Watertown Board Approves South Lake Drive Setback Variance for Historic 1929 Home
- Steve Jurrens
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Watertown Board of Adjustment unanimously approved a side yard setback variance on Thursday for a historic South Lake Drive home, allowing the homeowner to rebuild and upgrade a deteriorating three-season room.
The property, located at 942 South Lake Drive, currently features a 9.2-by-10.1-foot sunroom that sits 3.7 feet from the north property line. Because the property is located in an R-1 Single Family Residential District, city ordinance standardly requires a 9-foot side yard setback.
Community Development Manager Brandi Hanten presented the request, noting that the homeowner plans to reconstruct the room on its exact existing footprint while changing the roofline to match the home’s main gabled roof. This adjustment will increase the room’s overall height by approximately one to three feet.
During the hearing, city staff confirmed through GIS data that the home was originally built in 1929, well before current zoning ordinances and setback requirements were established.
Homeowner Aims for Structural and Aesthetic Upgrades
Homeowner Judy A. Bakken applied for the variance, stating in her application that the current structure is leaking and deteriorating, potentially compromising the main home’s structure. She addressed the board to explain her vision for the space.
“I want to change it to look like the house the way the roof lines are currently,” Bakken said. “I don’t want to change the footprint below, but I do because of the way of the design... It is kind of pulling away from my house. So I would like to fix this so it doesn’t cause any damage to my property and so that it actually looks good.”
Neighbors Voice Strong Support
Variance requests involving property line setbacks frequently draw concerns from neighboring owners, but Bakken’s proposal received unanimous support from the public.
John Kessler, who lives directly adjacent at 938 South Lake Drive and is most affected by the north property line setback, kept his testimony brief.
“I’ll just make this real short and sweet and help you make your decision,” Kessler told the board. “My wife and I have absolutely no problem with this variance request.”
Sydney Johnson, residing at 940 South Lake Drive, also spoke in favor of the project, noting that the minor roofline lift would not negatively impact the neighborhood.
“There are so many trees there that I don’t think this is going to block our view very drastically at all,” Johnson said. “Those trees block the lake 85% of the time. What we like is the breeze. As long as it doesn’t block our breeze, I think it’s totally fine.”
The board found the request straightforward, citing their track record of allowing owners to rebuild non-conforming structures as long as they do not expand their existing footprints.
Vice Chairman Bill Speier voiced his support just before the vote.
“I will be voting in favor of the request, primarily because it is an inline variance, non-standard kind of a use,” Speier said. “It’s been there in place since 1929, and the neighbors don’t object to it. We’ve had a history as of recently allowing variances as long as we’re not further encroaching side yards.”
Chairman Liam Culhane echoed those sentiments.
“I would absolutely concur,” Culhane said. “We’ve had many where we rebuild on top of existing footprints as long as it doesn’t expand. And this is a lifting roof line, which is probably a minor adjustment to support that variance request.”
The board approved the variance on a 6-0 roll call vote.
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