» On the recommendation of the planning
commission, two variances were approved.
The Cook County Tennis Association will be allowed to construct a wall for a practice court near the existing courts. The wall will be three feet from the east line and five feet from the north line; the required setback is 20 feet. Both the county and the school district, the affected neighbors, supported the variance.
David Mills and Beth Ferry were permitted a front yard setback for their property on Creechville Road to allow construction of a deck and three dormers on their existing building. The decks and dormers will be no closer than the existing building (4.8 feet from the south lot line and 7.7 feet from the western line), but a variance is required because the dormers and deck will increase
the amount of building that is nonconforming.
The required setback is 25 feet.
» Councilor Tim Kennedy informed council that
the planning commission will review the sign ordinance after some negative comments were received regarding the newly installed rooftop sign on the Co-op building. Kennedy said the concerns were that the sign facing north looks more like a billboard than a sign, because it isn’t attached directly to the wall and “blended in” as is the west-facing sign on
the building’s façade.”Maybe it’s not what we
want to continue to see,” he said.
» Council accepted a $25,000 Community
Business Partnership grant from Iron Range Resources, which will allow for larger and more flexible loans than those currently provided through the Storefront Loan Program. The city applied for the loan in February, and asked for up to $150,000. Combined with a $12,500 match from the Storefront Loan Program, the city has a total of $37,500 to
create a grant/loan program for business
rehabilitation projects.
» Council reiterated the Public Utility
Commission’s position that there will be no more free water. Such a request from Arleigh Jorgenson for the ball field was recently turned down, and it was noted that the school is now being billed after receiving free water
for two years. Because it is an enterprise fund,
water can’t be given away, said Roth.
» Chris Hood, the city’s new attorney, joined
the meeting via teleconference from his office in St. Paul. Hood said it is helpful for him to listen in on the discussions to learn what issues the city is working on.
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