Iron County Planning discusses accessory building violations

By ZACHARY MARANO

zmarano@yourdailyglobe.com

Hurley — The Iron County Comprehensive Planning/Land and Zoning Committee met on Tuesday to discuss bringing accessory buildings into compliance with county ordinances.

Assistant Administrator Gerry Nasi said some residents have applied for permits for accessory buildings such as garages and converted them into living spaces after constructing them. He said that these buildings are not being taxed properly because their owners are still paying for accessory buildings rather than residential dwellings.

Nasi said that some things fall by the wayside when converting an accessory building into a dwelling. He said the sanitary needs of these buildings are often not addressed properly and that dumping sewage into the ground can present a health and safety risk to their neighbors.

In certain cases, Nasi said that non-compliant sites may be subject to inspection by an independent contractor with the state. He also said that if there are any conditional use violations, residents may need to apply for their conditional use permits again.

Nasi said that violators will need to spend money to bring their buildings into compliance with the ordinance and pay back taxes on these residential dwellings.

The committee postponed a decision to rezone a part of the town of Mercer owned by James and Stephanie Kichak from an agriculture district to a residential-recreation district to bring into accordance with a planned land use plan. Administrator Erika Roeder said this will allow Kichak to split a 22-acre parcel into an eight-acre parcel and a 14-acre parcel to sell them.

They also postponed allowing the operation of a temporary portable asphalt plant in an agricultural-zoned district at 2186 W. Beaver Lodge Road in Sherman to wait for approval of the town board.

The committee approved:

—The operation of a tourist rooming house in a residential-zoned district on 5477 N. Echo Lake Road E. in Mercer owned by Nordvann Cabin LLC.

—The operation of a tourist rooming house in a residential-recreation-zoned district on 4119 W. Weber Road in Mercer.