Lake County board to hear Knife River fence variance request 11

Knife River neighbors will get a chance to challenge or support a fence proposal that would push beyond Lake County’s standard height limit and closer to a railroad right-of-way. Dan and Robecca Fisher are asking the Lake County Board of Adjustment for variance relief on the property at 282 Skiff Landing Road, a 0.79-acre parcel in UT #2 zoned R-4 Residential.

The hearing is scheduled for May 11, 2026, at 1 p.m. in the Law Enforcement Center, 613 3rd Avenue in Two Harbors. Lake County’s permit portal says variance applications are requests for relief from dimensional standards and require a public hearing before the Board of Adjustment, which is the body state law puts in charge of hearing those requests. Alexandra Campbell, the county contact for Planning and Zoning matters tied to Board of Adjustment meetings, can be reached at (218) 834-8325.

The filing, identified as V-26-002, asks for two forms of relief: permission to build a fence higher than 6 feet and relief from the Railroad ROW setback requirements. On the ground, that means the Fisher property could gain a taller barrier closer to the railroad corridor than current rules allow, a change that could affect sightlines, privacy, and the look and spacing of development along the North Shore. For nearby property owners, the question is not abstract. It is whether the lot’s size, placement, and existing conditions justify an exception that would not otherwise be allowed under the ordinance.

Lake County Planning and Zoning says it has worked since the mid-1970s to protect public health, safety and general welfare, and the variance hearing is one of the main ways that mission gets tested in public. Minnesota Statutes section 394.27 requires counties with official controls to create a board of adjustment and gives that board authority over variances, while state and local guidance says those variances are generally meant for dimensional standards like setbacks or height limits. Lake County GIS maps can help residents pinpoint the parcel and surrounding land uses before the hearing, which is also listed on the county calendar from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Law Enforcement Center Meeting Room.

The Board of Adjustment will need to decide whether the Fishers’ request fits Lake County’s land-use standards and whether the proposed fence, as designed, belongs on this Knife River parcel in Unorganized Territory 2. That decision could set the tone for how strictly the county applies setback and height rules in one of its most visible North Shore unorganized areas.