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Everyone welcome to attend.
Thanks to Wells Fargo Home Mortgage for providing refreshments.

Contact: Kevin Goedker, President
Greater Lakes Association of REALTORS
(218) 839-9122 / kevin@goedker.com

Proposed Changes in the Brainerd Lakes Area Could Jeopardize Lakeshore Dreams
Proposed Ordinance in Crow Wing County may Cause a Statewide Ripple Effect

February 28, 2011- Many people around the Midwest have grown up visiting their family’s lake cabins and this Ordinance could have a significant impact on this tradition in the future, as well as being potentially detrimental to the livelihood of the Brainerd Lakes Area.

Proposed changes to Crow Wing County’s Land Use Ordinance threaten property values for homeowners and may have significant impact on the tourism and real estate industries in the Brainerd Lakes Area of Minnesota. Proponents of the ordinance also view the Ordinance as a model for other counties to follow statewide.

The ordinance proposes significant changes in approved size, location and materials for structures along lakeshores in Crow Wing County. Existing lots and buildings that do not meet the proposed ordinance regulations are in danger of stricter regulations in the future regarding property improvements and expansions.

The Greater Lakes Association of REALTORS® President Kevin Goedker says, “The proposed ordinance will have a significant impact on uses, lots and structures that were created and built legally under prior zoning ordinances.”

The proposed ordinance is also too restrictive in how it would regulate impervious surfaces. Under the current proposal the definition of an “impervious area” is “[a] constructed hard surface that prevents or retards entry of water into the soil and causes water to run off the surface in greater quantities and at an increased rate of flow than prior to development, including rooftops; decks; sidewalks; patios; parking lots; storage areas; concrete, asphalt, or gravel driveways; and other similar surfaces”.

Goedker says the county “should provide better scientific support for any change in the current regulations including an actual assessment of how impervious surfaces relate to the water quality of our lakes and streams.”

“Homeowners and businesses have made substantial investments in their properties,” Goedker says. “They should be able to invest in and improve those properties without having to present a variance application and satisfy highly stringent standards.” Under the proposed Ordinance, lots that were previously legally nonconforming will require a variance for limited structural expansions. It will also require that these variances be submitted and approved before April 1, 2013.

On February 22nd, 2011, after a well attended public hearing, the County’s Planning Commission voted to pass the Proposed Ordinance on to the County Board of Commissioners for a vote. Crow Wing County Commissioners will hold a final public hearing before voting on the Proposed Ordinance on March 8th, 2011 at 10AM. For more information on the Proposed Ordinance please visit the Crow Wing County website at http://www.co.crow-wing.mn.us/planning___zoning/index.html.

The Greater Lakes Association of REALTORS® is located in Baxter, Minnesota. The Association is made up of REALTORS® and Affiliates who service Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Todd Counties and Wadena Counties.
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