5.b Public comments_Conleyb.eklund
From: Angie Conley <
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2022 2:09 PM
To: b.eklund; Evan P. Monson
Cc: Kris Berggren
Subject: Letter of support for 16963 197th St. Scandia
Dear Scandia Planning Commission and City Council,
My husband and I reside at 16063 197th Street in Scandia, just down the road from the proposed Variance and
construction at 16963 197th Street. We write in full support of this projects and have a unique perspective as we were
the former owners and participated in this process last year and were granted approval.
We support this project for three reasons:
1. We have known the owners Kristine Berggren and Ben Olk for over 30 years. They will be great stewards of the land
and are environmentalists, birders, and supporters of the Nature Conservancy and the Wild Rivers Conservancy. They
have indicated that they, like we did, are taking every precaution to protect the river and wetlands. Additionally, they
are active members of the community, I'm sure will add to Scandia and are great people!
2. When we pursued this same variance last fall with a slightly larger footprint, it was approved by planning commission_
we had the full support of ALL our neighbors. I believe their proposed footprint is slightly smaller than what we had
planned. Letters of support should be on file.
3. This is a unique property, built in 1940, that has a pillared foundation and is in need of repair. The windows don't
close and the floor slants dramatically and does not have a stable foundation to support a remodel. Every year we had to
use car jacks to try and level the foundation and wedge in stones between the house and the pillars. The proposed
footprint is modest and will accommodate the environmental considerations in place.
Please don't hesitate to contact either me or my husband should you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Angie Conley
TJ Conley