In reading the opposing reasons against the rezoning of Leagjeld's land in a secluded bay on Upper Whitefish, lots of misinformation and false assumptions have been created. It is understandable residents feel afraid of rezoning from shoreline residential to waterfront commercial. Details of this specific rezoning proposal will reveal it is unique and stands apart from the other "Driftwood Resort" proposal. The two proposals vary immensely and should be evaluated each on their own merits.
Leagjeld proposes to keep his three lots essentially undeveloped, add no permanent structures, maintain the current pristine shoreline, and add less than 4% impervious surfaces. If this shoreline residential land were developed, this would dictate more impervious surfaces, garages, dockage, water and wildlife disruption. This is far more detrimental than his current new zoning proposal with the imposed conditional use permits that keeps the land essentially unchanged from the last 45 years.
While having a dredging company as your neighbor sounds horrible, it actually is not. Why? Dredging is an essential service in providing easy and safe access to our lakes and channels. A local dredger invested in the Whitefish Chain is preferable to hiring an outside dredger. A small part time business operating only occasionally makes far less impact than permanent residential housing. A dredging operation invisible to the public and using private land for extracting spoils is highly preferable to using public boat ramps. They are not designed to handle the large barges, spillage or lengthy shut down times. The DNR suggested Leagjeld make this proposal to safeguard their public landings.
Supporting this specific rezoning with its conditional use permits helps Lower Hay and Upper Whitefish residents protect their beautiful landscape and essential waterway access. Opposition to this rezoning request goes against exactly what residents want to preserve.
Nancy Nordberg
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Ideal Township
