Committee approves Stefanski’s 39.86-acre rezone to allow hobby-farm animals

The Sawyer County Zoning Committee approved rezone request 25-007, permitting the owner, Matthew Stefanski, to change 39.86 acres from Forestry-1 to Agricultural-2 to allow a hobby-farm operation including horses and a limited number of beef cattle.

Zoning staff reported the parcel lies off Highway 70 and is surrounded primarily by forestry and mixed rural residential uses. The Town of Draper’s board reviewed the request and unanimously recommended approval; town documentation notes the property was formerly a farm and is adjacent to county land.

Stefanski addressed the committee and said he had already erected accessory structures under an earlier conditional-use process and described clearing and past farm remnants on the site. He said the property has been in family ownership and he intends to retire there and to establish pasture and accessory buildings.

No public opposition was raised during the county hearing. County legal counsel and staff said the rezone would not constitute spot zoning because adjacent parcels and the wider area include Agricultural-2 and residential-recreational uses.

A motion to approve the rezone carried on roll call with unanimous support. The committee did not add conditions to the rezone beyond the change in zone district; staff noted that Shoreline/Wetland Overlay District rules still apply where relevant.

The zoning administrator said the town’s recommendation should be highly considered and recorded in the county file. The county will record the zone change following standard procedures.