ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MN
PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT
Government Services Center
Government Services Center
320 West 2nd Street, Suite 301
201 South 3rd Avenue West
Duluth, MN 55802
Virginia, MN 55792
(218) 471-7103
(218) 471-7103
VARIANCE REQUEST PERMIT APPLICATION
Your Contact Information.
If the information is not correct, you may need to update your contact information using the 'Maintain Contact Information' option once you have filled out this application.
Sarah
Lange
7363 Peltier Circle
Centerville
MN
55038-9776
16517552795
sarah@jlangeinc.com
Any
General - This application is used to apply for a Land Use Permit. Applicants will need to attach the appropriate worksheet(s) in order to process. Incomplete applications will be returned. Note that the 'clock' does not begin until after payment has been processed for the application. For more information, see our website at:
www.stlouiscountymn.gov/BuildingStructures
308-0030-01781
Is this application being submitted for a Rehearing?
If this application is being submitted because a previous Variance Permit application was denied or disapproved, please select Yes.
No
Enter Applicant Information
Landowner
Jesse and Sarah Lange
7363 Peltier Circle
Centerville
MN
55038-9776
(651)208-6580
jesse@jlangeinc.com
Jesse Lange
--
Mailing Address Information.
This address can default from the address you selected. If the values defaulted are not correct, please enter the correct information.
Jesse and Sarah Lange
7363 Peltier Circle
Centerville
MN
55038-9776
jesse@jlangeinc.com
Site Information
If there is no site address, the application will be forwarded to 911/Communications to assign one.
Yes
Crane Lake water access only fire number 546
No
US Forest Service
US Forest Service
MN DNR, Area Hydrologist
MN DNR, Area Hydrologist
MN DNR Land and Minerals
MN DNR Land and Minerals
St. Louis County - Duluth
St. Louis County - Duluth
Government Services Center
320 West 2nd Street, Suite 301
St. Louis County - Virginia
St. Louis County - Virginia
Do you have written authorization from the leased property owner?
If Yes, you must attach written authorization form.
How is the property accessed?
Enter Project Information.
If you answered 'Yes' to any of the questions below, it is required that you submit a copy of a septic permit to construct or certificate of compliance approval or municipal/sanitary district approval when applying for a land use permit.
Is this project on a parcel less than 2.5 acres?No
Is this project within 300 feet of a stream/river or 1,000 feet of a lake?Yes
Is this project adding a bedroom?
Include home, garage, and accessory dwelling.Yes
Total # of bedrooms on property after project completion.4
Does this project include plumbing or pressurized water in proposed structure?Yes
If Yes, please explain:Yes, this home will be livable during all four seasons. We have a well and pressure tank.
Is this project connected to a municipal or sanitary district system?No
VARIANCE REQUEST WORKSHEET
A variance allows the use of property in a manner otherwise forbidden by a zoning ordinance by varying one or more of the performance standards such as lot size, setbacks, etc.
Variances from official zoning controls are defined under Minnesota Statutes 394.27 and require the landowner to prove that the property could not otherwise be used or enjoyed in the proposed way by complying with ordinance requirements and that there will be no negative impact on surrounding properties.
It is advisable that you discuss your request with Planning and Community Development staff prior to submitting the application. Approval or denial of your request is dependent on the justification you provide in answering the questions on this application. For more information, please check our website at: www.stlouiscountymn.gov/VarianceRequired
VARIANCE REQUEST INFORMATION
Complete this form along with the Land Use Permit Application
What kind of variance request is this?
If this is a Variance After the Fact, you must answer additional questions below.
Variance Request
Describe what you are varying from and the situation that makes it difficult to comply with county ordinances.
If your proposal includes a structure, please also list the length, width and height of the structure.We have a steep lot with a hillside all made up of immovable ledge rock. We also have water that comes down the hill and ledge rock to the lake most of the year, giving us a very limited building area.
Describe the intended/planned use of the property.Our intended use of this property is for a cabin.
Describe the current use of your property.Currently, we use the property for summer vacations with our RVs. We have a well and septic system already on site. The septic and well were installed in 2015.
Describe other alternatives, if any.We are stuck in our proposed building location due to the septic system and well locations. We are proposing to build at this location because it is really our only spot and it is high enough to get drain down to our septic system. We have designed two cabins, the second is smaller and more economical to fit our five person family. We still need a variance going towards the lake due to the ledge rock.
If approved, how will the proposed use, with the variance, fit into the character of the neighborhood/area?We are a water access only property on Crane Lake. We own the lots to the left and right of us and have no neighbors. We are only asking for about a 20' to 25' of variance which still puts us quite a ways up hill from the lake. There are many older cabins sitting right on the lake shore and many closer than what we are asking. We are not concerned about flood waters being that our lot is so verticle. We were able to see how high the water came up in this spring's over 100 year flood and would be well above that. Our other lots are not a viable option to build for the fact they have no utilities and are heavily wooded.
Describe how neighboring properties and the use of those properties will be impacted by the proposed use with the variance.We own three lots with a combined over 40 acres and hundreds of feet of lake shore, mostly wooded and we have no visable neighbors.
Describe how negative impact to the local environment and landscape will be avoided.Our proposed building area has been cleared of trees and is in a site where our main RV sits now. The impact in this existing site would be very limited.
Describe the expected benefits of a variance to use of this property.The variance would help us tremendously due to the steep walls of ledge rock and water that comes from them. We have changed our plans from a rear entrance to a side entrance. We shrunk the width of the cabin by over 25' from our original floorplan to fit the lot better. However, our depth to the lake is still a problem. It is impossible for us to build up the hillside. It would also allow us to manage the water from the hillside around and down to the lake where it naturally flows. This would limit our impact on removing trees and natural landscape.
Include additional comments that will clarify your request for the Planning and Community Development staff members and the Board of Adjustment.We have given careful thought and timing over the last 10 years on exactly how and where to build this cabin by living and working on the property for the last decade. Our first design was in 2012 with Voyageur Log Homes and we are currently at design number three with them. They, along with our local excavator, have great knowledge of the area. We believe this is the best design to fit the landscape with minimal impact. One of our biggest concerns is to give room for the water, which can be quite heavy at times, to move around us and enough room so the large trees would not come down the hill into the house. We're including a google earth pic of the lot that shows the adjusted setback from the lake we are requesting.
IF YOU ARE RESPONDING TO A PERMIT VIOLATION, PLEASE ANSWER THESE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Describe your reasons county zoning ordinance requirements were not followed.--
Describe your effort to comply with the ordinance and to obtain a land use permit and/or other required permits.--
Describe any substantial investments, construction and/or repairs made to the property before you discovered you needed a variance.--
If there was construction or repair, on what date did it begin? What date did it end?
Who performed the construction or repair work?--
Was a survey of your property boundaries obtained?--
Prior to the construction or repair work, did you speak with anyone from the Planning and Community Development Department?--
By submitting this application, I certify and agree that I am the owner or the authorized agent of the owner of the above property, and that all uses will conform to the provisions of St. Louis County. I further certify and agree that I will comply with all conditions imposed in connection with the approval of the application. Applicants may be required to submit additional property descriptions, property surveys, site plans, building plans, and other information before the application is accepted or approved. Intentional or unintentional falsification of this application or any attachments thereto will make the application, any approval of the application and any result invalid. I authorize St. Louis County staff to inspect the property to review the application and for compliance inspections. Furthermore, by submitting this application, I release St. Louis County and its employees from any and all liability and claims for damages to person or property in any manner or form that may arise from the approval of the application or any related plans, the issuance of any resulting permit or the subsequent location, construction, alteration, repair, extension, operation or maintenance of the subject matter of the application.
If your name, contact information or email address have changed, you should update your contact information in the portal by selecting 'Maintain Contact Information' at the top of this page.
7363 Peltier Circle
sarah@jlangeinc.com
I have read and agree to the statement above.
