Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dellwood council approves variance for 25 Peninsula Road, allowing porch addition near White Bear Lake
Summary
The Dellwood City Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 2026-02 on March 10, approving a variance that permits a porch addition at 25 Peninsula Road that will reduce the property's setback to roughly 45—6 feet from White Bear Lake and 25 feet from the side lot line.
The Dellwood City Council on March 10 unanimously approved Resolution No. 2026-02, granting a variance that allows an owner at 25 Peninsula Road to convert an existing patio into a covered porch and connect it to an existing porch.
City Planner Nate Sparks presented the application, explaining the existing house sits about 50.1 feet from the ordinary high water mark (OHW) of White Bear Lake and about 28.6 feet from the side yard. The proposed construction would place the porch at approximately 45 to 46 feet from the OHW and about 25 feet from the side property line, increasing the site's nonconformity to the shore and side-yard setbacks required under the zoning ordinance. The lot is over three acres and currently has an impervious surface percentage near 10 percent.
Sparks told the council the Planning Commission reviewed the request at its February meeting and recommended approval, finding the lot's unusual shape and the existing house location create practical difficulties that justify a variance. He said adjacent properties show a mix of existing setbacks in the area, with some houses closer to the lake and side property lines than the subject house.
The council discussed the Planning Commission's findings and the statutory criteria for variances under Minnesota Statutes 462.357, subdivision 6(2), including whether the proposal is the minimum variance to alleviate the practical difficulty and whether it would alter the neighborhood's essential character. Council Member Karen Quaday moved to adopt Resolution No. 2026-02; Council Member Melissa Peltier seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.
The resolution approval permits the conversion and addition as proposed; the record states the Planning Commission's recommendation and the council's unanimous vote but does not list any additional conditions attached to the approval.
The council did not receive public comment on the item during the meeting.
