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Sawyer County approves conditional use permit for 26 shipping containers at Hayward storage site
Summary
A Sawyer County zoning committee approved a conditional use permit allowing 26 shipping containers to remain at a commercial storage property near Hayward, with conditions on appearance, setbacks and maintenance; the town had suggested a vegetative buffer but the committee declined to adopt that undefined condition.
The Sawyer County Zoning Committee approved a conditional use permit Tuesday allowing 26 shipping containers to remain at a commercial storage facility southwest of Hayward.
The committee voted to approve CUP 25-018 for Renred LLC, owned by Thomas and Stacy Drenner, with conditions that the containers be painted, show no signs of rust, meet setback requirements, be limited to 26 units, and that a land-use permit and associated fees be obtained within 30 days of final approval.
The applicant, Thomas Drenner, told the committee the containers were placed after the COVID-19 period and that he did not realize permits were required. “We placed these containers here. We didn't realize we needed the permits,” Drenner said, adding the containers are not stacked, are similar in color and “look neat and clean.”
Zoning staff presented a list of standard and town-recommended conditions, including painting and maintenance, limits on the number of containers, setback verification, down-facing lighting if lighting is changed, and that the CUP run with the property rather than just the current owners. The town of Hayward’s conditions included “no stacking,” a vegetative buffer, and a $15 building permit per unit; the staff report noted the town had not specified details for the vegetative buffer.
Committee members discussed the vegetative-buffer request and whether the zoning committee could enforce it without specific standards. One committee member recommended not including an unspecified vegetative-buffer condition in the county decision. A committee suggestion to require existing vegetation be maintained was discussed; the applicants agreed to “keep what's there for sure.”
The motion to approve included staff’s recommended conditions and a directive that the applicant confer with the town for input on the buffer rather than make town approval a closing condition. Roll call recorded votes in favor by Ron Buchholz, Kaye Wilson, Marshall Savitsky and Steve Kariannan; the motion carried.
The committee also required that any future change in operations would trigger a new CUP and reiterated that all local, state and federal laws must be followed. Staff noted that setback measurements must be supplied with the land-use permit to verify compliance.
The committee’s decision ends the immediate enforcement question for the existing containers, while leaving room for the town and county to clarify vegetative-buffer specifications outside the formal county condition.
