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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

RV park proposed near resort

Part of effort to reopen BayView Lodge

Marcus White
Posted 11/28/18

GREENWOOD TWP— The St. Louis County Planning Commission, on Dec. 13, will hear a proposal for the creation of a 33-unit RV park on property adjacent to BayView Lodge. The meeting will be held at …

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RV park proposed near resort

Part of effort to reopen BayView Lodge

Posted

GREENWOOD TWP— The St. Louis County Planning Commission, on Dec. 13, will hear a proposal for the creation of a 33-unit RV park on property adjacent to BayView Lodge. The meeting will be held at the county’s Virginia Public Works building. County officials have yet to post a time for the meeting, but they typically begin at 9:30 a.m.

County officials did not release the identity of the party proposing the development, although the Timberjay has confirmed independently that Ryan Horan is the applicant. In the application, Horan indicates that he has signed a purchase agreement for the property that is contingent on the county’s approval of a rezoning request and the conditional use permit needed to create the RV park on forested land located between the current lodge site and County Rd. 77. The 7.91-acre parcel proposed for development is currently owned by Greenwood residents Joseph and Marcia Wegleitner. The parcel, which does not include lake frontage, is valued by St. Louis County at $38,700 and is wedged between County Rd. 77 and the current access road to BayView Lodge and adjacent cabins.

The application states that a plan to reopen the resort, its restaurant and bar, and a planned pizza and ice cream shop, would only be feasible if the RV park is built. The portion of the property planned for the proposed RV park is currently zoned as residential, which makes rezoning of the parcel necessary.

In addition to the RV sites, the proposal includes a new access road into the resort from County Rd. 77 to allow easier traffic flow for larger vehicles and ease potential congestion on the existing BayView Drive. The application states the owners will be providing private garbage disposal services for a fee at the resort to maintain cleanliness.

Lake Vermilion currently has four RV parks, with the next closest located at Fortune Bay Resort Casino.

A RV park has been proposed at BayView previously, but did not receive approval from Greenwood’s planning and zoning authority. Greenwood residents decided to grant St. Louis County authority over local zoning several years ago. The Greenwood Town Board, at their November meeting, chose not to make any comments to the county on the proposal.

In previous years, the resort has faced complaints from surrounding property owners over noise. In both 2013 and 2016, the resort, under different owners, fought against Greenwood Township’s efforts to curtail outdoor music on the property. The resort’s popular restaurant and bar, which had hosted the annual Lake Vermilion Flotilla for many years, was closed for the 2018 season.