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Board approves variances to allow home on steep Hayden Lake parcel
Summary
The board approved VAR25-0019 for the Vignale Living Trust on March 26, 2026, granting a reduced side-yard setback and a reduced rear-yard distance for a proposed primary residence on a narrow, steep lot; approval included a condition requiring adherence to a submitted geotechnical report.
The Kootenai County Board of County Commissioners approved VAR25-0019 on March 26, permitting variances on a steep, irregular lot near Half Mile Road and East Hayden Lake Road so the Vignale Living Trust may construct a primary residence.
Vlad Finkle of Kootenai County Community Development described the parcel as extremely steep and bisected by East Hayden Lake Road. The zoning for the site was stated as restricted residential, with setbacks described in staff comments as a 25-foot front-yard, 10-foot side-yard and 25-foot rear-yard. "We have determined that there is an existing undue hardship based on the characteristics of the site," Finkle said, noting the applicant provided a comprehensive geotechnical report that staff incorporated as a condition of approval.
Finkle said the applicant sought a side-yard setback of 8 feet (a 2-foot variance from the stated 10-foot side-yard requirement) and a reduced rear-yard distance referenced in staff materials (an 11-foot figure was discussed in the presentation); staff and agencies with jurisdiction recommended conditions rather than opposition. One written public comment opposed the request citing potential site-distance impacts; staff and the highway district said they did not view site distance as an issue for this proposal.
A commissioner asked whether approving the variance would affect adjacent property owners' ability to seek similar relief; Finkle said future permits would be governed by building-division firewall/separation standards and lot geometry. When asked whether a future overlay would be administrative or require board action, Pat Britton, Civil Deputy Prosecutor, said an overlay would come before the Board of County Commissioners as a zone change.
After deliberation the board voted to approve VAR25-0019, consistent with the hearing examiner's recommendation; staff conditions include adherence to the geotechnical report and standard permit requirements. The approval allows the property owner to proceed toward permitting subject to those conditions.
