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Planning commission approves Hemland shoreline dirt‑moving permit and setback variance after applicants reduce grading
Summary
The Crow Wing County Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit to move 2,536 cubic yards of dirt and a variance to shorten lakeshore and road setbacks for a proposed 3,624 sq ft dwelling after staff and the DNR recommended vegetation and erosion controls; the applicant reduced excavation amounts from the original request.
The Crow Wing County Planning Commission voted to approve a conditional use permit and a related variance for the Peter and Kelly Hemland Trust, allowing revised dirt‑moving quantities and reduced setbacks for a proposed 3,624‑square‑foot dwelling on Platte Lake Road in Roosevelt Township. Staff reviewed the revised plan and told the board the applicant had cut the originally requested excavation from 3,320 cubic yards down to 2,536 cubic yards and reduced dwelling size and impervious coverage.
Chris, land‑services staff, said the filing includes an updated grading and stormwater plan and that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources had reviewed the packet and was “pretty satisfied” but asked the county to require a vegetation management plan and measures to protect the shoreline slope. The permit includes conditions requiring an approved land‑use permit, implementation of the submitted engineering and erosion‑control plans, inspections by Land Services, an as‑built survey, and a vegetation management plan specifying retained and reestablished native trees, shrubs and grasses.
Applicant representative Jim Grama described changes made after the board’s prior review: the house was lifted slightly, the structure was nudged closer to the road, and stormwater basins were repositioned. “They’re only 12 inches deep,” Grama said of the ponds, describing them as small depressions rather than city‑scale detention basins. He added the engineering team had reconfigured pond locations at the DNR hydrologist’s suggestion and emphasized grading had been reduced where possible.
Commissioners said the revisions addressed the board’s earlier concerns about shoreline erosion and road grades. Commissioner John moved approval of the CUP subject to the staff findings and conditions; a second followed and the motion carried. The board then approved the variance by the same procedure and reminded the applicants that any future changes to the approved plan must be returned to the commission.
