Laserfiche WebLink
B-3 <br />Attachment to Variance Application <br />2600 W Lafayette Road <br />Orono.MN 55331 <br />Phillip Smith and Jennifer Pastrick-Smith <br /># <br />Hardship/Description of Unusual Property Conditions <br />We are requesting two variances for our remodeling/addition project <br />1. Hardcover <br />2. To allow a partial second level above the existing house which is within the 75’ <br />setback from Lake Minnetonka. <br />Background <br />The lot was platted in 1952 and the house built shortly thereafter. The house footprint is <br />original and no know-n additions have been added since its original construction. The <br />house structure is as close as 48 ’ to the lake; the stone patio is as close as 37 ’ to the lake. <br />The 75’ setback line is approximately the fall line for drainage. That is, the 75’ closest to <br />the lake drains to the east towards the lake and the portion beyond the 75’ setback line <br />flows to the west to a wetland/drainage pond in the neighborhood. Approximately 50% <br />of the house structure lies within 75’ of the lake. <br />Hardship for Variances <br />The lot is very wide with 160 feet of lake frontage and an average depth of approximately <br />190 feet. Different from when the house was built, the current zotung code disallows the <br />0-75’ zone from the calculation of hardcover. In this instance, approximately 39% of the <br />total land area is excluded from the calculation of hardcover. The wide shape of the lot is <br />a hardship due to the fact that 39% of the land area is excluded from the hardcover <br />calculation. This condition more severely impacts this lot versus a regular lot with <br />deeper proportions. <br />As the hardship relates to the second story addition, the location of the existing structure <br />is a hardship. Zoning allows for two story structures, except for the fact that the existing <br />house is within the 0 to 75’ setback. In the early 1950’s, law allowed the location of the <br />house. Additionally, the proposed second stoiy addition (i.e.: a shed dormer on the back <br />of the house) repeats the architecture of the existing house and will not alter the views of <br />my neighbors. Furthermore, the entire house structure, existing and planned, is behind <br />the average setback as determined by the two neighboring houses. <br />O