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Variance Application #1775 <br />R. G. Luesse - 3249 Casco Circle, Orono <br />I would like to offer the following comments in support of the variance <br />application before you. <br />House <br />We purchased this property and built our homestead nearly 40 years ago before <br />the current ordinance limitations. The sideyard setbacks were 5 ft. and garages <br />were still being built with no setback from the street. Half-acre zoning and hard <br />cover limits didn't exist. We bought a standard lot on which we built the size <br />house we could afford at the time. <br />Our house has a very small footprint (864 sq. ft.). We utilize the full walkout for <br />bedrooms and bath which provided 3 small bedrooms for a family with 4 <br />children. We made this work by utilizing the concrete block building that came <br />with the lot for all our storage. One might expect that with the children gone we <br />would need less space. Not so. Our extended family now involves 4 families, 8 <br />grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. We now need more elbow room than <br />when we were a single unit. In addition Mrs. Luesse and I both have more time <br />to pursue our hobbies. Mrs. Luesse is an accomplished basket maker and quilt <br />designer. A handmade quilt in a frame for quilting requires a room <br />approximately 15 feet square. Our new all-weather porch will serve that purpose <br />well. <br />Workshop <br />Except for construction of the original cabinetry for the house the concrete <br />building has been used mostly for storage and garden supplies. With retirement <br />near, I expect to pursue my woodworking hobby in winter and gardening in <br />summer. I have a vintage wood sailboat to restore that was custom designed and <br />built by Joseph Pringle in St. Paul early in this century. I have the original gaff <br />rigging including top sail. I also have a wood and canvas guide canoe from Shell <br />Lake, Wisconsin which is also nearly 80 years old. For these restorations. I’ll <br />need a sizable work space. <br />Greenhouse <br />My summers are fully occupied with gardening. With chemically treated food <br />becoming a serious threat to health, I try to grow a variety of fruits and <br />vegetables myself. Some things need the benefit of early sprouting to enable <br />1