By Scott Larrick Doug and Kim Powell alongside the McGee lot McGee is the son of Tom McGee who angered Manitou residents in the early 1990s by building a home on the summit of Iron Mountain in defiance of widespread criticism that he was blighting Manitou's scenic backdrop. Town ire increased when the elder McGee secretly attempted to bulldoze a 3,800-foot driveway down the mountainside without a grading permit, and without the benefit of surveying, engineering or soils tests. Now Manitou residents are at odds with McGee's son, John.
Neighbors contend the house is too large for their modest, low-density neighborhood.
Complaining that McGee has violated the city zoning ordinance and that the city is refusing to enforce compliance, neighbors Dennis Schofield, Doug and Kim Powell, and Gordon and Ann Jeffries hired attorney Ken Nuss to press their case against the city in court. Last week, a restraining order against McGee was obtained from 4th Judicial District Judge Kirk Samelson, who scheduled a hearing for Sept. 15. The neighbors, however, are frustrated. McGee's lot, however, is only 5,100 square feet. The neighbors asked city planner Todd Liming, zoning officer Michelle Anthony, city manager Dan Wecks and city attorney Alan Jensen to require McGee to apply for a variance.