Board approves after‑the‑fact variance to leave garage 5 feet from road at Scott Getz property

The Morrison County Board of Adjustment voted unanimously to approve an after‑the‑fact variance that allows a newly constructed garage at the property of Scott Getz to remain five feet from the township road right‑of‑way instead of the required 30 feet.

Amy, land services staff, told the board the permit was issued in error after a staff oversight: the office approved the permit without placing it on hold for a right‑of‑way check, construction proceeded, and a later field check found the garage sat five feet from the township right‑of‑way rather than the required 30 feet. The staff report cited Morrison County ordinance section 706.1(b) and said Scandi Valley Township provided a letter of support for the request.

Getz said he and his wife worked with Amy during the permitting process and that they built under the assumption the issued permit was correct. Board members reported visiting the site (either driving by or walking the property) and compared the distance to a neighboring parcel whose building also sits close to the road.

Board discussion focused on measurement discrepancies between where township stakes were placed and where county measurements were taken; members attributed the need for the variance in part to county and township measurement differences and to a permitting oversight. With all six variance criteria answered in the affirmative, the board moved to approve the variance. The chair said the county had waived the application fee for this after‑the‑fact filing and urged the applicant to continue coordinating with Land Services on any remaining permit compliance.

The board’s action: the variance to keep the garage in its current location was approved by a unanimous vote.