setbacks. **[17:54] Michael Duncan:** Yeah, until we get some measurements we really can't make it. Yeah, but as far as a lot being split, I—I think we're in—in favor. Yes. Uh, like put that in the form of a motion? **[18:08] Glenn Lundell:** I'll make an emotion. **[18:10] Michael Duncan:** Glenn's made the motion. Second to the motion? **[18:13] John Madsen:** I'll second it. **[18:14] Michael Duncan:** John has made the second. All in favor? (Chorus of Ayes). Opposed? Motion passes. **[18:22] John Parks:** We'll bring a—variance request to you guys. We'll see you next month. **[18:25] Michael Duncan:** That's what it sounds like, yeah. Yeah, thank you. Is there anything else that—uh, we need to discuss this evening? Anything on anybody's mind? Good. Uh, looking for a motion to adjourn. **[18:41] Glenn Lundell:** So moved. **[18:42] Michael Duncan:** Motion's been made by Mr. Lundell. Seconded by...? **[18:45] Bruce Hemme:** Second. **[18:46] Michael Duncan:** Seconded by Mr. Hemme. All in the favor? (Chorus of Ayes). Closed. Hearing none, motion passes. Thank you.