Sawyer County zoning committee sends campground park-model options back to towns after split among supervisors

The Sawyer County Zoning Committee on a split vote directed staff to send three options to towns and to reopen public hearings on proposed limits for park-model trailers and camping cabins in licensed campgrounds.

The committee asked towns to indicate which of three combined caps they would accept for park-model trailers and camping cabins as a share of permitted sites at licensed campgrounds: 30 percent, 50 percent or 100 percent. The committee said responses would be used when the committee reconvenes for a public hearing next month.

Why it matters: Towns and campground owners have been divided for more than a year over whether to restrict how many park-model-type units can be placed in campgrounds. The issue touches shoreline and land-use concerns — particularly in shoreland areas — and could affect the market for campground operators and RV dealers that install and rent those units.

Committee chair Jay (zoning administrator) reviewed the item’s long history at the request of members. He said a 30 percent limit first appeared in a 2016 ad hoc proposal but was never properly ratified by the county board; nonetheless the county’s working ordinance copies and public materials have included the 30 percent language since then. Legal counsel Rebecca told the committee that, because the county board subsequently reopened and reconsidered the item, the zoning committee should treat the issue as a new ordinance consideration and again solicit town input and hold a public hearing.

“We cannot recognize that 30% limitation because it was not approved by county board,” Rebecca said, adding that any county ordinance must be supported by a record showing the public-health or land-use rationale for the chosen limit when presented to the county board.

Committee members debated whether to send a single revised option or multiple options to towns. Some supervisors urged a single middle-ground number; others favored letting towns choose. Supervisor Marshall Savitsky moved to send three simplified options (30%, 50% and 100%) to the towns and to schedule the matter for a public hearing when responses are returned. The motion passed with one “no” vote from Dale Magnuson.

The committee also discussed related details: whether park models may be sited on a concrete slab, whether camping cabins with utilities should be treated like dwellings, and how any new rules would apply to existing campgrounds. Legal counsel advised that existing conditional-use permits issued without a percentage cap would not automatically be retroactively limited, though individual CUPs that include a specific percentage condition could remain enforceable as written.

Public and stakeholder input has been broad: town boards submitted multiple resolutions objecting when the county board removed the 30 percent wording earlier this year, and campground operators have said strict limits would restrict their businesses. Committee members said the next step should be to gather the town-level feedback in a streamlined way and then record explicit findings should the committee forward a recommended ordinance to the county board.

The committee’s action requires staff to prepare a plain-language letter and a short poll to towns, collect their responses, and include the results as evidence for the public hearing and any future ordinance recommendation. The committee scheduled a formal public hearing on the issue at its next meeting.

Ending: The committee emphasized that any final limit would be a county ordinance decision and must be defended on land‑use or public‑health grounds should the county board consider it. Towns will now be asked whether they prefer one of the three caps; the committee will reopen the item for public hearing after those responses are received.