The Wright County Board of Commissioners voted, 4-0 last month to deny a rezoning of land near Lake Ida from AG General Agricultural and S-2 Residential-Recreational Shorelands to S-3 Commercial-Recreational Shoreland District.

 

The applicants for rezoning, Susie and Alan Wojchouski, purchased the 25-acre property in July, 2016. It was formerly owned by the Minneapolis Meat Cutters and was periodically used by its employees and family members for seasonal camping. 

 

The site includes a caretaker’s house, block building, screen house building, docks, basketball and tennis courts, 25 campsite pads with electrical services and 21 sites without electrical service.

 

The Wojchouskis were seeking to rezone the property with the intent to develop it into a commercial campground. However, their request met with opposition from residents around the lake, as well as the Lake Ida Lake Association.

 

The Silver Creek Twp.  Planning Commission recommended denial by a 4-2 vote after the request was heard April 4. At that meeting, a petition was presented to the commission signed by 106 people objecting to the rezoning.            

 

Representatives from the Lake Ida Lake Association testified that allowing a commercial campground would be considered spot zoning. They also argued the increase in population and boat traffic would affect water quality and bring in aquatic invasive species (AIS). They also argued if the request was approved, it would set a precedent for other applicants to challenge the county’s land use plan.

 

The issue went before the Wright County Planning and Zoning Commission April 20 where discussion included  the argument that the campground was a private operation and was never open to the public. The hearing was continued to the May 18 meeting while county staff researched other campgrounds in the county and looked up the history of the Lake Ida site to determine the extent of the operation.

 

In a May 12 letter to the Wojchouskis, Wright County Zoning Administrator Sean Riley wrote, “The campground may continue to be operated as an existing non-conforming use providing the existing uses are not expanded. If you intend to run the campground as a private operation, the county would have to come to an agreement with you that your arrangement is not viewed as an expansion before operations took place.”

 

After more discussion at the May 18 meeting, the commission directed the county attorney to draft a denial for rezoning.

 

The issue was continued at the June 8, June 29 and July 20 meetings before the commission voted to recommend denial.

 

At the county board meeting, Riley said the issue had been thoroughly discussed and researched at length before a decision was made.

 

“We had numerous meetings. The planning commission conducted a site inspection. We received a negative recommendation from the town board,” he said. “So after much deliberation by our planning commission, they have recommended denial of rezoning.”

 

There was no discussion between the commissioners before the vote.

 

Commissioner Charles Borrell was not present at the meeting.