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Board approves bluff‑setback variance for rebuild at 2366 West Highway 61
Summary
The Board of Adjustment approved a variance allowing Allison and Eric Anderson to tear down and rebuild a legal nonconforming cabin at 2366 West Highway 61 with a roughly 150 sq ft entrance and small porch/sauna; staff revised the top‑of‑bluff determination and recommended conditions to mitigate impacts.
The Cook County Board of Adjustment voted to approve a variance allowing the teardown and rebuild of a legal nonconforming residential structure at 2366 West Highway 61, including a modest 150‑square‑foot entrance addition and a screened porch and sauna that staff said now fall within the bluff impact zone under a revised top‑of‑bluff determination.
A staff member explained that the parcel is about 2.7 acres with roughly 150 feet of Lake Superior shoreline and that state statute grants replacement rights for nonconforming shoreland structures but not expansion without variance relief. Staff described a revised bluff determination, saying “the bluff definition should be applied where, the 1st break in the slope is on the other side of that cabin,” and noted that the revision does not change the project's general placement but causes the porch and sauna to require variance relief.
Christine Anderson, principal and owner of PKA Architecture, introduced herself and the project team and told the board that the packet documentation prepared by staff and consultants contains the necessary information for review. She said structural engineering is pending and that the team intends to meet energy code and height considerations as the design proceeds.
Staff noted the septic system has a permitted relocation farther from the lake, that the project falls within allowable impervious surface area, and proposed conditions to mitigate construction and long‑term impacts in the bluff setback (best‑management practices for erosion and runoff, and clarity on where fill may be placed during construction). A board member moved to approve the staff findings and conditions; another member seconded and the motion carried by voice vote.
The approval includes conditions intended to protect shoreline and bluff stability during construction and to ensure the property complies with septic and emergency address requirements.
