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Oneida County board grants variance for Bassett Road shoreline access, conditioned on disability documentation
Summary
The Oneida County Board of Adjustment on April 23 granted a variance for a second shoreline stairway at 8279 Bassett Rd in the Town of Minocqua, provided the property owner submits documentation supporting a disability-related accommodation; the action followed an onsite inspection and testimony from county staff and the appellant.
The Oneida County Board of Adjustment granted a variance April 23, 2026, allowing a second shoreline stairway at 8279 Bassett Rd in the Town of Minocqua on the condition that the property owner provide acceptable documentation supporting a disability-related accommodation to the Planning & Zoning Department.
The decision followed an onsite inspection and a public hearing on Appeal No. 25-007, in which appellant Angela Levin and her attorney, Timothy Melms, presented testimony about Levin’s difficulty safely accessing the waterfront. Planning & Zoning Director Karl Jennrich testified that the department had issued an after-the-fact permit, a shoreland alteration permit, and a mitigation plan covering a replacement stone stairway to the boathouse, a new firepit, and replacement of an existing deck, but that a separate after-the-fact permit for a second stairway was denied because, in Jennrich’s words, “the ordinance does not allow for a second stairway within 75’ of the ordinary high water mark and that permit was denied.”
Melms questioned Custom Caretaking owner Brad Schillinger and company representative Rick Umhoefer about onsite work and whether Levin’s physical impairment had been disclosed when the second-stair permit was submitted; the testimony established that the impairment had not been mentioned to the Planning & Zoning Department at the time of that permit application.
During deliberations the board weighed the three legal justifications for a variance — unique property characteristics, harm to the public interest, and unnecessary hardship and reasonable use without a variance — and discussed whether alternatives such as an access lift would be appropriate given the site’s features and erosion risk. The board also discussed what documentary evidence would be required to support a relaxation of ordinance standards for persons with disabilities.
Board member Mike Pazdernik moved to grant the variance with the condition that acceptable documentation to support reasonable accommodation be provided to the department; the motion was seconded by Jeff Verdoorn and carried with all five members present voting yes. Chair Guy Hansen adjourned the meeting at 11:45 a.m.
The board’s action allows the variance to proceed but requires that the owner supply the requested documentation to the Planning & Zoning Department before the conditional grant is implemented. No further hearing date was set in the minutes.