City Council Agenda Packet November 17, 2025

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These limitations make this variance the only option for locating reasonable storage. 5. Character of the Locality Staff expressed concern over precedent. In reality, many homes already have structures at or near the shoreline. A new home was permitted within the past two years only 20-35 feet from the shoreline. This home is significantly larger than neighbors, demonstrating approval of much greater visual impacts. By contrast, our structure is 125 feet back, screened by a berm, in a secluded bay. Our immediate neighbors, Christian and Briana Schwamberger, who are most impacted, provided a letter of support confirming no visual or privacy concerns. Additional Considerations Lake Orono already includes a wide variety of shoreline structures; our request is modest in scale compared to precedent. We consulted with the City Planner for the City of Rogers, who indicated no concerns from a planning perspective. While not affiliated with Elk River, his professional opinion reinforces that our proposal is reasonable. We also spoke with neighbors and members of the Orono Lake Improvement District; none expressed concerns. Conclusion We are not asking for anything excessive or out of character for Lake Orono. Our request is modest compared to many structures already approved and located closer to the shoreline. What we seek is simply the ability to reasonably and safely enjoy our property, within the spirit of the City's ordinances, despite the unique constraints we face from wetlands and a city stormwater easement. Approval of this variance is the only way for us to equitably use our property while maintaining safe, code -compliant improvements. We respectfully ask the Board to recognize this hardship and grant our request so that we may continue to be responsible stewards of our property and the Lake Orono community. Sincerely, Page 234 of 379