Afton Planning Commission closes door on garages

Talk about it

Afton residents could soon see limitations on their garages.

Afton Planning Commission approved a maximum garage size of 2,000 square feet during its April 2 meeting.

“We’ve been down this road a few months now,” Planning Commission Chairwoman Barb Ronningen said.

Planning Commission approved the size limitation after holding a public hearing on the proposed ordinance change.

Currently the city only regulates attached garages by impervious surface requirements.

However, the city does regulate accessory buildings, which are defined as detached structures that are more than six feet away from the dwelling unit, to not exceed 2,000 square feet.

The panel was asked to develop size limitations for attached garages in January by City Council Member Joe Richter, who had previously said he was concerned with garages being proportionate to a house.

Previously Planning Commissioners had questioned whether or not it is the city’s place to regulate garage sizes in terms of aesthetics.

“I still don’t see what the public interest is here that we’re trying to regulate,” Planning Commissioner Kris Kopitzke said during last Monday’s meeting. “I don’t think we should be telling people what their houses can look like.”

The garage ordinance will next go before Afton City Council for approval.

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