BACKUS - The Cass County Board continued a public hearing to January on zoning ordinance changes after board members expressed concerns Tuesday about a clause regulating a "family resort."
Environmental Services Director John Sumption and Planning Commission Chair Mike Wetzel said the intent of this section was to create rules for properties where a former commercial resort has been sold to one family, whose intent would be for family members to convert the use to a family compound.
The section also permits families to place multiple recreational vehicles for their own use on a single property. A conditional use permit would be required for either.
As presented to the board, the proposal would prohibit the family members from renting units on their property to non-family members.
The board expressed concern that the term "family resort" would be confused with commercial operations run by a family, which require multiple state permits and fall under strict regulation and whose purpose is to rent units.
An alternate term suggested was "private family retreat."
The proposal fails to define the term "family," leaving open how extended a group of people using such a property could be.
Sumption said planning commission members will take board concerns into account and make revisions at their December meeting, then present those revisions to the board in January.
A proposed change to the subdivision and platting ordinance would require new developments adjacent to an existing agricultural property, extractive land use, gun/shooting range or the Camp Ripley Buffer Zone to accept an easement on the property title acknowledging the existing adjacent land use and waiving the right to object to that use.
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