Lake County Planning Commission Approves Rustic Inn Conditional Use, Cannabis Ordinance Changes

The Lake County Planning Commission gave the green light to a conditional use request tied to the Rustic Inn operation at its March 16 meeting, held at 5:00 p.m. at the Law Enforcement Center in Two Harbors. Commissioners also voted to recommend adoption of amendments to the county's cannabis ordinance at the same session.

The Rustic Inn request was among several land-use items the commission considered that evening. Under Lake County's zoning code, a conditional use is defined as "a land use or development that would not be appropriate generally in a given zone district, but which may be allowed with appropriate restrictions as called for in the Ordinance." The county ordinance also specifies that for lodging establishments, any rental for a period of less than one month is considered a commercial use, a classification that can trigger the conditional use process for operations like the Rustic Inn.

Details on any conditions attached to the approval, the vote count, and public comment from the meeting were not available at press time. It was also not confirmed whether the approval requires a subsequent action by the Lake County Board of Commissioners before taking full effect, though county planning processes typically route planning commission decisions through the County Board for final authority.

The commission's recommendation on cannabis ordinance amendments was the second significant action of the night. The specific language of the proposed amendments was not included in materials available for this report. The recommendation is expected to move to the County Board for consideration, though a scheduled date for that hearing had not been confirmed.

The Lake County Land and Water Planning Office would have records of the Rustic Inn application file, staff reports, and the full meeting minutes from March 16.