Board approves Butternut Point plats, denies Tip Top preliminary; land-use map amendment for Section 3 wins approval after township opposition

Crow Wing County commissioners acted on several land-use items on April 8, approving plat applications for a former resort conversion, declining to advance another resort conversion and adopting a land-use map amendment after debate about township preferences.

Land services staff presented the preliminary and final plats for Butternut Point of 2025 (the former Butternut Point Resort). The board approved the preliminary plat, a conservation-design plat with seven individual lots and one outlot, subject to conditions recommended by the Planning Commission, including limited docking spaces and adherence to prior conditional-use requirements except where the staff-recommended amendment noted an exception. Staff said a homeowners association will manage common open space and that HOA documents must be recorded with the plat. The Planning Commission had unanimously recommended approval; the board approved both the preliminary and final plats on separate motions.

On a separate item, the board considered a preliminary plat for Tip Top First Edition (a two-lot replat of a former Tip Top Resort). The Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment had recommended approval with a condition that the old lodge be removed within 24 months and that rebuilds of the two existing cabins not exceed their current footprints. During the county board discussion, concerns were raised about undersize buildable area and the lack of a firm demolition timeline for the larger lodge. No motion to approve the preliminary plat was adopted; after discussion the board recorded that no action was taken, which effectively leaves the application denied unless the applicant re-files with changes.

The board also took up a land-use map amendment for parcel 90030516 in Section 3 of St. Mathias Township, a request to re-designate 33.9 acres from Agricultural Forestry to Rural Residential 5. St. Mathias Township supervisors told a commissioner the township opposed R5 and preferred R10 to preserve a rural character. Mark Balanowski, a St. Mathias Township supervisor and resident, spoke in opposition, saying the parcel contains a large swamped area and that 5-acre lots would not be appropriate for the township road that would serve new lots.

Board members debated whether the township had adequate opportunity to participate in earlier Development Review Team and Planning Commission meetings; staff said notices and DRT invitations were sent to the township clerk and that St. Mathias did not attend the DRT meeting nor submit written or oral comments at the planning hearing. After debate and proposed findings noting the township road location and other concerns, the board moved to approve the land-use map amendment. The motion to approve passed on a recorded voice vote (motion by Commissioner Lee; second by Commissioner Lubcke). Commissioner Coring had earlier moved to deny the amendment; that motion failed on a recorded vote, and the subsequent motion to approve passed.

The board recorded voting details for each motion during the meeting; conditions tied to approvals require the applicant to file HOA documents and satisfy other recording requirements. For the Tip Top item, staff noted a shared septic system will undergo a compliance inspection when ground conditions permit.