Council debates mobile home development rezoning

CROSSLAKE - A zoning change for the Wilderness Park mobile home development had Crosslake City Council members debating whether a change was appropriate.

In the end, the council approved the rezoning from rural residential to medium density residential. The rezoning will allow construction of storage garages for the 146-unit association property. The rezoning takes care of a potential conflict as rural residential zoning prohibits mobile home/manufactured housing developments. The association also applied to build a storm shelter.

Council member Terry Curtis and Mayor Jay Andolshek questioned whether the rezoning would open the door to more developments closer together than was desired in an area known for large wetlands. Curtis called it the "creep factor." And once the rezoning was there, Andolshek said that would likely be used as an argument for more if someone approaches the city for a change in the future.

Council member Steve Roe said the current property owners don't have a plan to expand. But Ken Anderson, community development director, reminded the council that zoning requests can be approved or denied but cannot be approved with conditions.

Curtis said that just because it's not the intent of the Wilderness Park association to expand and even get permission to fill wetlands, it may be the intent of someone else in the future. Curtis questioned whether there was a way to take care of the issue without potentially creating space to expand the development.

"I don't believe our comp plan and some of the folks sitting at this table would encourage some of that density to occur again," Curtis said, adding that existing wetlands have been filled for other projects.

Anderson said future development would require a permit and would go through a public hearing process. With strict standards on the planned unit development, Anderson said there is not much room for anything else to be built there without significant alterations to the land.

"I realize anything can change," said Peter Abler, planning and zoning commission chairman.

Abler said association members know they will not get approval to add to the development as it exists today.

"It's a situation that probably never should have happened but it has," Abler said.

The association, which has property along Little Pine Lake, dates back to 1931, Anderson said. It was expanded in 1988. Anderson said the association put in an extensive and costly septic system upgrade. And, he said, the planning commission worked with the association to create buffers between units, to add trees and to build the garages so property won't be stored outdoors.

RENEE RICHARDSON can be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.