2008/04/23 - LAND USE - LUP - Other

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BURNETT COUNTY LAND & WATER CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT 7410 County Road K,#109 Siren,WI 54872 Telephone: (715)349-2186 Fax: (715)349-2102 DATE: April 2,2008 TO: Bumett County Zoning Department () FROM: Paul Cook, Conservation Specialist T �G RE: Ken and Kim Davis, 6363 Circle Rd, Falk Lake—Land Use Permit: Landowner would like to add a deck to their non-conforming structure On March 24, 2008, 1 visited this property to look at existing retaining wall structures and make a determination as to whether these structures would need to be removed as part of a shoreline restoration or if the walls are necessary to hold back a critical slope to the lake. These walls seem to have been in place for quite a few years. Although the obvious difference in the amount of weathering on the rocks and mortar indicate this wall has recently been refaced and/or repaired or replaced. The walls span a large portion of the existing frontage. In addition to the walls there are concrete walkways and a storage building within a few feet of the lake. This property is a perfect example of the total failure of shoreland zoning. This frontage is dominated by some type of permanent structure or armoring and completely devoid of any kind of natural vegetation AND the structure is closer than 75 feet from the OHWM. Nearly every facet of shoreland zoning; setbacks, structures within setbacks,vegetation removal,etc, has been ignored. The wall is not necessary to hold back a critical slope to the lake. This slope could easily be stabilized with vegetation as is evidenced by the adjoining parcel which is well vegetated with no retaining walls. Because of the heavily developed nature of this frontage, it precludes any restoration of a natural shoreline. The only way to begin to establish a natural shoreline buffer would be removal of the walls, concrete and storage buildings. Planting a couple shrubs in front of the shiny new retaining walls is hardly a shoreline buffer. I concur with a letter from our Shoreline consultant, Cheryl Clemens, dated August 9, 2004, in which she articulated the same opinion.