Planning commission approves storage facility permit after neighbors raise safety, parking concerns

The Crow Wing County Planning Commission on Aug. 21 approved a conditional-use permit for C McCullough Investments LLC to construct a 15,200-square-foot cold-storage commercial building with 14 units at the corner of County Roads 3 and 116.

Neighbors at the public hearing said the site sits on a blind corner of County Road 3 and that adjacent businesses already cause parking and sight-line problems. "I have lived there my entire life, upwards of 50 years and there's increasing traffic in this area," said Susan Kirby, a nearby resident who submitted photographs and a short traffic count. Applicant Charles McCullough told the board the property will have no water or sewage — "just cold storage" — and that an existing well on the parcel will be properly cased and sealed as a condition of approval.

Board members noted many of the parking and dumpster concerns appeared to involve the business across the street (Valerie Ann's), not the applicant's parcel, and the staff report noted highway-department input on access. The commission revised one staff condition (requiring proof the well is sealed rather than a septic requirement), moved the item and voted by roll call; the motion carried 5–0. The approval includes the conditions listed in the staff report and a requirement that the applicant confirm compliance with the amended condition before construction moves forward.