Mini house gets go-ahead

The Sundance City Council has offered its blessing to plans for the new owner of the Dog Pound Grill to construct a small house on the lot behind the eatery.

David Stone approached the council last month to ask for a variance, which would be necessary because current regulations state that no housing is permitted on lots zoned as “general business”.

The residence, Stone said, would be a smaller prefab modular located in a place that would not have an effect on current traffic flow. He also intends to install two charging stations for electric vehicles on the lot.

After hearing the proposal, and with confusion among the council over how it would fit on the lot and whether it would count as a tiny house or trailer home instead of simply a small residence, Council Member Randy Stevenson expressed an opinion with which his fellows agreed: the council really needs to see the exact plan in order to make an informed decision.

Council Member Joe Wilson asked him to drive stakes into the property where he thinks the house will sit to make the proposal clearer.

Stone approached the council a second time last week and thanked members for visiting the lot. He stated that, in the time between the two meetings, he has performed further analysis on the available structures and now intends for the home to be 15 feet in depth.

It can be built and delivered at any length, he explained, so he is considering somewhere between 42 and 52 feet. A length between these numbers, he said, should not create obstructions or dangers for pedestrians.

Answering a question from Council Member Callie Hilty, Stone said he has not yet determined where the charging stations will be as the various pieces he intends to add can be moved around without making a difference to whether or not they cause obstructions.

Hilty also noticed that, during her inspection, she realized the property line is further east than the parking line and “there’s definitely a lot more room” than the council may have been picturing.

On this basis, the council moved to grant the variance and allow the small home on the property. The motion was passed unanimously.