The Wayzata Planning Commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit and design deviation for The Retreat at 1221 Wayzata Boulevard East during their April 21 meeting, while denying a controversial variance request for a home under construction at 617 Park Street.

The Retreat, a treatment facility that has operated in Wayzata for 22 years, received approval to upgrade its men's wing on the north side of the property and place mechanical equipment on the roof. The project involves demolishing and reconstructing a three-story walkout building while maintaining the same 91-resident capacity. Eric Reiners of SRRA architecture firm, the facility's design partner for over 20 years, said the new mechanicals will be completely concealed behind raised pitched roof structures.

John Curtis, president of The Retreat, told commissioners the facility has served 33,000 people seeking recovery over its two decades of operation. The project aims to bring full handicap accessibility to both sides of the facility while maintaining the building's English Tudor architectural integrity.

In contrast, the commission denied a one-foot eave encroachment variance for 617 Park Street by a 4-2 vote after significant discussion about compliance and oversight issues. Custom One Homes had requested the variance for a home already under construction, where eaves extend 3.5 feet into the required setback instead of the allowed 2.5 feet.

The variance request arose after a neighbor complained about the encroachment, revealing that non-compliant plans had been approved for a building permit. Todd Pifer, president of Custom One Homes, acknowledged the oversight but said correcting the issue would require substantial re-engineering of completed mechanical, electrical and framing work. Commissioners ultimately determined the request did not meet variance criteria, particularly regarding unique property circumstances, despite acknowledging the city's role in initially approving non-compliant plans.