Supplemental Info from ApplicantRe: Variance Request, 3609 Red Cedar Point Road
Thank you to staff for the recommendation to approve a partial variance for our southern shore
setback, and for the suggestions to further improve our site plan.
Our initial application for this variance request included a brief narrative, however, upon reading
the staff report and findings we would like to take the opportunity to bring to the council’s
attention additional information which we hope can support our joint efforts to come to a final
agreement on the plan for this parcel.
First is our track record of being responsible citizens of the city of Chaska that value
conservation, preservation, and biodiversity. Our current home in Chaska is located on Canyon
Road, which sits high above East Creek Canyon and our wonderful trail system. Because of our
elevation, we have seen effects of stormwater runoff in our neighborhood over time, so we
appreciate your city’s attention to preserving the land and improving the waters for current
residents and generations to come. (Pete is an avid fisherman, so lake conservation is of high
interest!).
Our efforts to enhance our Chaska homesite over the past 10 years have included several
interior projects, and on the outside, developing extensive gardens, installing strategically
placed, multi-sized retaining walls to stave off erosion threats, planting 4 trees, and adding solar
panels to the south-facing roof of the whole home. Our gardens include native plants, edible
varieties, an array of perennials, and pollinators added annually. We enjoy visits from
hummingbirds at our feeder, and are happy to share our space with all the beautiful bees and
butterflies.
We purchased 3609 Red Cedar Point Road three years ago in an effort to expand our family’s
opportunities to enjoy Minnesota lake life close to home, since we are in the precious season of
raising busy kids, and we have absolutely loved being able to share the lake with our family,
friends, church, and community. Unlike many new buyers to lake property, we have had the
benefit of experiencing the land, water, waves, weather, stormwater, animal and human traffic
patterns related to this plot for three years, prior to submitting a development plan to the council
for approval. For the past 4 summers and 3 winters, we have been closely observing these
elements and believe our proposed building design takes into consideration the uniqueness of
Red Cedar Point and it’s inhabitants, the soil and water conditions and their best uses, our
neighbors’ existing non-conforming properties, and the effects of human behaviors on our
environment.
Many of our Point neighbors have shared with us that they have spent hundreds of thousands of
dollars in the past several years making significant improvements to their homes and land. Both
of our direct neighbors have invested so much that it is reasonable to believe that their homes
are decades from being torn down and redeveloped. With this in mind, we have been very
intentional about creating a plan that respects the investments our neighbors have made to their
properties, as well as the way they function within them. What you will not find on the report of
staff findings is how the people on the Point use their land, and how the land responds to the
people’s use. For example, staff recommendation to shift the whole house forward (north) 4’ on
our plot to gain 4’ of additional distance from the southern shore, while on paper appears a
logical suggestion to reduce our setback request, does not take into account that Gary and
Nancy, our eastern neighbors, eat dinner on their north deck, so moving our house further north
would obstruct their lake views and make their already-encroaching deck feel boxed in, giving
them the experience of dining in a hallway, or feeling as though they could reach out and touch
our house from their deck. Their deck has just recently been beautifully remodeled, and the staff
and council would not be expected to know that this amenity of theirs (which is not reflected on
the survey) played a key role in our design. We specifically chose to locate our front entry on the
western side of our parcel in order to provide both of us with as much separation, space, and
consideration as possible.
Similarly, the staff’s suggestion to redesign our house to reduce it’s foyer and front porch areas
would not have the context of knowing that the front yard of our parcel actually functions as our
back yard; it is in the front, or, on the north side of the house, that we primarily gather, entertain,
picnic, park, eat, swim, boat, play volleyball, store water related accessories, and, come winter,
set up the portable fire pit and plow a rink so family and friends can joining us for ice skating and
boot hockey.
Staff and council would also not have the benefit of knowing that Ann & Howard, our western
neighbors, sit on their deck when they work from home, as well as gather there when their
young adult children bring friends for dinner and surf nights. It was this knowledge that informed
the plan for our southern side configuration, again, to provide these neighbors, and us, with as
much separation, space, and respect as possible, while sharing the best of the amazing lake
views.
Our direct neighbors’ properties both have non-conforming side lots that encroach on our
property, which is clear from the survey, and, they both have non-conforming southern shoreline
setbacks, which are not reflected on the survey. They are unlikely to change any of these
setbacks in the near or distant future. Taking into careful consideration our shared side lot lines,
and bringing our principal structure into conformity with side setbacks, we are thoughtfully
proposing that our home fall in line with the neighboring homes with respect to all of our
southern shoreline setbacks.
We are proposing a shallow deck (or patio) of only 8’ off the back of the house at its center; this
matches the distance from shore of our western neighbor’s deck (which is not visible on the
survey). Our design includes a modest increase to the eastern portion of our deck/patio for the
placement of a future hot tub; depending on elevations at that corner, the deck/patio’s
measurements may end up being reduced if the hot tub is actually better off sunken. Our
eastern neighbor’s paver patio, which extends toward their shoreline past their southern deck
(neither of which are visible on the survey), ends at approximately 32 feet from the water, which
is significantly non-conforming. Despite our proposed deck/patio measurements potentially
appearing superfluous on paper, we believe these custom specifications attempt to both reflect
and respect our and our neighbors’ properties in real life.
On the south shore, where we have requested the setback variance, we have plans to address
city and water management’s concerns regarding shoreline preservation and runoff. We will be
improving our existing riprap for shoreline preservation, and we are open to installing a
vegetative buffer with the following: 20’ averaging, adequate lake access, space for a fire pit
(current fire pit is located too close to the principal structure), attractive, include a variety of
vegetation, and include a border for ease in mowing. The design will likely include a partial
retaining wall behind the buffer for which we will obtain a zoning permit.
On the north side, where we have NOT requested a setback variance, we have a topic of
concern related to the City-owned parcel at the end of Red Cedar Point Road. Improving this
parcel, which is one plot away from ours and separated only by the neighbor’s small
parking/lake access area, has been on the city’s future agenda for many years without a
committed timeframe for action. This parcel serves as the turnaround, snow storage, and
stormwater runoff location for Red Cedar Point’s dead end road. During the three years of our
property ownership, the north side of our property has seen significant, negative impacts directly
resulting from the city’s inadequate attention to their parcel, as well as past city decisions
related to the development and care of the road/neighborhood:
(1) The large dead tree on the city’s plot was marked for removal prior to our property purchase,
but despite being identified and tagged, it sat untouched for years until a tornado knocked it
down, landing it across our private drive and in our personal driveway. It blocked traffic, downed
wires causing a power outage to the Point, and knocked down our neighbor’s trees, which were
providing beneficial shade and wind blocking to our lot.
(2) There is no collection or filtration system for stormwater flowing down Red Cedar Point
Road. While some water trickles through the city’s parcel into the lake, the overflow turns the
corner and ends up collecting in our yard, rendering it unusable for days (see photos).
(3) There is an unclear turnaround situation at the end of Red Cedar Point Road. Because there
is no delineation in the asphalt between the city street and the shared private drive, no clear
signage, and limited space for navigation, it is not uncommon for delivery trucks and uninvited
guests — gawkers understandably curious as to what’s at the end of the Point — to turn around
in our actual lawn. Because stormwater collection leaves our yard soggy, we have sustained
many deep tire ruts from unsuspecting vehicles (see photos).
(4) There is no street parking on the last stretch of Red Cedar Point Road. Neighbors are very
cooperative and find joy in working together to maximize our empty parking spaces for each
others’ guests, and guests are certainly capable of parking further up the street and walking
down to visit. However, we have a realistic picture of how the Point functions with no street
parking in an emergency: We had the unfortunate experience last summer of assisting first
responders in an attempted rescue in front of our property. While we were grateful to offer our
yard as a staging area for the medical and dive teams, the emergency vehicles that parked in
our yard left large, deep ruts which we are left to repair.
(5) There are large, random objects within our north shore riprap. A concrete piling, a rusty pipe,
and cinder blocks could be previously functional items from the past owners, but we wonder if
they are remnants of the city’s old vacated private road, which used to run along the shore (see
photos).
Following construction of the home, we plan to apply for a permit to install a shed/boathouse on
the north side of the private drive for storing water related accessories, and are planning to have
a parking pad in front of it (—> turnaround spot!). We have the appropriate impervious coverage
percentage to do these things. We have already discussed with the city possible solutions for
the stormwater collection issue on our lawn, and have received permission to create our own
stabilized rip rap channel, add a rain garden, etc. We are not opposed to including a significant
vegetative buffer in our plans, provided we preserve the main lawn portion and lake access area
for enjoying with our guests. The neighbor’s tree roots going into our yard protrude above
ground from years of poor stormwater management, and our mower is getting damaged from
hacking them up — this gives us weekly motivation to get going with our building project so we
can complete all the site improvements! However, with respect to committing to the installation
of a 20’ vegetative buffer along our northern shoreline, we are very hesitant to *sink* money into
any developments on the north side of our property until we see the city’s plan for managing the
dead end and stormwater runoff from Red Cedar Point.
We would be interested in additional details about the vegetative buffer requirement. We can
see everyone’s lakeshore, so it is unclear how the city’s approval of our variance would be
conditional for us but not for other owners who have built new homes on the lake recently.
In preparation for teardown, we have begun to extract from the property simple items that can
be preserved and re-used. We have transplanted columbine, catmint, iris, and over 15 varieties
of hasta from the Point yard to our Chaska yard, creating an enhanced shade garden at our
current home to further strengthen our runoff buffer, and will have these and other plants ready
for splitting and bringing back to the Point when the time comes. Neighbors Ann, Nancy and
Pam have also received perennial transplants for their yards in an effort to salvage as much as
possible! We have dug up and relocated enough stones and pavers to create several functional
retention areas in our Chaska yard as well, and have more work to do in these efforts before
demo and excavation begin.
We are ready to work together to design solutions that work for this space. We hope this
additional context is helpful in understanding our request. Thank you for your time.
Pete & Jada Sanders