The Scott County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 on July 22 to adopt Resolution No. 2025-180, approving an amendment to the conditional use permit (CUP) for Mid America Festivals Corporation that changes on‑site parking rules for the Renaissance Festival for the 2025 season and includes safeguard language giving county staff authority to revert the changes if traffic congestion is detected.

The amendment increases the permitted number of daily on‑site parking passes by 10%, from 7,000 to 7,700, and allows the festival’s parking operator, Interstate Parking, to “backfill” or resell parking passes during the event day without a required 1:30 p.m. start time. County staff and multiple consultants discussed the operational and traffic implications during a lengthy public presentation and hearing.

Brad Davis, director of planning and resource management, said the county’s staff recommendation was to deny both amendments. "At a staff level, we are recommending denying both amendments," Davis said, citing the county’s 2022 goals to favor transit over additional vehicle trips and the modeled site capacity thresholds used when the 7,000 limit was set.

Supporters of the change, including the festival’s traffic consultant and the contracted parking operator, said two years of on‑site data show about a 10% no‑show rate on pre‑sold parking passes and that the site can handle roughly 8,000 physical parking stalls between the King’s Lot and Queen’s Lot under dry conditions. John Matzko of SRF Consulting, who helped compile attendance and parking data, said the 7,000 limit refers to passes sold for the day, not the number of vehicles physically parked at any one time: "That's not 7,000 vehicles on-site. That's 7,000 total passes sold for the day," Matzko said.

Tony Janowick, chief executive officer of Interstate Parking, told the board that professional parking operations and two years of operational experience supported lifting the time restriction on backfilling. He called time‑limited backfilling "very peculiar" for large event operations and argued the change would help prevent queues on Highway 169 and other roadways in peak conditions.

County staff noted several caveats: the county’s traffic engineer, Mark Callahan, submitted concerns in writing; law enforcement operations during events are run by Captain Steve Collins and his team and would be involved in any on‑the‑ground mitigations; and the Dakota Prairie Composting facility — which will operate Saturdays during festival season — may add large‑truck traffic to the north entrance road during some festival days. Davis said staff remained concerned that allowing more passes and unrestricted backfilling could disincentivize pre‑purchasing and push more vehicle traffic to the site.

The Planning Commission recommended approval 6–1, and the local township recommended a one‑year trial for the two changes with added safeguard language. That safeguard language, included in the adopted resolution, gives county staff discretion to revoke the 2025 allowance and revert to the prior terms (a 7,000 daily maximum and backfilling only after 1:30 p.m.) if staff determines the changes have created unacceptable roadway backups or other public safety impacts.

The board debate repeatedly emphasized the availability of operational circuit breakers: real‑time monitoring by the contractor and county staff, active message signage, police traffic control plans coordinated with Interstate Parking, and the explicit authority in the CUP for the county to reopen or amend permit conditions in future years. Commissioners who spoke in favor cited recent improvements in transit ridership to the festival (about 23.4% of patrons in 2024) and the ability to act quickly if problems arise; commissioners opposed or cautious about the change cited concerns about increased vehicle trips and uncertainty introduced by the nearby composting facility’s Saturday truck traffic.

The board adopted the resolution by voice vote; the chair announced the motion "passed 4 to 1." The resolution implements the amended Condition 32 for the 2025 festival season with the described safeguard language and leaves Condition 33 — which lets the board reopen and amend the CUP prior to the next season — available for any future change.

The board directed continued monitoring of festival operations, transit ridership, and traffic conditions during the 2025 season; the CUP includes a requirement that Mid America submit annual operational plans. The county will report back if staff invokes the safeguard authority to revoke the temporary allowances.

Background: The Renaissance Festival has operated at the current site since 1973. The county issued the original CUP in 1982 and substantially amended it in 2023 following severe traffic congestion during the 2022 season. The 2023 amendment introduced on‑site paid parking, defined on‑site limits, required a professional parking firm and increased bus service options. The site has roughly 8,000 parking stalls between King’s Lot and Queen’s Lot, and staff modeling identified that threshold as the point at which congestion and spillover to supporting roads could occur.