City planner recommends, council approves minor setback variance for Newlander Avenue home

Kendra, the city planner, told the Lindstrom City Council the applicant requested a variance at 12954 Newlander Avenue to reduce the corner side-yard setback from 30 feet to 15 feet to allow construction of a new single-family home with attached garage and driveway. Kendra said the lot is zoned R-1 in the Shoreland Overlay District, is riparian on South Lindstrom Lake, and is legally nonconforming in several ways including width and corner setback.

Kendra said planning staff and the Planning Commission reviewed the application and recommended approval, noting the proposed house would extend roughly 3 feet farther than the existing 1-room cabin and that the change would be “a very minor variance” (S9). She described public hearing concerns about catch basins, view-shed impacts to neighboring properties, drainage, and utility easements. Kendra said the applicant revised the driveway plan to shift a 23-foot driveway north of catch basins and proposed surmountable curb and gutter to address drainage while keeping runoff on the applicant’s property.

Council members pressed staff and the applicant on easement widths and storm-sewer location, and on whether a surmountable curb would perform like a traditional curb during large storms. One council member said the area has multiple storm inlets and that curb cuts must not increase the risk of water entering the garage; planner S9 confirmed the city engineer had reviewed the revised driveway and that the project would be required to comply with city code. The applicant, present online, told the council they had engaged the planning process and were available to answer questions (S10).

Council voted to approve the variance with conditions that the driveway be located and constructed in compliance with the city code and not disturb existing catch basins, and that final driveway design receive city-engineer sign-off. The planner and staff will incorporate those conditions into the permit paperwork and survey requirements.

The decision follows the Planning Commission’s recommendation and includes staff directions to ensure any utility easements and drainage measures are properly recorded and reflected on the final survey. The council also noted the lot’s nonconforming shape and existing cabin as factors in the practical-difficulty analysis required for a variance.

What’s next: staff will finalize conditions in the permit paperwork and verify the engineered driveway details before issuing approvals or permits.