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County: Please deny change to conditional use [UPDATED]
Published 5:46am Monday, February 25, 2013 Updated 7:49am Monday, February 25, 2013I am voicing this concern and understand it may or may not be considered as a comment on the EAW, as it may not address the accuracy or completeness of the EAW, nevertheless I feel it is an issue that should be considered when deciding if a conditional use permit is granted to the proposed Homestead at Ottertail.
I live on a farm where the nearest neighbor is three quarters of a mile away.
When looking for the location for a lake home in Otter Tail county one of the criteria high on the list was a peaceful quiet area.
We found what we were looking for when we viewed the lot that our present lake home is built on at 29691 Wavefront Drive.
It was an old cow pasture (there is still barbed wire grown into the oak trees on the lakeshore) and we enjoy the neighbor, Betty telling how the Halverson family farm would herd the cows across the highway, down to the lake to water them.
The working livestock farm to the southeast and the non-working farm and pasture directly across the road were about as peaceful and quiet as it gets.
We didn’t mind the cattle starting to make noise when they knew it was getting close to feeding time, or the smell of silage coming our way when the wind was southerly. Our lakeshore neighbors also enjoy this peaceful quiet area.
Because all the property southeast of highway 78 is zoned agricultural it can not be developed into any other use.
I urge denial of the conditional use permit, as allowing such a huge population density as requested will alter the character of the area and the development is not compatible with the current use of of its neighbors property.
We use our lake home for seasonal recreation and do not want the character of the area changing to that of a busy urban area.
To those who make the decision, consider if you would want this proposal directly across from your front driveway. There are numerous other locations in the county to place a “farm-based campground” than directly across the road from a peaceful recreational lakeshore population.
If the development is allowed, what is next? will someone apply for a conditional use permit for a convenience store or a liquor store at the intersection of Highway 5 and 295th St.? You may say that would never happen, we would never have dreamed that this proposal would have come along either.
Please leave things the way that they were zoned for a reason, the reason of keeping different types of property use in the proper placement for the overall good of property owners and the public.
Changing the use of one property will affect the future use possibilities of neighboring property. What will the development do to decrease lakeshore property values across the road from it? How will the future options of the farms south of the campground be affected? Will they be denied building livestock buildings or a grain handling facility on 295th St. because it would affect the campground. Will the farm be told they can not spread manure from May 1 to Sept. 30?
Will the campers complain when there is hay being harvested at 10 at night. Traffic would be going through the livestock farm which is on both sides of the road.
The current zoning of the property has a purpose, leave it the way it is.
Daniel Arnold
Otter Tail County
