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Wabasha County denies Wankowski campground conditional-use permit over shoreland, setback concerns
Summary
The Wabasha County Board of Commissioners voted to deny a conditional-use permit to Jay and Rebecca Wankowski for a proposed campground after staff said the site does not meet shoreland and road setback requirements and parts of the property lie in the flood plain.
The Wabasha County Board of Commissioners voted to deny a conditional-use permit for a campground proposed by Jay and Rebecca Wankowski after county staff said the site does not meet required shoreland and roadway setbacks.
The decision came after county planning staff explained the application could not meet the county’s structural setback from the ordinary high water level as required by the shoreland ordinance drawn from Minnesota statutes. Planning commission members had recommended approval with seven conditions, but staff recommended denial. Commissioner Waukes moved to deny the CUP and Commissioner Powers seconded the motion; the board approved the denial.
The planning commission had recommended approval with conditions including an annual emergency management plan review, a prohibition on parking along County Road 11, quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., and a one-week maximum stay for campers. County staff told the board the property partially lies in the flood plain and that the site does not satisfy the structural setback in the shoreland ordinance.
During public comment, nearby resident Tom Strain said he has lived near the proposed campground site about 40 years and described repeated flooding at the location and concerns about wastewater, firearms activity near residences, and a new access road cut into the ditch. “I have seen that flood at least five times…that whole road was under about eight feet of water at one time,” Strain said, adding questions about where wastewater from tent campers would be handled.
Planning staff said the highway department issued a notice of violation for the access road installed earlier in the year, and that the highway department’s concern had since been addressed. Commissioners discussed safety risks posed by campers sited close to the county road right-of-way and noted previous denials of campground requests for similar floodplain/shoreland reasons.
The board voted to deny the Wankowski CUP; staff will notify the applicants of the denial.
The record shows the planning commission had voted 5–0 in favor of approval and staff had recommended denial based on the setback and floodplain findings. The board’s denial formalizes the county’s determination that the application does not comply with shoreland setback and related requirements drawn from state and county shoreland rules.
