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Board denies Linden Lake variance for 10-foot addition 197 feet from ordinary high water
Summary
The board denied a variance request that would have allowed a 10-by-28-foot addition to a South Haven home that would have placed the new structure 197 feet from Linden Lake’s ordinary high water line, short of the 200-foot setback for a natural-environment lake.
The Stearns County Board of Adjustment denied a request from property owners Corey and Katrina Koenig to construct a 10-by-28-foot addition on a house that would sit lakeward of the existing dwelling at a recorded 197 feet from the ordinary high water line (OHWL) of Linden Lake.
Environmental services staff told the board the applicants acquired the roughly 12.13-acre property in 2022; the lot sits in an A-40 zoning district and in the Shoreland Overlay District for Linden Lake, classified as a natural-environment lake. Staff recounted prior permits: in 2011 a replacement home had been permitted and recorded at 207 feet from the OHWL. The applicants’ septic was certified compliant in 2024. Staff also described alternatives: build the addition 7 feet lakeward of the dwelling to meet 200-foot setback, place the addition on a different side of the house, or reconstruct and relocate the dwelling so the addition meets 200 feet.
Applicants said the rear slope and location of services (sewer/septic) constrained placement; they described the addition as a four-season porch supported on pillars rather than digging under the structure. Board members questioned whether alternative placements — including an addition off a corner that would meet the setback — were practical and discussed septic setbacks. Staff noted the previous site permit and inspection and explained that the board was honoring the earlier 207-foot measurement for the existing dwelling.
In the findings, several board members said the request was not in harmony with shoreland policies that limit shoreland development. After answering the required findings, three board members voted no on the statutory questions that determine whether a variance may be granted. The board then voted to deny the variance. The transcript records a motion to deny, seconded, and carried by roll call.
Ending: Staff will work with the applicants on alternatives and advised them of options including reorienting the addition or rebuilding the house in a configuration that allows a 10-foot addition to meet the 200-foot OHWL setback.
