NarrativesDear City of Chanhassen,
Thank you for considering our variance.
Let me start by introducing myself my name is Meghan LaLonde, my husband is Mark LaLonde, we have three
daughters Delphie (9), Sylvia (7), Fiona (3) and one pup, a Goldendoodle, Klaus. When we first bought this home in
2017 we knew that it was our forever home and had the potential to allow our family to grow. We have always
enjoyed putting love into an older home and respecting the previous family's time in it. (We are only the 2nd
homeowner in a 72 year old home! – pretty cool.) When we moved in, we had only two daughters. Now with three
children, we feel we are a wee bit tight in the house. The areas we plan to improve on will allow each girl their own
space, more bathroom space (going to be needed as they grow!), an additional tandem garage as we have
purchased a retro camper (we plan to park that in our tandem stall - side of the variance) to ensure we are abiding
by the Chanhassen codes and being a respectful neighbor. The other parts of the extension will gain a mudroom
to keep all of the shoes and backpacks at bay. We are going to gain some space to house a big old family dinner
table to do puzzles, homework, and most importantly have family and friends over for celebrations. If we’ve
learned anything over these last couple of years , time spent with loved ones means the most. My husband and I
are now fully working from home. We adore our neighbors, neighborhood, and schools that the girls are currently
in.
We are requesting that our garage addition overlap with the zoning ordinance on our property line roughly 4.1’ to
maintain most efficient use of land and aesthetic of building.
The house was originally built and sitting on the plot as you see in our survey. To extend it straight off the garage
would ensure aesthetically that it looks like it has always been this way and will not disturb the surroundings or the
character of the neighborhood. The garden is what most attracted us to this plot of land; with this plan we can still
honor that beautiful soil.
Due to the position of the house on the property (guessing things were different at that time) we are unable to
put the camper on the side of the home, nor can we park it in front (due to code). This is where the tandem garage
is going to be so helpful!
The garage side of the house is where our neighbor to the right put in a beautiful privacy fence inset from her
property line. The easement is not utilized or maintained by the neighbor, falling to us to maintain its appearance.
Denial of the variance due to the zoning ordinance would result in t he garage jutting in on that side and would
make the roofline and side of the house feel and look unbalanced.
Our variance request may seem minor to most but to us it will allow a design that will allow our family to thrive
while maintaining the character of the home and neighborhood that we fell in love with from the beginning.
Sincerely,
The LaLonde Family at 6430 Pleasant View Lane
Dear City of Chanhassen,
Thank you for considering our variance.
Let me start by introducing myself my name is Meghan LaLonde, my husband is Mark LaLonde, we have three
daughters Delphie (9), Sylvia (7), Fiona (3) and one pup, a Goldendoodle, Klaus. When we first bought this home in
2017 we knew that it was our forever home and had the potential to allow our family to grow. We have always
enjoyed putting love into an older home and respecting the previous family's time in it. (We are only the 2d
homeowner in a 72 year old home! - pretty cool.) When we moved in, we had only two daughters. Now with three
children, we feel we are a wee bit tight in the house. The areas we plan to improve on will allow each girl their own
space, more bathroom space (going to be needed as they growl), an additional tandem garage as we have
purchased a retro camper (we plan to park that in our tandem stall - side of the variance) to ensu re we are abiding
by the Chanhassen codes and being a respectful neighbor. The other parts of the extension will gaio a mudroom
to keep all ofthe shoes and backpacks at bay. We are going to gain some space to house a big old family dinner
table to do puzzles, homework, and most importantly have family and friends over for celebrations. lf we've
leamed anything over these last couple of years, time spent with loved ones means the most. My husband and I
are now fully working from home. We adore our neighbors, neighborhood, and schools that the girls are currently
in.
4'
We are requesting that our Barage addition overlap with the zoninB ordinance on our property line roughly 24'to
maintain most efficient use of land and aesthetic of building.
The house was originally built and sitting on the plot as you see in our survey. To extend it straight off the garage
would ensure aesthetically that it looks like it has always been this way and will not disturb the surroundings or the
character of the neighborhood. The garden is what most attracted us to this plot of land; with this plan we can still
honor that beautiful soil.
Due to the position of the house on the property (guessing things were different at that time) we are unable to
put the camper on the side ofthe home, nor can we park it in front (due to code). This is where the tandem garage
is going to be so helpful!
The garage side of the house is where our neighbor to the right put in a beautiful privacy fence inset from her
property line. The easement is not utilized or maintained by the neighbor, falling to us to maintain its appearance.
Denial of the variance due to the zoning ordinanc€ would result in the garage jutting in on that side and would
make the roofline and side of the house feel and look unbalanced.
V l,vrt
Sincerely,
The Lal-onde Family at 30 Pleasant View Lane s'f C\
fl,hhO /v-1 e-FiEv4!
1_
%
Our variance request may seem minor to most but to us it will allow a design that will allow our family to thrive
while maintaining the character ofthe home and neighborhood that we fell in love with from the beginning.
-tTA,a*
t\\