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property to PUD allows for flexibility in establishing development standards (e.g., parking standards). In order to accommodate retaining the historic home on -site, in addition to providing two on -site guest parking spaces for the development, the applicant had to reduce the number of townhome units from 12 to 11. The applicant also found it difficult to provide the PMC required parking spaces for the existing historic home. The existing home would normally be required to have two spaces that are continuously available (not tandem) with at least one of the spaces covered in a garage or carport, per the PMC. The applicant is proposing to construct a detached single - story, one -car garage on the east side of the relocated home with an uncovered tandem parking space on the north side of the garage. The tandem space is proposed because the proposed lot for the historic home cannot accommodate traditional side -by -side parking. Therefore, the applicant is requesting flexibility in the PMC development standards as is allowed with a PUD application. The garage, as proposed, is designed as a drive - through, with garage doors on both the front and rear walls (north and south) that provide access to an uncovered space on the north side of the garage. Staff recommends that the uncovered space be relocated to the southern end of the garage, north of the private driveway, to allow for usability, and the garage be moved farther north. The north garage door would then be removed and replaced with an outward swinging man door to provide access to the garage without having to open the southern garage door. Relocating the garage would not require modifications /improvements to the existing home (i.e., fire retardant walls and roof) in order for the garage to meet current Building Codes. Although not allowed by Code, tandem parking is not unusual in Downtown since many of the older homes have tandem parking (typically with a detached, one -car garage towards the rear of the lot with a long driveway). In addition, the City has approved tandem parking in other residential projects. The adjacent Kimberly Commons project was approved with tandem parking for the four single - family detached homes. These houses all have three tandem spaces (a one -car carport at the rear of the site and two uncovered parking spaces within the driveway). Staff is unaware of any reported problems related to this design. Staff believes the tandem parking, with the recommended change to relocate the tandem space to the south side of the garage, is acceptable for the existing home since other homes nearby also have tandem parking, tandem parking is not unusual in historic neighborhoods, and the existing residence would be the only one on the site with tandem parking. Furthermore, whether the garage is located farther north or remains as is, the retained home would have a 6- foot -tall solid wood fence between the house and eastern property line that would screen the majority of the detached garage from views along St. John Street. Therefore, staff is supportive of the tandem space since it would be completely screened from St. John Street and it would be accessed by the private entrance and exclusively dedicated to the existing home. As conditioned, the garages will not be allowed to be modified by the residents or used for storage in a manner that interferes with the ability to park two cars within the townhome garages and one car in the detached garage for the historic home and residents will be required to ensure garages accommodate vehicles. A condition of approval requires that these parking restrictions be recorded as restrictive covenants that will "run with the land" and, therefore, would be binding on all future property owners. P16 -1201, PUD -120, & TRACT 8326 Planning Commission 21 of 32