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From:Yorks, Patricia E To:Melanie Curtis Subject:Comments RE:2815 Casco Point Road Date:Sunday, September 18, 2022 6:17:12 PM Hi Melanie: I am submitting some input on the many requests the new owner of 2815 Casco Point Road have submitted. We have been residents on Casco Point Road for over 53 years. We have seen many iterations of remodeling and building new. My career of real estate has also allowed me many experiences through my clients, who have wanted to remodel, build or whatever. My experience is that most Orono residents have worked very diligently to abide by city codes. I think it is human nature that many people think their circumstances are unique and special and therefore they need to be given special permission to go outside the city codes and regulations. It appears that the new owner of 2815 Casco Point Road wants special consideration and be an exception in almost every direction. With all these requests, it appears that perhaps, they should have purchased a different home to begin with. Most Buyers go to the city prior to purchasing, to talk with the planning staff to see what is possible and then make their plans accordingly. They design their home to meet setbacks, and codes. In addition, the neighbors in this neighborhood for the most part have discussed their plans personally with each other and perhaps not always concluding in agreement, but certainly have thought about the other neighbors considerations and the impact on them prior to going to city planning and asking for approval at the city. It appears most of the neighbors in this targeted area have been quite upset by the new owners of 2815 thinking that for the most they are an exception to the city codes and rules we have all abided by for years. Their plans look lovely, I express concern that in viewing the plans very little consideration has been given to codes and to neighbors’ concerns. Our personal example: 1. We wanted to rebuild our home. We wanted to add on various rooms to the house but those plans did not fit with the 75’ lake setback, or the side setbacks so we had Stubbs moving lift the home up and move it backwards and to the side so that we could do our desired plan with the square footage needed and abide by city codes. 2. We have never been able to have an attached garage, because of the city’s hardcover restriction. 3. We have never been able to have a deck in the middle of our incline to enjoy the lake because of the 0 hardcover allowed in the 75’ zone from the 929’ lake elelvation. 4. We have no place to sit at our lakeshore due to our steep incline like 2815 has, because we are not allowed a deck or any sitting area at the edge of the lake because of hardcover. 5. We struggle each year as the dock guys try to find enough room to store our dock and lift each winter. 6. The house to the West was built in the mid 1940’s and is built 30” from our property line and in addition, we have huge trees in our setback area, this does not afford us to have any machinery come to our lakeside yard to trim trees, to install or repair a retaining wall on our steep incline to the lake. We have to ask permission from our neighbor to the east to have machinery come across his yard to access ours. These are just a few of the compromises we have had to live with and I know our immediate neighbors live with similar compromises as we all try to abide by the city, LMCD, DNR , Minnehaha Watershed codes to keep the greatest resource we all enjoy, Lake Minnetonka healthy and vibrant. We have put our selfish desires aside to enjoy the wonderful quality of life the lake brings us. If the city has decided that the powers that make the rules for our codes have changed, we are totally in, we would love to have better access to the lake, an attached garage, a deck in the middle of our 45 degree incline next to the lake and a sitting area at the lake. Patty Yorks