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Owners of century-old Cybil Lane cottage seek shoreland setback variance after structural failure
Summary
Property owners at N1579 Cybil (Cybil) Lane asked Walworth County to allow a single-family rebuild and accessory shed closer than zoning permits after discovering foundation decay; the Town of Lynn recommended approval with inspection conditions and several neighbor letters supported the request.
Jay Tyler Rittmer, one of the property owners at N1579 Cybil Lane, told the Walworth County Board of Adjustment on May 14, 2025, that a planned renovation became new construction after foundation failure required removing and rebuilding part of a nearly 100-year‑old cottage.
Rittmer and contractor Rob Elliott requested variances from Walworth County shoreland and R-1 setback requirements so the reconstructed residence and a replacement shed can be located within the original footprint. The county ordinance requires a 15-foot side yard setback and a 25-foot rear yard setback for R-1 zoning; the applicants requested a 1.3-foot side yard and 3.6-foot rear yard for the house and a 2.1-foot side yard and 0.8-foot rear yard for a shed.
“We never intended … other than making it year round,” Rittmer said, describing the family’s long association with the lane. He said contractors discovered foundation cracks that required removal and repair in the existing footprint, and that the project moved from a remodel permit to a new-construction application after a county inspector issued a stop-work order in January and the town and county issued follow-up orders.
Rob Elliott said the repaired portion was reconstructed “in the exact same footprint” and inspected by an engineer. The applicants provided a new survey showing the same footprint and letters from neighbors; county staff said the packet contained approximately 11 letters of support.
County staff read a Town of Lynn letter dated May 13, 2025: the town planning commission recommended approval and the town board approved the variance 5-0 with conditions requiring excavation inspection before pouring and subsequent inspection of a 12-inch trench wall.
Board members questioned whether the condition of similar lots on Cybil Lane means the property’s nonconforming setbacks are not unique; the applicants said many cottages on the lane are similarly sited and argued denial would result in a vacant lot or continued safety hazards from the open structure. The applicants also said the property is currently on a shared Cybil Lane septic system and that they plan to install a holding tank and a dedicated well, which they noted on the submitted survey.
The hearing closed with no county decision recorded; town letters and neighbor support remain in the record.
