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Chisago County approves McKenzies' variance to enclose lakeshore deck into four‑season porch
Summary
The Chisago County Board of Adjustment & Appeals unanimously approved a Variance allowing Michael and Laura McKenzie to convert a 14' x 16' attached deck into a four‑season porch at 1580 509th Street in Nessel Township; conditions include retaining setbacks from Rush Lake and a 25% impervious limit.
The Chisago County Board of Adjustment & Appeals on June 25 unanimously approved a Variance allowing Michael and Laura McKenzie to enclose an attached 14' x 16' deck and convert it to a four‑season porch at 1580 509th Street in Nessel Township (PID 06.00475.00). The dwelling and deck currently sit roughly 49–52 feet from the Ordinary High Water Level (OHWL) of Rush Lake where the Shoreland Management Ordinance requires a 75‑foot setback.
Beth Gervais, the county's Land Services Coordinator, told the Board the site is approximately 0.35 acres, in the Rural Residential/ Shoreland Management District, and that initial materials showed 25% impervious coverage — the ordinance maximum. Gervais said applicants proposed landscaping and driveway adjustments intended to reduce impervious coverage to 23%, and that county staff concluded the proposed porch could be added without exceeding the 25% limit. "It was discovered during the June 24, 2026 site visit that the impervious surface calculation worksheet prepared by the property owners didn't include the proposed four‑season porch," Gervais said during her presentation.
Property owner Michael McKenzie provided printed information about the property's recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) driveway, saying the material (installed nine years earlier) continued to drain better than the yard and that he would revegetate areas where gravel had been displaced. Chair Gregg Carlson said "the driveway should not have been included on the worksheet due to its permeability," and the Board agreed to accept specifications showing RCA perviousness if the applicants supplied them.
The Board adopted Resolution No. BOAA2026‑0601 with conditions requiring the porch's exterior walls not be located any closer to Rush Lake's OHWL and a minimum 10‑foot setback from east and west property lines, that overall impervious coverage not exceed 25%, that the permit holder obtain a building permit and comply with applicable codes, and that the Variance be used within one year or it becomes null and void. The motion to approve was moved by John Sutcliffe, seconded by Doug Greene, and carried unanimously.
