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Page 1 of 1 From: Fred Berndt [fbemdt@ardenarch.com] Sent: Monday, December 28, 2009 4:24 PM To: Meagan Beekman Cc: Fred Berndt Subject: Project 09-022, Variance request for 1563 Edgewater Ave. Dear Ms. Beekman: I live at 1575 Edgewater Ave., in a home built by my wife's parents, which we have occupied since 1981. we remodeled the home in 1993, and adhered to all then current building and zoning requirements. I recently received a copy of the above .referenced proposal, and would like to express my concerns about it. A short description of the neighborhood might be helpful for the commission. The neighborhood was built up in the 1950'x, and consists of mainly modest size ramblers on lots that are rather narrow by today's standards, around 70 feet. There was a restrictive covenant in effect when the homes were built that limited the height of homes built on the lake shore, so even though some are closer to lots lines than is now allowed, they don't look massive or block lake views from homes on the other side of the street. Many of the homes on the lakeshore portion of the neighborhood are still occupied by the original owners. The former owners of the home in question built the house in 1955, and recently sold the property when they went into assisted living. The majority of the remaining owner's are in their 80's or early 90's, so many of these homes will turn over in the next few years. Therefore, I feel it is important to determine what zoning standards will be adhered to for these properties. Although I think the proposed home is an attractive looking home, I feel it is too large and is out of scale for the size of the lot. The fact variance's have been requested for three sides of the home makes this point obvious. If this home is allowed to encroach into the rear set back 17 feet, that means that the setback for homes that will probably be proposed for either side in the future will also move closer to the lake, as the average setback distances decrease. The side setbacks were set by the city for safety reasons, to allow access to rear yards by fire personnel. I feel the height of the house is the most objectionable and out of scale feature. The proposed home is described as a walkout, which means it is essentially a three story home, with a full upper story shown on the plans. Two homes similar in size to this proposed home were constructed in the last couple of years on Edgewater. The most similar, at 1505 Edgewater, was centered on two lots, and looks just fine. It is in scale with the size of the lot, and was a nice addition to the neighborhood. The other was shoe -horned into a space between two existing houses, towers over its' neighbor to the west, and detracts from the view and light available to the houses on either side. Many visitors to our home comment to us how out of place it looks, and ask how the city ever approved its' construction. The zoning requirements were set by the village, after much consideration, to preserve and enhance the character and value of property in the city. Existing non -conforming homes were understandably grandfathered in, and that is not a reason to construct new, non -conforming homes, which in the long run decrease property values for all. It is not in the interest of the city or neighborhood to allow these requirements to be ignored. Sincerely, Fred Berndt, Jr. 1575 Edgewater Avenue Arden Hills, 55112 file.//\\metro-inet.us\ardenhills\Planning\Planning Cases\2009\09-022 1563 Edgewater A... 12/30/2009