Morrison County Board of Adjustment denies variance to formalize half‑story and large deck in Shamineau Park

The Morrison County Board of Adjustment unanimously declined to approve an after‑the‑fact variance request for property at 2674 Lake Shore Drive in Shamineau Park during its May 26 meeting.

Nicole Robinson, the applicant, told the board she added chip board "for safety," has repaired the prior cabin roof multiple times and plans to haul in fill "to grow grass." She said the upper area is intended for storage or appliances and would be accessed "through a trap door," and that in the past Helen McLennan had told them a deck was allowed on the property.

The board’s staff, represented by Amy Kowalzek, entered Section 706 of the Morrison County Land Use Control Ordinance, aerial and oblique photos, site photos, a staff report and other materials into the record. Kowalzek noted a recent survey altered the recorded lot size and setbacks and confirmed the property's septic system is "just a holding tank." She also explained ordinance allowances that can apply to original, unaltered cabins versus later additions.

Board members pressed the applicant on scope and intent. Member Marvin Trettel said the changes "look[ed] like it was a clear intent to add the upper area." Member Clint Kathrein emphasized the proposed deck dimensions — a 10‑by‑24‑foot lakeside deck and a 4‑by‑24‑foot side deck — and calculated the proposed deck would be about 376 square feet, far larger than the 32‑square‑foot landing typically allowed under the cited standard. Chair Brent Lindgren said the decks as proposed "are already in the shore impact zone" and noted that previous approvals had been specific; he questioned whether the current configuration fits the variance the applicants requested when prior rebuilding was permitted.

After discussion the board polled the variance decision questions, and a motion by Kathrein to approve the variance, seconded by Trettel, failed; the record states "the motion failed with all three members voting nay." No alternate motion to grant a reduced variance was recorded. There were 176 neighbor notices sent, two written comments submitted in advance, and five support letters from nearby property owners were entered by the applicant into the record.

Following the public hearing the board handled routine business: it approved minutes from its May 12 meeting (motion by Marvin Trettel, seconded by Clint Kathrein) and voted to adjourn; the hearing closed at 7:57 p.m.

The denial leaves the Robinsons' after‑the‑fact work unresolved under county shoreland rules; the board did not record any follow‑up assignment to staff or a revised proposal on the record at the meeting.