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Scott County Board of Adjustment approves reduced setback for Spring Lake home, requires shoreline restoration
Summary
The Board of Adjustment approved variance 2026‑30 to allow a replacement house at 56.2 feet from Spring Lake (reduced from the 75-foot setback) and to increase impervious lot coverage to 26.4%, conditioned on a staff-approved grading and shoreline restoration plan and coordination with the Soil & Water Conservation District.
The Scott County Board of Adjustment on June 8 approved variance 2026‑30 to allow a replacement single‑family home on South Shore Drive, reducing the required 75‑foot setback to the ordinary high water level to 56.2 feet and permitting impervious lot coverage up to 26.4%.
Nathan Hall, associate planner, told the board the parcel is a legal nonconforming lot in the RR3 district with about 10,636 square feet above the ordinary high water level. The applicant proposes to demolish the existing 2,076‑square‑foot house and build a new three‑level house with a combined footprint of about 2,162 square feet. Hall said the applicant revised plans in the week before the meeting, removing a concrete boat ramp, reducing driveway area and proposing a smaller deck to lower impervious surface compared with the existing condition.
The county’s natural resources staff (Vanessa Strong) reviewed the revised survey and narrative and recommended supporting a variance if the applicant submits and receives staff approval of a grading and shoreline restoration plan. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources also reviewed the request and recommended stormwater treatment for any impervious surface over 25%, that shoreline plantings be native, and that any work below the ordinary high water level would require DNR permits.
Chair and commissioners asked for confirmation that earlier concerns prompting a continuance had been addressed; Hall said the applicants had coordinated with both the DNR and county natural resources staff and provided the updated survey dated June 1, 2026.
No members of the public signed up to comment during the public hearing. Commissioner Watson moved to recommend approval as described, with the condition that a grading and shoreline/shoreland restoration plan be submitted and approved by natural resources staff and that the applicant coordinate with the Scott County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) prior to permits; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.
The action is recorded as a recommendation of approval by the Board of Adjustment; permits and any necessary DNR approvals remain prerequisites for construction.
