County approves interim use permit for part-time sawmill in Bell Creek Township

The Goodhue County Board on Jan. 7 approved an interim use permit for a part-time sawmill business operated by Titus Beiler in Bell Creek Township.

Planning staff described the application and said the operation would be a home-based business categorized as tier 3 because it would use an existing 5,000-square-foot detached accessory building. Staff noted the operation would be largely owner-operated with one part-time employee, "not a lot of traffic" and "no retail at all that is gonna be happening on the job site or on the home based business site," and recommended conditions limiting hours and nuisance impacts. Staff said proposed hours were 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and that the county had worked with the applicant to provide parking, delivery, and outside storage accommodations.

The county Planning Commission reviewed the application on Dec. 16 and forwarded a recommendation of approval with conditions. At the county board meeting a commissioner moved to approve the sawmill interim use permit "subject to the ... six conditions that are listed" in the staff report; a second was recorded and the motion carried by voice vote.

The board’s approval is conditional. Planning staff identified the required conditions in their report, including restricted hours of operation, limits on equipment that would create atypical noise, odor, or dust for an A-1 agricultural area, and limits on exterior lighting. The board accepted the staff report into the record and adopted its findings of fact.

Ending The permit allows the sawmill to operate under the listed conditions; planning staff will monitor compliance and retain authority to act if the business generates prohibited impacts.