Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Bluff Protection topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board denies lakeshore addition that would extend into bluff setback in Scandi Valley Township
Summary
The Morrison County Board of Adjustment denied James and Pamela Lombardi’s variance request to expand a Scandi Valley Township cabin into a bluff setback, citing bluff protection concerns and substantial enlargement of an existing structure that predates current bluff rules.
The Morrison County Board of Adjustment on April 14 denied a variance application from James and Pamela Lombardi to expand a nonconforming cabin on Shamina Lake after several board members said the project would increase development in a sensitive bluff area.
Darren, land services staff, told the board the parcel is nonconforming in width (about 100 feet) though assessor records show over 30,000 square feet in area, and that the existing dwelling (built in 1940) sits in a bluff area. The proposed addition would meet the 75-foot lake setback but a portion would lie inside the 30-foot bluff setback; staff’s materials described a new basement under the addition and a total additional area under the main-floor addition of about 2,130 square feet.
Applicant Jim Lombardi clarified the project would not alter the house’s existing half-basement but would add a new basement under the addition and said the planned post-construction bedroom count was two. He told the board the goal was more living space rather than additional bedrooms.
Several board members raised concerns about adding substantial livable square footage to a structure located within the bluff impact area. The chair said the existing cabin’s location is “right smack dab in the bluff,” and others cited soil-and-water review comments warning about gradual expansion of nonconforming structures in sensitive topography. Board members also discussed septic sizing and noted the application included an engineered stormwater plan; staff said the stormwater plan was part of the submitted package and that any building permit would require a septic reinspection and compliance checks.
Resident Dwayne Hris, who lives on East Shamina Drive, urged the board to consider the Lombardis’ plans and said the applicants appeared to have taken stormwater and neighborhood impacts into account. Nevertheless, after deliberation and a motion to deny (moved by George; seconded by Marvin), the board voted to deny the variance by a 4–1 margin. The board instructed the applicants to continue working with Land Services on alternatives and possible revisions to reduce bluff impacts.
The denial leaves the applicants without the requested permit; the board’s discussion emphasized bluff protection, erosion risk and the county comprehensive plan’s goals for critical and sensitive natural resources.
