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March 18, 1999
New Ulm Council OKs variance for churchSt. Paul's plans addition, parking lotBy KREMENA TODOROVA Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- The City Council Tuesday approved 5-0 a variance from city regulations, to allow St. Paul's Lutheran Church to build a new addition and parking lot. The new building, a pastoral center with a "fellowship hall," offices and meeting rooms, will be within 30 feet of the rear property line, although city regulations require a 33-foot setback. The front of the building will have a canopy over the driveway within 10 feet of the front property line, while city rules require a 30-foot setback. Two property owners from the neighborhood in recent weeks have expressed concerns about the project, citing issues such as potential noise from air conditioning units, storm drainage from the property, parking lot lights and the possibility of aggravating the area's parking problems. But St. Paul's church officials argued that the variance is necessary to maximize the use of the property. The addition is designed to fit in with the character of a residential neighborhood, said church administrator Ron Schmidt. He also stressed the new, 30-car parking lot will reduce street parking, while noise and lighting issues will be alleviated by special landscaping. City staff members said that most concerns raised by neighborhood owners are addressed by regulations which are not part of the variance process. * In other developments, the council denied variances to two residents. It declined a request by Dennis Born, of 1124 Center St., that would let him build a porch within nine feet of the North Garden Street right-of-way. Born said that the proposed location was the only reasonable place on his property to build the porch. He stressed it would not create visibility problems for traffic. But council members argued that there is not "enough hardship" to grant the request. "We should not be handing out variances just because someone does not have enough room on their property to build," said Council President Dan Beranek. The council also denied a request by Jeff and Carol Schoenherr, of 1715 Boettger Rd., to build a garage 6 feet from the side property line. Jeff Schoenherr said that a different location might create drainage problems for neighboring properties. The council however, ruled this an insufficient reason for a variance, stressing that the size of the lot, 15,000 square feet, should make other options possible, albeit at a higher cost. * In another matter, the council awarded the sale of some $8 million in 2000 public utility bonds to a New York-based company. The bonds are issued for the installation of an extra generator at the municipal power plant. This project is intended to increase the electric system's reliability, by providing extra generating capacity at peak times, according to public utility officials. According to city consultants from Public Financial Management who addressed the council meeting, Moody's Investors Services has assigned a high, Aa3 rating to the bond issue, despite some $9 million in other outstanding public utility debt. The importance of the project, along with conservative fiscal management by the city, helped "carry the day," according to PFM official John Burgmeister. The rating, among the highest in the state for utilities this size, will reflect positively on the cost of the bonds to tax payers, he said.
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