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Date Application Received: 12/13/2023 <br />Date Application Considered as Complete: 12/26/2023 <br />60-Day Review Period Expires: 02/24/2024 <br /> <br /> <br />To: Chair Bollis and Planning Commission Members <br /> Adam Edwards, City Administrator <br /> <br />From: Natalie Nye, Planner <br /> <br />Date: January 16, 2024 <br /> <br />Subject: LA23-000062, Peter Eskuche, 4423 North Shore Drive, Variance, Public Hearing <br /> <br /> <br />Background <br />The applicant is proposing to demolish the existing home and construct a new home in a similar <br />location. The subject property is a lake lot that also fronts on a channel. The property contains <br />bluffs along the lake and channel frontages. The subject property is subject to lake setbacks <br />along the southern and western property lines as well as bluff setbacks. There are two different <br />bluff setbacks from the top of the bluff, a 20-foot bluff impact zone and a 30-foot bluff setback. <br />No structural improvements are permitted in either setback. The existing home is <br />nonconforming as parts of the home and driveway are located within the bluff setback and <br />within the bluff impact zone. The average lakeshore setback is determined by the neighbor to <br />the east and is a flat setback of 107.6 feet. The existing home encroaches into the average <br />lakeshore setback on both the south and western areas of the home. The proposed home <br />requires an average lakeshore setback variance due to the proposed placement. <br /> <br />The proposed home has been pulled farther away from the bluff, but still encroaches into the <br />bluff setback. The proposed driveway, patio, and other improvements are located within the <br />bluff impact zone and bluff setback and require variances. Due to the sensitivity of the bluff, <br />Staff does not support the application as applied. The applicant’s choice of home design, <br />location, and amenities lead to further encroachments within the bluff setback and bluff impact <br />zone and are out of convenience for the chosen home design. <br /> <br />Practical Difficulties Analysis <br />Applicant Submittal Information: The applicant has identified the physical constraints of the lot <br />as practical difficulties resulting in a small building envelope. The subject property is constricted <br />by the existing bluffs along the lake and channel. The existing home encroaches into both the <br />bluff setback and bluff impact zone. The existing home was built in the 1950’s and the property <br />owners desire a modern home on the property. There is also an existing steep driveway of 10- <br />12.5% grade. The steep driveway along the edge of the bluff is dangerous. The average <br />lakeshore setback on the property is determined by the only neighbor to the east. The flat <br />Application Summary: The applicant is requesting variances in order to construct a new home <br />within the average lakeshore setback and building and hardcover encroachments within a bluff <br />impact zone and bluff setback. <br />Staff Recommendation: Planning Department Staff recommends denial of the variances as <br />applied. <br />93