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Board warns state septic-change process will lengthen tourist-home approvals
Summary
Planning staff told the board that a new state-level change-of-use review for septic systems will slow approvals for tourist homes; the board discussed tabling and timing implications for future dockets.
County planning staff informed the Board of Zoning Appeals that the state now requires septic systems for tourist homes to go through a change-of-use review at the state level, a process handled by a single reviewer that will lengthen review timelines.
Kayla said Brown County staff finally reached the appropriate state contact and that the state reviewer recommended the state approve or deny the septic-change request first before petitioners invest in county-level conditions. Board members discussed that this approach could add months to the process and that conditional approvals could cause tracking difficulties for county staff; staff suggested petitioners obtain state action first wherever possible.
Board members agreed to coordinate with the planning commission on how to manage docketing and whether to continue the practice of conditional approvals given the new statewide process. Staff cautioned that grandfathered septic systems likely remain unaffected, but new tourist-home applications or changes of use will face the new state review step.
