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Commission recommends village board approve Shore Acres ravine setback variance for pool and deck
Summary
The Village of Lake Bluff Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to recommend the Village Board approve a zoning variation allowing replacement and reconfiguration of a nonconforming pool, spa and deck at 1800 Shore Acres Drive with reduced encroachment into the ravine and a cantilevered deck design.
The Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals recommended the Village Board approve a zoning variation for 1800 Shore Acres Drive on Wednesday, May 21, allowing a reconfigured pool, spa and a smaller, cantilevered deck that will reduce encroachment into a ravine.
The matter matters because the property’s existing pool and spa are nonconforming and the applicant said the pool is leaking and needs replacement. The commission, which serves as a recommending body, weighed structural plans and village engineer review before voting to send approval to the Village Board.
Contractor Jeff Tandola, representing property owner Manny Heguar, told the commission the new design reduces wood deck area by about 320 square feet and “the deck is going to be smaller than it is by 320 square feet.” He described a cantilevered structure tied to a soldier-pile precast wall at the ravine top so no piers would be placed below the top of slope. Tandola also said the spa foundation that currently sits in the ravine will be removed and the slope restored after construction.
Members repeatedly said the revised plan responds to earlier guidance and reduces impacts to the ravine. Member Russell noted the applicant “is pulling the deck back significantly several hundred square feet out of the ravine” and said removing the old spa and eliminating piers are improvements. Member Danley and Member Fisher both said the cantilever approach made sense and that a structural engineer’s involvement is appropriate.
Miss Gable, village staff, told the commission the petition will go to the Village Board for first-reading consideration the week following the PCZBA meeting. Village engineer Jeff Hanson visited the site and returned a favorable evaluation, the commission recorded.
The PCZBA moved, and the motion passed unanimously: Member Danley, Member Fisher, Member Miller, Member Russell and Chair Peters all voted in favor. The commission’s recommendation includes the changes shown in the submitted approval order and will be considered by the Village Board at its next available meeting.
The commission emphasized that building permit review and the village’s normal permit conditions—such as slope stabilization and restoration—will apply before any work begins. Tandola said final structural design will follow only if the Village Board and building permit process allow the project to proceed.
Next steps: the recommendation goes to the Village Board for first-reading consideration; the applicant will complete structural design and obtain required building permits if the board approves.
