Eagan council approves variance to rebuild home at 4742 Oak Cliff Drive with condition to secure encroachment agreement

The Eagan City Council on Aug. 4 approved a variance allowing a rebuild at 4742 Oak Cliff Drive after a September 2024 fire, permitting building coverage to increase from about 13.9% to 23.9% (the planned-development maximum is 20%). The approval was conditioned on the applicant seeking an encroachment agreement with Public Works prior to issuance of a building permit.

City planner Mike Schultz explained the property lies just south of Cliff, west of Cedar Avenue and north-west of Slater Acres Park, with a pond at the rear that encumbers most surrounding lots. The applicant seeks a redesigned footprint to meet "aging in place" needs: a two-level walkout with primary living on the main level and additional bedrooms on the lower level. Staff reported the existing building coverage was about 13.9%; the proposed coverage would be 23.9%, an increase of roughly 4 percentage points equating to about 466 square feet of additional coverage.

"In September 2024, a fire occurred at the Sheehan home. The damage from the fire was extensive and resulted in a need to remove and replace the garage and main dwelling structures," Melissa Wadby, project development manager at Lindstrom Restoration, told the council. Wadby said homeowners Nancy and Pat Sheehan have lived on the property for 28 years and chose to rebuild with a layout that will allow aging in place. "If this variance is not approved, a redesign would be required, resulting in additional cost for design and engineering. It would also extend an already extremely lengthy timeline," she said.

Staff noted site constraints including two retaining walls on the south side and one on the north that encroach into a utility/drainage easement, and an existing paver patio that extends into the pond easement. The city recommended a condition that the applicant seek an encroachment agreement with Public Works before a building permit is issued. Mayor and councilors asked whether the coverage increase would materially affect the pond's drainage; staff responded that the additional impervious area would have a negligible effect on pond water level given the pond's outlet pipes and typical engineering safety factors.

A neighbor, Craig Reidlinger of 4743 Oak Cliff Drive, spoke in support, saying he and his family have lived across the street for about 30 years and want the property returned to residential use. The council moved and seconded a motion to approve the variance to exceed the 20% building coverage by 4% to allow a 2,228-square-foot single-family home and a 652-square-foot attached garage at Lot 5 Block 2 Oak Cliff, with the encroachment-agreement condition. The motion carried on a voice vote.

Staff also pointed to a December 2024 council precedent at 1574 Rustic Hills Drive in which the council granted a similar increase to allow aging-in-place modifications. The council members expressing support characterized the drainage impact as de minimis and expressed sympathy for the homeowners' loss from the fire.