08/24/1998 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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August 2, 1998 Mary Kay Wyland Planning Coordinator City of Lino Lakes 1189 Main Street Lino Lakes, MN 55014 Dear Ms. Wyland: My wife and I own and reside on a corner lot at the intersection of Smoketree Lane and Grey Squirrel Road in Lino Lakes. We have been planning an addition to our home for some time as we have four children and only three bedrooms in our house. After the house sustained considerable damage in the tornado this spring, we knew that the time was right for us to pursue the addition this summer. We obtained a copy of the City of Lino Lakes Zoning Ordinance when planning the addition. On page 72 of the Ordinance, Subd. 4. under Lot and Yard Requirements (D) the wording in is that the structure should be 30 feet from the "Street ". The distance from the front corner of the addition to the curb would be 38 feet. We applied for and obtained a building permit for the addition through the City of Lino Lakes. A building inspector visited and inspected our property before granting the permit. We were given the go -ahead to build. Based on this information we: 1. Refinanced our home, cashing out the equity on order to pay for the addition. 2. Paid for special -order roof and floor trusses needed for the planned addition. These have already been delivered and cannot be returned. 3. Paid for a special order window. 4. Ordered enough vinyl siding and shingles to cover the planned addition. These have also been delivered 5. Moved the electrical breaker box to another wall to accommodate the addition 6. Had Northern States Power move the underground electrical service to our home, at our expense. 7. Moved a 15 ft. tree that would have been in front of the new garage door. 8. Excavated the land in anticipation of building the foundation. It was during the inspection of the excavation and footings that we were first told that we may be out of compliance with the City Ordinance. You can imagine our shock and disappointment having heard this news only after having thousands of dollars of unrecoverable money into the project and having a rather large hole in the yard that must sit untouched while you consider this matter. Please also consider the following Findings of Facts, as listed in the City of Lino Lakes Zoning Ordinance, Subd, 4: 1. That the property in question cannot be put to reasonable use if used under the conditions allowed by the official controls. The lower part of the addition is a garage stall. If I had to build according to the official controls the garage could only be 8 feet wide and of no practical use. The bedroom above the garage would only be 6 feet wide. 2. That the plight of the landowners is due to physical circumstances unique to is property not created by the and owner. The side street, Grey Squirrel Road, does not run parallel to the side of our house. It runs at an angle so that the back of our lot is much wider than the front. Our planned addition would be 24 feet