Shore Acres pool and deck variance hearing continued after commissioners seek clearer topo and structural plans

The Village of Lake Bluff Joint Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals continued a public hearing Jan. 15 on a zoning‑variation application for extensive alterations to a nonconforming pool, spa, terrace and deck at 1800 Shore Acres Drive, citing incomplete topographic and structural information in the packet.

Village staff said the applicant seeks variations from setback and construction rules in the Village’s ravine protections (identified in staff materials as Sections 10‑12‑3, 10‑12‑4 and 10‑12‑5) to square the existing pool, relocate the spa, reduce a portion of the timber deck and expand a terrace to the south; staff and the village engineer said some proposed revisions can be built “in kind” but other changes require variances because they increase the degree of nonconformity.

Jeff Hanson, the village engineer, told the board that submitted contour information did not accurately represent the slope under the existing deck and that survey contours had been interpolated across an un‑surveyed area beneath the deck. Commissioners and staff said the incorrect topography made it difficult to determine how much of the ravine would be disturbed by the proposed terrace extension and where new support or retaining structures would be needed.

Property owners Manfred and Laura Hegwer and contractor Jeff Tondola described the site: a large house, a pool with a cantilevered deck element and an unstable section of deck supported by piers that staff said are currently within the ravine. The owners said an engineering review they commissioned found the southerly deck piers had shifted and that temporary shims had been used. The applicants proposed reducing the footprint of deck that overhangs the ravine (their drawings indicated removing roughly 600 square feet of deck in the ravine compared with the existing condition), squaring the pool to permit an electric retractable cover for safety and relocating the spa closer to the house. They said the southerly extension of the terrace in the proposal measures about 7.07 feet beyond the existing pool edge in their drawing.

Commissioners pressed for clarity on how the southerly terrace edge would be supported and whether the work would require filling the ravine, a new retaining wall at the top of slope, helical or micropile supports, or toe protection at the slope bottom. The applicant said final structural design is pending; the petitioner and village engineer discussed options including a new retaining wall near the top of slope as the least invasive alternative and extensive native vegetation restoration on the slope after construction.

Several commissioners said the packet materials were insufficiently clear and requested corrected, clean plan sets and recent high‑resolution photos (the applicants said drone photos from the listing are available in higher resolution). The board and staff asked the applicant to provide corrected topography that surveys beneath the deck, a structural‑engineering approach for supporting any new terrace, and a ravine restoration/planting and erosion‑control plan to accompany the variance request.

After discussion the PCZBA moved, seconded and unanimously approved a motion to continue the public hearing to the commission’s next regular meeting so the applicants could return with corrected, consolidated documentation and the additional engineering and restoration details. The hearing was continued to the commission’s next regular meeting on Feb. 19, 2025.