09-13-1993 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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WHAT ELSE HAVE WE DONE TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS? 1. NO DECK. Alter many meetings with Jirchitccts (Mulfinger & Susanka) and our builder (James W. Bruce), we have realized that there is no way to incorporate a deck into the front (lake side) of the home. We love sitting on a deck, and entertaining on a deck-* as we do now at our little lake home on North Arm--bu<^ designing a deck at the front of the home, and trying to keep it out of the lake .setback, pushes the house way too far back, and escalates the amount of hardcover to levels I doubt w’e would get approved. So, no deck. 2. NO A'lTACHED GARAGE. We have always had attached garages, which are the most desired in nicer homes. Homes in tlie price range weil wind up in often have big three-car attached garages. But several of the models the architects built showed us that an attached two -car garage would keep the new house almost in the same footprint that the existing home now occupies --very much Into the lake setback. Also, even a modest garage starts to get buried into tlie hill and requires the cutting dowm of too many trees. Although our architect, builder, and Realtor a]l pointed out that tuck-under garages tend to slightly diminish tlie val;*' of nicer homes, anything but a tuck-under garage on this particular lot is pretty rough on lake setback and hardcover requirements. In an attempt to request as little variance as possible, we have agreed witli the architect ’s conclusion that we need to stick the garage under tlie house. 3. Finally, we don ’t w'ant to build one of the big, impressive “ego- homes" that seem to be popping up all over Lake Minnetonka, even on small lots. My wife and I have no children, and w'e can be happy with most of tlie building size restrictions that this lot presents, especially with the little hill being such an obvious amenity to prev ^^rve . and not dig into. We have designed a small, compact, efficient, two-story home which minimizes lot coverage the best we can. 1 would imagine tliat virtually aHi: other buyer of this lot would be trying to build a much larger home, and would be coming to Orono for much greater variances, than what we aie asking for. TTiank you for your consideration of our request.