Sawyer County zoning committee approves rezone of substandard lot in Round Lake

The Sawyer County Zoning Committee on a 3-0 vote approved a rezoning request from Duffy Development LLC to change a 0.998-acre parcel in the Town of Round Lake from Agricultural-1 to Residential-Recreational-1.

The vote followed a staff presentation that said the parcel is substandard for Agricultural-1, which requires a five-acre minimum in Sawyer County, and noted surrounding lots already contain residences. Jay (zoning administrator) said the parcel appears to be an older remnant lot and that the town of Round Lake had initially conditioned approval of a special-use permit on moving forward with a rezone. Rebecca (county legal counsel) told the committee she did not consider the request spot zoning given the pattern of residential uses in the immediate area: "I do not think that this would be considered spot zoning based on the legal requirements that are in place for spot zoning."

Two residents spoke during public comment. Kim Foster of Saint Paul said she and other Indian Lake property owners oppose a different rezone on the agenda that was later withdrawn; Linda Zilmer, an Edgewater property owner, urged the county and towns to avoid creating lots that later produce conflicts between residential and agricultural uses. Zilmer said a special-use permit would allow a home without changing the agricultural zoning and warned that rezoning could create future farm/neighbor conflicts.

Committee member Kaye Wilson moved to approve the rezone with findings of fact 2, 3 and 13; Tweed Schumann seconded. The roll call recorded Buchholz, Wilson and Schumann voting yes; Marshall Savitsky was lost from the roll call and did not vote; Steve Cariannon had recused himself earlier. The motion carried 3-0.

The committee record shows the town of Round Lake recommended approval and submitted findings of fact. The file states the town’s future land-use map lists the area as agricultural with locations shown for potential residential expansion; staff recommended R‑R1 as the most appropriate district given existing nearby residences.

The committee’s action changes the parcel’s zoning designation but does not itself authorize construction; any building or land-use permit will remain subject to zoning, conservation, and other county and state requirements.

Plans or conditions tied to the rezone were not specified in the zoning committee record other than the findings of fact and the vote results.