Variance Request Letter to PCAugust 13, 2020
City of Chanhassen Planning Commission,
Thank you for considering our request for a variance, and for taking the time to understand our
situation- My husband and I ctrrently own a home in St. Paul and plan to move to Chanhassen once our
renovation is complete. The move to Lake Riley is very special to me because I was born and grew up in
this very house. My parents bought this house in 1968, just a couple years before I was born. I grew up
in this house, spending a significant amount of time in and on Lake Riley during all seasons. When I left
for college, my mom stayed in the house and has maintained it on her own since that time. She now
winters in Florida, and at age 82, Jo King (my mom) decided that keeping up the house, yard, and
lakeshore was getting to be too much for her and this past December my husband and I took ownership
of the house.
The house is in need of significant repairs with the last update having been completed in 1980. We have
been working with lspiri to design what we consider to be our dream home on the lake. While many
houses in the area from my early days have been torn down and/or rebuilt into big, beautiful homes, it
is important to us to maintain the architecture and style of the home and stay close to the original
design. Our intent is not to increase the footprint of the house or add an additional level as we do not
need any more space. Our planned improvements include a full remodel of both interior levels, making
much needed repairs, updates and bringing everything up to code in addition to removing the second-
floor overhangs, replacing the deck structure, porch. and patio that faces the lake. All of these
improvements will enhance the appeal of the home, as well as add value to the neighborhood and other
lake properties.
The proposed change we bring before you with a variance request is for our upper level dining room.
Without this variance, our dining room and kitchen area would be reduced by 7' due to the required 75'
setback from the high-water mark. We based our initial design on the latest survey we had available.
The proposed construction creates a dining space that cantilevers over the existing foundation by 2' to
give an enhanced view of Lake Riley. Regarding the 75' flooding setback, our house is elevated on a hill,
and the dining room is on the second level, 23 vertical feet above the high-water mark. This proposed
space will in no way affect the lake view of our neighbors to either the north or the south.
Our overall request is no change to the foundation or overall view of our house, but rather to allow us to
have our dining room overlooking Lake Riley for a total variance of 7'. We are happy to provide any
additional information or answer any questions you may have. Thank you for your time and
consideration of our request.
Sincerely,
-4"/l 4-1 *d
Stacy (Ki ng ) Goff and Edward Goff