Laserfiche WebLink
Justification for Variance Requests <br />3600 Casco Ave <br />Unique Lot Configuration - Lakeshore Point Setting - Wide Utility Easement <br />10/18/2023 <br />To Orono City Staff, Planning Commission and City Council, <br />I am writing to provide a comprehensive rationale for the variance requests pertaining to a proposed new <br />home located at 3600 Casco Ave. Our team is requesting variances for the Average Lakeshore Setback <br />(ALS) line and the hardcover allowance. The unique lot configuration, lakeshore point setting and a wide <br />utility easement are practical difficulties necessitating these variance requests. The following points <br />outline the substantive reasons behind our requests. <br />Average Lakeshore Setback Line & Utility Easement: <br />The ALS line ordinance does not allow a new home or even the existing home to be build without a <br />variance. In fact the ALS line setback and the utility easement would only allow for approximately 500 <br />square feet of total buildable area. Please review to the aerial exhibit that shows the ALS line and the <br />utility easement line in white. <br />The adjacent property to the north at 3630 Casco Ave has a unique lot configuration where the buildable <br />area is a long distance from the lake. This house is setback 250 feet from the water and the site has a 20’ <br />strip of land that goes to the shoreline. This house does not have a view of the lake currently and the <br />owner supports the variance request. <br />The shoreline for adjacent property on the southern side at 2914 Casco Point Road comes into the inlet <br />and makes the ALS line logic invalid for this shoreline section. This neighboring home has views towards <br />the inlet and Carmans Bay looking southeast and not towards the subject property. This owner also <br />supports the variance request. <br />Our proposed house placement also needed to accommodate a unique wide utility line easement that <br />comes 20’ onto the property along most of the southern and southeastern property lines. This is double <br />the normal side setback requirement. The proposed house plan location does not impact this utility <br />easement. <br />The proposed new house location is very close in proximity to the existing house and deck. We did push <br />the new house farther away from the close neighboring house to the south and slightly closer to the lake <br />to accommodate the wide utility easement. The closest lake location for the proposed home is 92’ <br />however this distance is more like 96’ due to a small shoreline inlet notch measuring 4-5’ which lowers the <br />distance. <br />The proposed house placement is well beyond the 75’ typical setback. Moreover, our proposed house is a <br />one and half story design that will not create massing, blends in well with the surrounding housing stock <br />and has a classic timeless cottage style. <br />Please refer to colorized survey exhibit that shows the existing home, proposed home and the utility <br />easement. There is clearly a practical difficulty for granting an ALS line variance for 3600 Casco. <br />Hardcover: <br />This property has a unique long narrow driveway that measures approximately 355’ and requires <br />significant hardcover versus a typical driveway entrance. The current hardcover on this subject property is <br />34% reflecting this driveway and overages in the buildable area as well.