Planning panel recommends conditional‑use permit for La Crescent dwelling; neighbor raises hunting and property‑value concerns

The Houston County Planning Commission recommended approval of a conditional‑use permit that would allow Michael and Susan Bashoff to build a 2,080‑square‑foot single‑family house with a three‑car attached garage on their family farm in La Crescent Township.

The commission voted to recommend the permit after staff presented findings that the site meets the county land‑use plan and conditional‑use criteria and that required mitigation (an approved erosion‑control plan and a septic plan meeting Minnesota Pollution Control Agency standards) would address water‑quality concerns. The recommendation is advisory; final approval will be decided by the Houston County Board of Commissioners at a March 17 meeting.

Why it matters: The commission’s decision permits a nonfarm dwelling on marginal agricultural land within the Agricultural Protection District, which residents and planners say can affect local land‑use patterns and recreational uses such as hunting.

Applicant Michael and Susan Bashoff told the commission their parents bought the farm in 1964 and that the family intends to split the 54‑acre parcel with the applicant's sister. “We're gonna split with my sister,” the applicant said, describing plans to restore the existing house on one parcel and build the new dwelling on the other so the land can stay in the family.

Neighbor Bruce Von Groban, who said he and his wife use nearby fields for hunting and recreation, urged the commission to withhold approval until the precise house location is clearer on maps. “If that house pops up … it will impact the value of that property once that house is stabbed in there,” Von Groban said, adding that he and his family use the access road and adjoining acreage for turkey and deer hunting.

Commissioners and staff addressed several technical concerns raised by the public. Staff said the agricultural quarter‑quarter line shown on county mapping largely reflected accessory structures (a garage) rather than the dwelling itself, and the surveyed house location puts the proposed residence in the open quarter‑quarter eligible for a dwelling. Staff identified the site soils as class 5 (not prime agricultural class 1–3), noted the county’s minimum setback from a property line is 50 feet, and said wetlands reviewers had evaluated only a portion of the proposed driveway as potentially constrained.

Staff also told the commission that, before a building permit can be issued, a septic designer must identify two type‑1 septic locations and design a system that meets MPCA requirements, and that an erosion‑control plan approved by the Soil and Water Conservation District is in place.

The commission reviewed the standard conditional‑use findings (conformance with the land‑use plan, demonstrated need, water quality, runoff, soils, pollution hazards, utilities and compatibility with surrounding uses) and voted to accept the findings. The motion recommended approval of the conditional‑use permit for a single‑family dwelling on less than 40 acres in the Agricultural Protection District with four conditions, including compliance with all federal, state and local laws, county right‑of‑entry for compliance checks, limits on home occupations without a separate permit, and parcel configuration standards to be verified prior to recording.

The commission's recommendation will be forwarded to the Houston County Board of Commissioners for final action on March 17. The planning commission emphasized that its decision is advisory and that the county board will hold the final hearing and vote.

What happens next: The application will appear on the county board agenda on March 17 for final approval; members of the public may submit written comments to the environmental services department or zoning office prior to that hearing.