Last fall, we reported that State rep Erik Mortensen defies Cook County land use setback and construction rules and Cook Co Board of Adjustment gives Mort & wife time to explain cease & desist order violation.
And now, the board has decided to let Mort keep his building.
From WTIP's Joe Friedrichs' article County allows state legislator to keep noncompliant structure in place:
A member of the Minnesota House of Representatives built a structure that is not in compliance with local zoning ordinances, violated a cease and desist order from the Cook County Land Services Department in 2021 and nonetheless will be allowed to keep the building in place near the shores of Poplar Lake.
Republican state Rep. Erik Mortensen made a final plea to keep his recently built structure in place during a meeting of the Cook County Board of Adjustment on Wednesday, Jan. 12.
His pleas worked.
The local board of adjustment voted 3-2 to allow Mortensen to keep his structure, despite numerous conversations over the course of multiple meetings where members of the board of adjustment openly acknowledged the structure violates county ordinances. The board members who voted to allow the structure to remain in place are Jerry Hiniker, Charlie LaBoda and Adam Treeful. Voting against the request were Keith Kuckler and Judy Motschenbacher.
Mortensen, of Shakopee, purchased a seasonal cabin in Cook County in October 2020. The property is located on the far east end of Poplar Lake near the Gunflint Trail.
According to the land services department, Mortensen failed to obtain the necessary permits to build a new structure on his property near the lakeshore. During the Jan. 12 board of adjustment hearing, the initial consensus among the board of adjustment was that Mortensen failed to prove ‘a practical difficulty’ or any other reason that would have allowed him to curb the county zoning ordinances.
Board Chair Hiniker led the discussion, at one point telling Mortensen, who was in attendance at the Jan. 12 meeting, that he “can build the building, but you can’t build it anywhere you want.”
Less than an hour later, Hiniker voted to allow Mortensen to keep his structure where it stands. . . .
Okay then.
Related article:
Photo: The request for a variance from the Mortensens included a photo of the work after a cease-and-desist order was issued halting construction. Photo courtesy of Cook County, via Minnesota Reformer.
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