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Council continues request on Lakeview retaining wall variance after DNR and staff recommend denial
Summary
The council continued a variance request for a retaining wall at 17925 Lakeview Ave to Oct. 6 after staff and the DNR recommended denial; the Planning Commission had recommended approval 5-1 and the applicant argued engineering constraints and net-zero hardcover.
Planning Director Pat Smith presented a request for a lake yard setback variance at 17925 Lakeview Ave that would move an existing retaining wall roughly 6.5 feet closer to Lake Minnetonka and result in an over 11-foot-high tallest point. Staff recommended denial, saying the change would alter the essential character of the locality and noting adjacent properties have larger setbacks; the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) also reviewed the proposal and recommended denial.
The Planning Commission had recommended approval on a 5-1 vote. Applicant John Daly told the council he expects a net-zero hardcover with stone steps, that the deck and hot tub would be removed or replaced with sod, and that engineers designed walls per the soil report. Councilmembers raised concerns about precedent for lakeshore variances, visual impacts from the lake, stormwater mitigation and whether an earlier remodeling should have addressed the wall. Councilmember Tony Jewett and John Studer asked that any new wall be moved as close to the existing footprint as possible.
After discussion, Councilmember Tony Jewett moved, seconded by John Studer, to continue the variance request to the Oct. 6, 2025 City Council meeting; the motion carried 3-0. No variance was approved at this meeting.
