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The Warden for St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, for the property at 4439 West 50th Street, is requesting a 19.8-foot east setback variance from Section 36-438 of the Edina Zoning Ordinance to allow a 30.2-foot setback from the east lot line and a 19-foot setback variance from the OHWE, (ordinary high-water elevation), from Minnehaha creek to the south, where the required setback is 50 feet. The variance is to allow the consolidation of building and hard surface areas to facilitate the new construction of needed accessibility and safety improvements. The project will consolidate existing building and hard surface areas to maintain the existing nonconforming coverage without requesting increases beyond current nonconforming conditions. The project is subjected to FEMA flood protection requirements and cannot increase coverage beyond existing conditions.
The Warden for St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, for the property at 4439 West 50th Street, is requesting a 19.8-foot east setback variance from Section 36-438 of the Edina Zoning Ordinance to allow a 30.2-foot setback from the east lot line and a 19-foot setback variance from the OHWE, (ordinary high-water elevation), from Minnehaha creek to the south, where the required setback is 50 feet. The variance is to allow the consolidation of building and hard surface areas to facilitate the new construction of needed accessibility and safety improvements. The project will consolidate existing building and hard surface areas to maintain the existing nonconforming coverage without requesting increases beyond current nonconforming conditions. The project is subjected to FEMA flood protection requirements and cannot increase coverage beyond existing conditions.
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I have lived in the Country Club neighborhood for 31 years. Anytime an organization or person wants to invest significant amounts of money to improve their building or home, and update it to today's standards, it should be seen as a positive for the entire Edina Community. We are an inner ring suburb that needs to improve, be ready for the next one hundred years, and compete with other cities. I ESPECIALLY appreciate that St. Stephen's is working hard to increase ACCESSIBILITY for all -- with our aging population we need to offer that everywhere, and it is the right thing to do for all people regardless of age. Thank you.
Claire Dempsey
43 minutes ago
My wife Sally and I have lived south of Arden Park for over 30 years, and have come to appreciate the thoughtful planning and continued re-investment that occurs in Edina. St. Stephens, while serving a growing congregation, also serves as one of our Gateway icons to the 'front door' of Edina.
Their accessibility project appears to us to be an act of responsible stewardship that addresses a critical need while respecting the setting of its creekside location. By reorganizing the square footage into an improvement outside of the floodway (and removing elements that reside in it), the church achieves the dual goal of improving accessibility while minimizing impact to the creek. We support this project and are grateful to St. Stephens for its support of our community in all the best ways.
Paul Maenner
3 days ago
If ever there is a need for a variance, this would be it! Accessibility in Edina is a big problem and I applaud St. Stephen’s for attempting to rectify their situation. They are an important contributor to the well-being of the city. It should be noted that by today’s regulations, I doubt the church would be allowed initial permits to build. What they are proposing will minimally affect the flood plain.
I have lived in the Country Club neighborhood for 31 years. Anytime an organization or person wants to invest significant amounts of money to improve their building or home, and update it to today's standards, it should be seen as a positive for the entire Edina Community. We are an inner ring suburb that needs to improve, be ready for the next one hundred years, and compete with other cities. I ESPECIALLY appreciate that St. Stephen's is working hard to increase ACCESSIBILITY for all -- with our aging population we need to offer that everywhere, and it is the right thing to do for all people regardless of age. Thank you.
My wife Sally and I have lived south of Arden Park for over 30 years, and have come to appreciate the thoughtful planning and continued re-investment that occurs in Edina. St. Stephens, while serving a growing congregation, also serves as one of our Gateway icons to the 'front door' of Edina.
Their accessibility project appears to us to be an act of responsible stewardship that addresses a critical need while respecting the setting of its creekside location. By reorganizing the square footage into an improvement outside of the floodway (and removing elements that reside in it), the church achieves the dual goal of improving accessibility while minimizing impact to the creek. We support this project and are grateful to St. Stephens for its support of our community in all the best ways.
If ever there is a need for a variance, this would be it! Accessibility in Edina is a big problem and I applaud St. Stephen’s for attempting to rectify their situation. They are an important contributor to the well-being of the city. It should be noted that by today’s regulations, I doubt the church would be allowed initial permits to build. What they are proposing will minimally affect the flood plain.