Goodhue County Board authorizes rezoning to allow Lake City marina and seasonal campground

The Goodhue County Board of Commissioners voted to authorize rezoning of a roughly 17‑acre parcel at 35699 Highway 61 Boulevard in Lake City from the business district to the commercial recreation district, a change planners said is necessary to allow a marina and a seasonal campground.

Megan (Planning staff) told the board the property, owned by Alex Larocque and Jesse Hansen and represented by engineering firm G Cubed, is largely in the county's floodplain and currently contains noncompliant septic systems. "The main reason for the rezoning change is that marinas are not allowed in the business district," Megan said, adding that the Commercial Recreation district would allow marinas as conditional uses and give the county a path to require site‑specific conditions.

The planning staff and the county planning commission reviewed the application, which includes a site survey, layout and a history of an unpermitted manufactured home park. Megan said applicants plan to keep the existing marina, provide transient rental slips and add a seasonal campground; the applicants have proposed bringing in fill on higher northern portions of the site and installing septic systems so campground sites can meet base‑flood elevation and public‑health requirements.

The board opened a public hearing; staff reported one written comment from a neighbor who opposed past operations of an on‑site manufactured home park but said they supported redevelopment if it was not run as before. No speakers appeared during the hearing. After the hearing closed, a commissioner moved to authorize the rezoning and to proceed with the conditional‑use review and related permitting; the motion passed by voice vote.

The board and staff emphasized that most uses in the Commercial Recreation district require conditional‑use permits, and that the conditional‑use process will address septic design, elevation, stormwater and setback requirements. Megan noted the property is also subject to the county shoreland ordinance and higher elevation requirements for permanent structures.

Next steps: staff will process the rezoning application and the applicants will apply for conditional‑use permits and required septic and well permits; additional conditions and technical details will be resolved through that review process.