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Justification NarrativeCity of Chanhassen Community Development Department Section 5 Variance Application Responses: 832 Wood Hill Drive Septembet 73, 2079 {61 Written Justificatlon a. Variances shall only be permltted when they are ln harmony wlth the general purposes and intent of this Chapter (Section 20-58) and when the varlances are consistent wlth the comprehensive plan. Harmony of intent without the Section detail is difficult at this point. What we can say is that the deign will be in harmony with the Carver Beach environment and will blend-in with its surroundings. ln chanhassen we espouse to be "A community for Life. . . Providing for today and planning for tomorrow." Our variance application is a request to give my husband and I a better life in Chanhassen, providing for today so that while my husband is able we can enioy the outdoor space, and planning for tomorrow when he is less able to access it on his own. b. When there are practical difficuhies in complying wit r the zoning ordinance. "Practical dfficultes'as used in the connection with fanting the varianoe, meaning the prop€rtY owner proposes to u3e the property ln a reasonable manner not permltted by this chapter. Our decision to build a screened deck is based on my husband, Mike's disability. He has Huntington's Disease, which is a neuro-degenerative disorder that is incurable and fatal. we will both soon be homebound as the disease progresses and Mike loses more cognition and motor control. From the Huntington's Diseose Society ol Americo (HDSA) website (yutut-hc!79.919 ): Huntington's diseose (HD) is o fatol genetic disotder that couses the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the broin. lt deteriorotes o person's physicol ond mental abilities usuolly during their prime working years ond hos no cure. The life expectancy from the onset of this disease is estimated at 15-20 years. Based on the stages of decline Mike is currently using a walker, but will soon need a wheel chair. I want to be his Caregiver for as long as possible and keep him at home. We need to find new ways to enjoy living in our home and experiencing the beautiful outdoor environment that Wood Hill Drive offers. Mike is a "country boy''from Kansas and loves the hawks, owls, deer, turkey and fox that we have on The Hill. The ease of access to the screened deck from our dining area sliding glass doors will make those experiences more accessible to him and to us. What is our practical difficulty basis for the variance? - Placing the screened deck roofed entrance at our sliding glass doors with a 6.5' depth will easily allow Mike to wheel himself out the door directly into the protected space. Our sliding doors could also stay open without letting insects into the house allowing more time for egress, which is one of the primary interests we have in screening- in the space. He would also only need to wheel himself six feet into the large screened area.rrv rrrt rqrEL ""''"""trii br cHANHASSEN RECEIVED sEP 13 2019 CHANHASSEN PLANNING DETT Other practicality - Our house is built on a significant slope of the hill and immediately after we purchased it, we leveled the back yard into two terraces. Therefore, the area in which the submitted design is placed is level ground. Any other placement would involve water flow that could cause erosion of the footings or that we change the grade or find other structural solutions that would potentially add significant cost (also references the justification criteria in section C below). lf we moved the 12 X 12 screened deck to the East side of the house, which Bob Generous suggested as an alternate location because it would not infringe on setbacks, the screened deck would be placed in front of a 3-pane 8' X 5' casement window in our living room. That placement would both block our view of the woods and would restrict sunlight into our home from what is a very private outdoor view into the canopy of our trees. Also, my husband would need to push himself further in an unprotected space to get to the screened deck area. Building the deck on a solid wall on the North side that has no widows in the Living Room is the most practical spot. c, That the purpose of the variation is not based upon economlc considerations alone. The cost of this project is over 550,000 because we made decisions for a high-quality design using composite deck materials that will perform well in our sometimes extreme weather conditions. The shed roof will be shingled with the same brand and style as our current house roof. The railings and posts will be of the same color clad aluminum as our current exterior windows. d. The plight of the landowner is due to circumstances unique to the property and not created by the landosmer. We did not build this house, 832 Wood Hill Drive, however, we were the first occupants. The person who bought the property and started to construst the house was foreclosed in 1989. The mortgage lender was forced to finish the build as architecturally designed and we purchased it in December 1990. We did not choose the placement of the structure with the potential setback encroachment, which was inherent in the design should anyone want to build a deck r an addition. Even thouSh an open deck could be approved with the 5" allowance it is not workable for us. e. The variance, lf granted will not alter the essential character ofthe locality. The two neighbors to our North both have decks. Our neighbors on the West and East both have patios. Our screened deck is set into the woods and will primarily be hidden by the canopies in the Spring and Summer with manimal impact on our closest neighbors' outdoor environments f. varlances will be granted for earth sheltered construcdon as detined ln Minnesota Statutes Section 216C.06, suMivision 14, when in harmony with this Chapter. This structure is not earth sheltered.