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Narrative Explanation of Variance Request <br /> Brian O'Connell and Lynne Rasmussen are the new owners of the property at 3145 North <br /> Shore Dr, Orono.They love the property, but it doesn't serve their family's needs as well as it <br /> should. To solve this problem they want to make some modest improvements including a small <br /> addition to the home where a deck is currently located. For most other properties on the lake <br /> this would be no problem as these improvements do not interfere with lakeshore, or boundary <br /> setbacks, are within hardcover limits, and will have little to no impact on the neighbors or the <br /> community. The only reason these plans even need to request a variance is because of an odd <br /> "siteline" setback issue caused by a unique situation with the property to the north and a literal <br /> interpretation of the city ordinances. <br /> Specifically, the average setback requirement which is intended to prevent any one <br /> property owner from building much closer to the lake than others which could negatively <br /> impact the other property owners' ability to enjoy the use of their own property as well as their <br /> enjoyment of the lake. For most properties along the lake this results in a reasonable setback <br /> that still leaves options for them to modify or add on to their homes as Brian and Lynne wish to <br /> do. <br /> In this specific case however, because of the adjacent property to the north, a literal <br /> interpretation of the average setback rule made the entire lot unbuildable in the first place and <br /> a variance was required to build a home on the lot at all back in 2008. At that time this body <br /> acknowledged the unique circumstances and approved the plans to construct the home that <br /> Lynne and Brian now enjoy. <br /> The property to the north is set back almost 260' from the natural lakeshore but has a man- <br /> made lagoon that connects to the lake. The property to the south has a more normal lot and is <br /> positioned roughly 97' away from the lake at its nearest point. The average of these two vastly <br /> different setback conditions creates an average setback line that crosses this property right <br /> through the house and makes it impossible to improve the home with an addition. <br /> Brian and Lynne respectfully request a variance to overcome this practical hardship so they <br /> can make the proposed improvements to their property. <br />