4.1. BASR 08-28-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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REQUEST FOR VARIANCE TO CONSTRUCT A WALKOUT BASEMENT We are Henry and Shirley Hansen. We begin by protesting that we do not have a shoreline of any consequence. A channel, dug in the 1920's as part of a Camp Cozy Resort project, runs through our property. There were several of these channels dug into the flood plain of the Elk River. The Elk River proper is well south of our property. (see attachments) Over the past 45 years, the channel has filled with silt and fallen logs. It is no longer the water filled creek it used to be. It is not suitable for boating or any other type of recreation. The channel swells with water in the spring when flooding occurs and becomes a dry creek bed in the summer. It acts like an overflow for the Elk River. When the Elk River has high water the water backs up into the channel and when the water is low it dries up. Basically it is a flood plain. For these reasons we find the bluff/hill restrictions unfair and frankly unjust. We could clearly understand these restrictions if we owned land on a lake, on the Mississippi River, or even the Elk River proper. We acquired this property nearly 50 years ago. There is an established driveway (lined on both sides with 50 year old spruce trees)that comes into the property. Presently, a cabin sits in the proposed building site. This is a large cleared area that has been maintained as a yard for the cabin. Building in this cleared area would mean minimal tree loss and would be the best plan for the driveway coming into the property. Forty years ago the property was ravaged by oak wilt disease and many trees were lost. Since that time the trees have made a nice comeback and are now well established trees. Meeting a thirty foot setback from the hill would mean moving the building site across the cleared open space and into this regenerated forest. Basically, all the trees would have to be cut down to make room for construction crews and the building site. The site would look like a farm field. To us, that would be a terrible tragedy. So many people have commented to us, after driving by the farm fields, how beautiful our wooded areas are and how precious they are these days. It would be a terrible waste to destroy these trees. Because we don't feel this shoreline restriction is just, and to best protect the existing trees, we request a ten foot setback from the hill. This places the building site in the cleared area. A 16' x 16' porch will be built onto the back of the house. This porch will not have a foundation. With a 10 foot setback, the back of the porch would be 10'from the hill, the foundation would then be 26'from the hill, and the front of the house would be 56'from the hill. The house is 30'deep. We are both Senior Citizens. Unlike young families who want a large backyard, we do not want any backyard to care for. We want to keep the property in its natural state except for the immediate area around the house. Any ground disturbed by construction would be replaced by maintenance free shrubs, trees, and flowering perennials. We will