Council approves setback variance and conditional-use permit for addition at 4200 Water Street

The Deephaven City Council voted to approve a 10-foot exterior side-yard setback variance and a conditional-use permit that allows the proposed addition at 4200 Water Street to exceed the city’s hardcover limit.

Planning staff described the property as a nonconforming 1885 house whose small lot and historic placement make additions difficult. Pat, the city planner, told the council the project—filed by Troy Mason of Mason Construction Services on behalf of owner Lisa Lee—would add an attached two-car garage and a patio on top and that the planning commission recommended approval after reviewing stormwater mitigation measures, including a rain garden to capture roof and side-yard runoff.

Council members probed drainage and exact hardcover numbers during the review. Staff and the applicant clarified the figures in the packet and told the council the proposed total hard coverage would be roughly 2,882 square feet (about 34.3 percent), representing a net increase of roughly 700 square feet. The applicant described downspouts, a drain-tile connection to a front retaining pond and a small rear swale to move water toward Water Street.

Mayor Carlson praised the mitigation plan: “I think that’s a nice design,” he said during discussion, noting the proposal’s focus on capturing roof runoff and limiting street runoff.

A council member moved to accept the findings of staff and the planning commission and approve the variance and conditional-use permit; the motion passed and the council recorded the approval.

The approval allows the owner to proceed with the addition subject to the plans and the mitigation measures presented to staff. The council did not attach additional conditions beyond the mitigation described in the planning record.