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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Application for Variance for 8330 Groveland Road, Mounds View Mn 55112 <br />Property Owners: Andrea & Michael Shoup <br /> <br />Description of Proposal: <br />We are seeking to rebuild a detached garage that was lost to a fire in September of 2014. The goal is to <br />rebuild a 24 x 24 detached garage on the south side of the house. Design elements would be consistent <br />with our house, inclusive of a 4/12 pitch, siding to match house and shakes across the front gable. Aerial <br />maps show our lot dimensions to be a 100 feet wide. With 5 foot setbacks from the property line, we would <br />be unable to construct the garage in the remaining space and maintain a 5 foot setback. Therefore, we are <br />seeking a variance to allow us to build with a 3-4 foot setback from our property line, which borders the <br />wetland. A white privacy gate would be installed between the garage and the house, with a 5 foot wide <br />paver walkway installed between garage and house. An existing shed and basketball hoop would be <br />demolished and sod would be laid to the rear of the house where the old garage was. <br /> <br />*Rational for Variance Request* <br />Since we have the opportunity to rebuild our garage, we would like to move it forward to be flush with the <br />house in order to allow us to accomplish three things. <br /> <br />a. Installation of a privacy fence. We have an in-ground pool in the back yard that upon purchasing the <br />home in August of 2014, was not fully-enclosed/fenced. In order to meet city compliance codes and <br />insurance demands upon moving in, we installed a 4 foot chain link fence that extended from the <br />garage, underneath the deck, and up to our house (6 foot was not an option because it had to fit <br />under our deck). This was the only way to entirely secure the pool, given the current <br />garage/deck/house landscaping structures in place. Moving the garage up would allow us to remove <br />the 4 foot chain link fence and replace it with a 6 foot gate that we feel makes our home and <br />community safer for not only our family, but also for those with children in the neighborhood. We <br />have already discovered that our 4 year old, and neighbor children, can easily scale the 4 foot fence, <br />which doesn’t provide for a secure buffer to our pool. <br /> <br />b. Turnaround space in driveway. <br />There seems to be a fair amount of traffic on Groveland Road in part due to through traffic from <br />County J and highway 10. In addition, there are frequently pedestrians walking/biking in front of our <br />house. With the previous location of the garage, we had to back our vehicles out of the driveway, <br />which was very difficult due to given the heavy foliage at the end of the driveway due to the wetland <br />and as well as landscaping in our yard. If able to move the garage forward, we would be able to <br />better utilize a parking pad in front of the new garage for a turnaround area. Currently, this space is <br />not easily accessible for a turnaround space because of a shed structure that was placed there by <br />the previous owner (note: this shed is approximately 1 foot from the property line). This shed would <br />be demolished during the rebuild. <br /> <br />c. The vast majority of our “backyard” is currently taken up by the previous garage, pool, fire pit, and <br />large shed, all of which were built by the previous owners. Moving the garage up would allow us to <br />have a fenced in back yard for our kids to play safety in, and have enough room to construct a swing <br />set. Currently there isn’t enough room to bring in a swing set. <br />Narrative from Applicant