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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