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•# <br />►> V <br />MEMORANDUM <br />To:Chair Rahn and Plaiuiiiig Commissioners <br />Melanie Curtis, City Planner <br />From:•r •« <br />Date: <br />Mike Gaffron, Plamting Director <br />November 10, 2004 <br />»»*• I .*’ * » • . • * • J — *® %■ N* • f <br />Subject:File #/04-3060 - Lakcshorc Land Alteration at 1220 Tonkawa Road <br />I would oflcr the following comments regarding history of the site and what I believe should be City goals <br />for the site: <br />1.Fred GuUormson and Chic Dwight owned this property in the 1990's. In 1995 they applied for <br />variances to replace the existing 8' x 24' deck on the lake side of the home, and to build a screen <br />porch under it. This involved excavation aitd retaining walls adjacent to the east end of the house <br />in order to have the floor of the screen porch level the full width of the house. That application <br />also proposed some boulder retaining walls between the house and the lake, perpendicular to <br />the shoreline, to stop a drainage and erosion problem pur|iortcdly caused by lack of ground <br />cover in this area. The result of their request is that they were approved for the deck and porch, <br />subject to hardcover removals around the property, but were formally denied (Rc.solution No. <br />3611) the ability to place rock walls and borders l.ikew;ud of the house, because at that time staff <br />found no evitlencc of crosioit that would have required such substantial work. They were advised <br />to establish lawn in the areas benveen tlic house and the lakcshorc bank, without chatiging grades <br />or removing vegetation. <br />Further, at that time there was a substantial growth of mature trees and underbrush on the <br />*hump ’ between the house and the lake (sec attached photo from City files), which acted to <br />screen the cast wall of the house from the lake. Tliis was considered as a plus by the City, <br />since the house is so close to the lake. <br />Drainage was an issue for the Guttormsons, as the ‘ hump ’ area drained to the south rather than <br />toward the lake (this drainage pattern is also visible by examining the photo, ;ind from the City’s <br />1992 topography map). They were concenied about drainage entering the screen porch area, <br />lliey were advised they could establish a shallow swale just cast of the deck to channelize tlie flow <br />te •iiC south. 1 don ’t know whether they did this or how effective it was. <br />2.In 1997 it w'as found that the Guttormsons had gone aliead with the deck replacement and screen <br />porch without pennits, without executing the variance resolutions, and without completing the <br />reriuired hardcover removals associated with that 1995 approval. A new after-the-fact variance <br />application for this work was filed in 1997, in conjunction with a request for a new detached <br />garage. While this new application was never finalized and tltc garage was not built, GuUormson <br />did eventually remove the hardcover areas originally required to be removed.