Council approves one-dock expansion at Tim's Marina after residents raise parking and lake concerns

Forest Lake City Council voted April 13 to allow Tim's Marina at 9080 Jewel Lane to add one dock and 36 seasonal pontoon slips, overturning an earlier Planning Commission denial and granting a variance for on-site parking.

The council’s action follows a public hearing in which the marina’s owner and neighbors debated boat density, parking adequacy and potential impacts to water quality and street safety. City planner Abby summarized the application and the Planning Commission’s March 25 decision to deny both the variance and the conditional use permit, saying the commission found no "practical difficulty" tied to the property and described the proposed expansion as largely self-created. Abby also noted that the city’s parking requirement is 1.5 spaces per slip, a standard codified in city code.

Joe Maslo, representing Tim's Marina, told the council the marina has operated for more than 50 years and that the family-run business lives on site. He said his proposal will primarily add season‑term pontoon slips and that the marina has offered financial contributions to the Lake Association and would limit new docks to pontoons to reduce wake and shoreline impact: "Tim's Marina has existed for more than 50 years. Our family being the third owners having owned and run the property for over 40 years since 1983," Maslo said.

Several nearby residents urged the council to uphold the Planning Commission denial. Resident Bejorn Larson cited state data he said shows the lake is already over‑congested and told the council, "71% of the Lake Association members said they do not approve of this." Neighbor Jerry Grutner pressed the council on parking spillover onto Jewel Lane, on risks from grass parking closer than 25 feet to the shoreline, and on the safety of nearby intersections with Highway 97.

Council members discussed two legal paths: (1) granting a variance to allow the proposed parking ratio and approving the conditional use permit (CUP), or (2) treating the proposal as an expansion of a legally established nonconforming use under city code §153.051D and granting the CUP without a variance. Staff described a reduced alternative — one additional dock adding 36 slips, removing several RV sites and keeping unimproved parking — as a compromise that would limit the expansion of nonconformity.

A council member moved to overturn the Planning Commission’s denial on the ground that a variance was not required and to approve the conditional use permit for one additional dock (36 slips) with a parking variance (authorizing a deficiency compared with the 1.5‑per‑slip standard). The motion was seconded and carried with one dissenting vote (recorded tally: 4 yes, 1 no). The council directed staff to draft a resolution memorializing the action and to return the formal resolution for adoption at the next regular meeting.

Key clarifying details recorded in the staff report and public record include: the marina’s proposed increase would bring slips from 132 (existing) to 168 (with two docks) or to 132 (with the approved one‑dock, 36‑slip alternative); the applicant proposed 115 parking spaces (unimproved grass/crushed rock) under the reduced plan; the Planning Commission viewed the parking variance as a threshold issue; an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) was completed earlier and did not require an Environmental Impact Statement; MnDOT reviewed intersection impacts and had no comments regarding state highway congestion.

The council’s action authorizes the city attorney and staff to prepare formal findings and conditions for the CUP and the variance; a formal resolution will be brought back at the next regular meeting. The decision is final unless appealed to court by the applicant or another interested party.