Lake County schedules hearing on warehouse, vehicle storage near Two Harbors

Lake County will decide whether a Highway 12 parcel in Unorganized Territory #2 can shift from residential zoning toward a warehouse and outdoor vehicle storage use, a change that could alter traffic, noise and the look of the corridor near Two Harbors. The Planning Commission has set the public hearing for June 15, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Law Enforcement Center, 613 Third Avenue, in Two Harbors.

Iron Ridge Construction LLC is asking for a conditional use permit to operate an indoor warehousing facility with outdoor vehicle storage at 2180 Hwy 12. County records identify the property as parcel 25-5311-23260, a 19.9-acre lot that sold May 15, 2026, for $175,000. One listing described a 50-by-20 quonset building with a heated bathroom and storage on the site, which suggests the land is already partly developed even as the proposed use would expand how it functions.

The parcel’s zoning is listed as R1-Residential, a detail that will likely sit at the center of the hearing. Iron Ridge Construction appears to be a Duluth-based construction business, formed in 2023 and described in business listings as a metal-roofing and construction contractor. That background may matter to county officials and neighbors weighing whether a contractor yard and storage area fit the character of the area or push it toward a more industrial pattern of use.

Lake County’s Planning and Zoning program says it has been promoting public health, safety and welfare since the mid-1970s, and the county board approved amendments to Subdivision Ordinance #9 and Land Use Ordinance #12 on April 28, 2026, with the changes taking effect May 8, 2026. The Planning Commission is holding the hearing on behalf of the Board of Commissioners, making June 15 a key stop in the county’s land-use process before the request moves any farther.

For residents watching Highway 12, the practical questions are straightforward: how many trucks and contractor vehicles would enter and leave the site, whether outdoor storage would bring more noise or visual clutter, and how the county would screen the property from nearby homes and other parcels in Unorganized Territory #2. County rules also require driveway or access permits before a culvert or access driveway is built off a township, county or state road, and construction that disturbs more than one acre must include erosion and sediment control and stormwater management plans.

Those details make the hearing more than a routine notice. The county will be deciding whether a residentially zoned Highway 12 parcel should become a working storage base for a construction company, and that choice could set the tone for future development along this part of Two Harbors.