Committee approves Romo’s home‑occupation permits with conditions after heated debate over camper storage and erosion

St. Croix County’s Community Development Committee on Nov. 20 approved conditional use permits for multiple home‑occupation uses at 2339 US Highway 12 (Samuel and Kendall Romo) but attached detailed conditions after extensive public comment and staff review of new site images.

Staff presented recent aerial and site photos showing a motocross track, newly disturbed soil and multiple outdoor storage areas. Staff told the committee the track itself was not before the committee and was being treated as "off the table" for the CUP review, but that the grading exposed on the site could trigger DNR stormwater and erosion controls and that the county had reported the site to the DNR. Staff advised the committee that if the motocross operation were opened to the public it could constitute a different use requiring separate review.

Neighbors and public commenters raised concerns about noise, runoff, mosquitoes from standing water, and the apparent scale of commercial activity on a parcel with residential zoning. "This doesn't fit under a CUP, does it?" one neighbor asked about the track and storage visible in photos submitted to the record.

In response, the applicant and counsel described steps taken to limit impacts: removal of semi tractors, reduction of camper-storage capacity to 25 units in two mapped 30x125-foot areas (from an earlier figure as high as 40–50), placement of shed construction and storage in defined rear areas, the planting of 38 seven‑foot evergreen trees along Highway 12 for screening, and a pledge that the motocross track would remain private family use. The applicant also agreed to limit nonresident seasonal employees to two.

Committee members pressed staff and the applicant on stormwater, DOT driveway requirements for large trailers, covenant enforcement, and whether multiple unrelated home occupations may be compatible on a single residential parcel. Several members urged a solid privacy screen (an 8‑foot privacy fence) along the east side of the camper storage area; the applicant favored tree screening for cost reasons and agreed to work with the committee on a compromise.

Final conditions drafted by staff and approved by the committee included: securing any required local, state or federal permits (including DOT and DNR where applicable); no parking, deliveries or pickups from US Highway 12; town road weight‑limit compliance; contain all trash and construction debris; limit shed construction to the existing 28x38 accessory building and limit stored sheds to no more than eight; annual inspection by the United Fire Department; camper storage limited to 25 trailers in the two mapped storage areas; no semi‑truck outdoor storage; no more than two seasonal nonresident employees; the CUP to be reviewed in two years with option to renew; and that advertising or online postings show only the permitted uses.

The motion to approve the CUP as conditioned passed by a 3–1 vote.

Staff said the county will continue to coordinate with the DNR on stormwater and erosion inquiries and that violations of conditions can be enforced under county ordinance and may lead to permit revocation if documented.